MUSCATINE, Iowa -- For the 11th time in program history and first since 2017, the Luther College Norse are crowned the men's golf champions of the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C). Luther bested the field by 21 strokes, finishing with a three-round total of 902.
Luther went 1-2-3 as they led the field with three All-Conference honorees.
Ben Phipps, posting a 54-hole total of 221 (+8) claimed medalist honors after defeating teammate
Jay Fjelstul (+8, 221) in a sudden-death playoff.
Haakon Rustad (+11, 224) earned bronze by virtue of a card-back tie-breaker. Phipps recorded the low round of the championship, firing a 3-under par 68 in the final round, propelling himself to the top of the leaderboard. Fjelstul was the only other player to conclude a round under par, shooting a 1-under 70 in the final round.
Along with his low medalist honors, Phipps becomes the sixth Norse student-athlete to be named the Conference’s Golfer of the Year – joining Gene Sella (1977), Robert Cassidy (1983), Magnus Hellmark (1995, 1996, 1997), Dean Wilson (1999), Scott Theriault (2000), and Andrew Peter (2013).
The Norse recorded the tournament’s low score as a team in the final round, shotting 292, and the only team to record two rounds under 300. Luther’s victory earned them the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships May 10-13 at Mission Inn Resort and Club in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida.
For the 11
th time in his career, Luther College head coach
Scott Fjelstul was voted American Rivers Conference Coach of the Year.
Central College took home second-place in the team race, finishing three rounds at +71 (923). The Dutch placed two individuals on the All-Conference squad.
Harold Dobernecker earned seventh place with a three-round total of 229 (+16). Teammate
Lucas Wendal concluded the championship at 230 (+17) to take home eighth-place.
Just one stroke off second-place, Nebraska Wesleyan shot a team score of 924 (+72) to place third.
Connor Vandewege’s +13 (226) earned him fifth-place, while
Geran Sander finished t-10
th behind a three-round total of 231 (+18).
The University of Dubuque’s 928 (+76) earned them a fourth-place team finish.
Alex Staver and
Brad Buechel took home All-Conference honors for the Spartans. Staver (+11, 224) finished in fourth by way of a tie-breaker card-back. Buechel’s +15 (228) earned him sixth-place.
Loras College finished the tournament in fifth-place with a 932 (+80) team score. The Duhawk’s
Dominic Leli won a tie-breaker card-back to earn ninth-place with a +18, 231.
With a team total of 949 (+97), Wartburg College placed sixth.
Coe College placed seventh as a team with a final total of 962 (+110).
Lucas Geiger, with a score of 231 (+18) tied for 10
th place to earn All-Conference honors.
Buena Vista University (975, +123) and Simpson College (1071, +219) finished eight and ninth, respectively.
|
|
|
|
Ben Phipps
Luther College
2022 A-R-C Champion/Golfer of the Year |
Scott Fjelstul
Luther College
2022 A-R-C Coach of the Year |
| Finish |
Player |
Team |
Year |
Hometown/High School |
Scores |
Total |
Par |
| 1*** |
Ben Phipps |
Luther |
Sr. |
Townparks, Ardee, County Leuth, Ireland |
80 |
35 |
38 |
68 |
221 |
+8 |
| 2*** |
Jay Fjelstul |
Luther |
So. |
Decorah, Iowa |
79 |
34 |
38 |
70 |
221 |
+8 |
| 3* |
Haakon Rustad |
Luther |
Fr. |
Northfield, Minn./Northfield |
73 |
32 |
41 |
78 |
224 |
+11 |
| 4* |
Alex Staver |
Dubuque |
Jr. |
Stockton, Ill./Stockton |
75 |
39 |
34 |
76 |
224 |
+11 |
| 5 |
Connor Vandewege |
Nebraska Wesleyan |
Jr. |
Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln East |
71 |
35 |
37 |
83 |
226 |
+13 |
| 6 |
Brad Buechel |
Dubuque |
Jr. |
Kewaskum, Wis./Kewaskum |
76 |
37 |
38 |
77 |
228 |
+15 |
| 7 |
Harold Dobernecker |
Central |
So. |
Nevada, Iowa/Nevada |
75 |
38 |
42 |
74 |
229 |
+16 |
| 8 |
Lucas Wendel |
Central |
Jr. |
Le Claire, Iowa/Pleasant Valley |
75 |
37 |
37 |
81 |
230 |
+17 |
| 9* |
Dominic Leli |
Loras |
Jr. |
Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge |
78 |
36 |
39 |
78 |
231 |
+18 |
| t-10** |
Lucas Geiger |
Coe |
So. |
Mt. Prospect, Ill./Notre Dame College Prep |
76 |
41 |
38 |
76 |
231 |
+18 |
| t-10** |
Geran Sander |
Nebraska Wesleyan |
Fr. |
Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Southwest |
77 |
37 |
39 |
78 |
231 |
+18 |
* - place determined by card-back, utilizing scores from the final round and hole handicap (2nd-9th)
** - ties for 10th are not broken, both receive All-Conference honors at 10th place
*** - Medalist honors were determined by a sudden-death playoff |
| Finish |
Team |
Round 1 |
Round 2 |
Round 3 |
Round 4 |
Total |
| Score |
Score |
Score |
Score |
| 1 |
Luther College |
315 |
140 |
155 |
292 |
902 |
| 2 |
Central College (IA) |
306 |
152 |
157 |
308 |
923 |
| 3 |
Nebraska Wesleyan |
308 |
147 |
155 |
314 |
924 |
| 4 |
Dubuque, Univ. of |
309 |
155 |
152 |
312 |
928 |
| 5 |
Loras College |
308 |
157 |
159 |
308 |
932 |
| 6 |
Wartburg College |
315 |
157 |
157 |
320 |
949 |
| 7 |
Coe College |
321 |
160 |
158 |
323 |
962 |
| 8 |
Buena Vista Univ. |
324 |
165 |
169 |
317 |
975 |
| 9 |
Simpson College |
382 |
171 |
176 |
342 |
1071 |
