The Gophers men’s and women’s golf teams traveled to opposite parts of the country over the weekend. The men tied for fourth at the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate in New Mexico, while the women finished fifth in a tournament at Penn State.
Host New Mexico won the men’s tournament, defeating second-place Colorado by 29 strokes. Gophers senior Erik Van Rooyen led the team with a second-place finish, shooting 6-under par.
He opened the tournament with a 6-under 66 on Friday.
“The key for me this weekend was my putting,” Van Rooyen said. He said he was able to make putts inside of 10 feet, unlike previous weeks.
Van Rooyen shot a 1-over-par 73 Saturday and was leading the tournament with two holes to play Sunday. But what he attributed as mental error on 17 and a bad swing on 18 resulted in two bogeys.
Finishing second for the Gophers was Jon DuToit, who tied for 29th. Alex Gaugert tied for 53rd, and Robert Bell and David Haley Jr. tied for 67th.
Despite the disappointing finish, Van Rooyen said he gained confidence from his ability to challenge for a win this weekend.
Head coach John Carlson said Van Rooyen’s finish elevates him back to All-Big Ten status.
Carlson said the team has been playing well the past few weeks. He said he expects the team to continue that next weekend at the Fighting Irish Classic at Notre Dame.
Women finish fifth at Penn State
The Minnesota women’s golf team finished a disappointing fifth at the Nittany Lion Women’s Invitational.
Sophomore Carmen Laguna tied for 15th to lead the Gophers. She shot a pair of 73s over the weekend.
Sophomores Anna Laorr and Sarinee Thitiratanakorn tied for 18th, one stroke behind Laguna.
Banchalee Theinthong, Jackie Shepherd and Taylor Quinn rounded out the Gophers’ lineup.
Head coach Michele Redman said the team should’ve finished higher, but it didn’t score well on the par-5 holes.
The team will spend a lot of time this week practicing short-game situations, she said.
Host Penn State won the tournament, defeating Harvard by 24 strokes.
The Gophers will next travel to Bloomington, Ind., for the Hoosier Fall Invitational on Oct. 13-14.
