Tuesday, September 18, 2012

The Valparaiso men's golf team moved up one spot in the final round of the John Piper Intercollegiate in Bowling Green, Ohio on Tuesday, closing the 54-hole event in seventh place.

The Crusaders shot a round of 309 on Tuesday to finish the two-day, three-round tournament in seventh position with a score of 907, just five shots shy of a top-five finish. Cleveland State took the team title with an 866, while Wes Gates shot -10 (206) to capture individual medalist honors by 12 shots.

Senior Austin Gaugert (Lake Geneva, Wis./Badger) posted his third top-finish in as many events this season, closing the tournament with a round of 73 to finish at +4 (220). Junior Thomas Wettstein (Neenah, Wis./Xavier) shot a 77 on Tuesday and was the second-highest placed Crusader, finishing in a tie for 15^th at +10 (226). Playing as an individual, senior Andy Webb (Bedford, Ind./North Lawrence) shot a second consecutive round of 76 to close at +14 (230), finishing in a tie for 31^st.

Fifth-year senior Brad Winters (Elgin, Ill./Saint Edward [Dayton]) shot a 78 on Tuesday to end the event at +15 (231), good for a tie for 37^th. Sophomore Joe Harris (Washington, Iowa/Washington) tied for 44^th place after shooting 81 on Tuesday to end the tournament at +18 (234), while fellow second-year player Eric Winters (Elgin, Ill./Saint Edward) rounded out the Crusader lineup with an 82 in his final round, ending with a 54-hole score of 235 (+19) to tie for 49^th place.

Valparaiso returns to action on Monday, October 1 at the Jim Colbert Intercollegiate, a two-day event hosted by Kansas State.