Rask ties for first, Gophers take ninth at The Prestige

Minnesota senior Clayton Rask shot an even-par 72 during Tuesday’s third and final round of The Prestige at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif., to finish in a two-way tie atop the individual leader board with Wisconsin’s Dan Woltman at 8-under par 208.

It marked the second time in as many weeks that Rask has shared medalist honors. The Ostego, Minn., product also tied for first at the Windon Memorial Classic on Oct. 8 and has now posted three top-5 finishes on the young season.

Still, Rask’s Tuesday total was not the best score of the day turned in by a Gopher. That honor went to junior Victor Almstrom. Almstrom, who entered the final round in a tie for 49th place, carded a 1-under par 71 over the last 18 holes to finish the tournament tied for 30th with a three-round score of 5-over 221.

Sophomore Ben Pisani also made a move up the leader board over the last 18 holes, shooting a 1-over 73 during the third round to climb eight spots in the final standings into a tie for 54th at 9-over 225.

Senior Patrick Datz contributed the final counting score of the day for the Gophers with a 77 Tuesday to finish tied for 66th at 13-over 229, while senior Andy Paulson placed 83rd with a final score of 23-over 239.

As a team, the Gophers’ ended the tournament in a two-way tie with Colorado for ninth place at 17-over par 881. Charlotte captured the team title with a three-round combined score of 10-under 854, followed by Stanford (862) and Central Florida (869).

The Minnesota men’s golf team continues its fall season on Oct. 21 and 22, when the Gophers travel to Tacoma, Wash., to compete in the Big Ten vs. Pac-10 Challenge at Chambers Bay.

NCAA Men’s College Golf
The Prestige at PGA WEST – Oct. 15-16, 2007
Greg Norman Course at PGA West
La Quinta, Calif.
Par 72; 7,156 yards

Team Scores: 1. Charlotte, 281-285-288—854 (-10); 2. Stanford, 285-293-284—862 (-4); 3. UCF, 284-286-299—869 (+5); T4. Pepperdine, 287-294—581 (+5); T4. TCU, 299-286-291—876 (+12); 6. Wisconsin, 292-297-289—878 (+14); T7. UC Irvine, 292-294-293—879 (+15); T7. Michigan, 298-285-296—879 (15); T9. Minnesota, 290-300-291—881 (+17); T9. Colorado, 291-295-295—881 (+17); 11. California, 286-297-299—882 (+18); 12. San Diego, 287-294-302—883 (+19); 13. Pacific, 306-290-296—892 (+28); 14. Denver, 289-298-306—893 (+29); 15. UC Davis, 298-296-302—896 (+32); 16. Kansas, 304-298-295—897 (+33).

Top 5 Individuals: T1. Clayton Rask (Minn.), 68-68-72—208 (-8); T1. Dan Woltman (Wisc.), 70-69-69—208 (-8); 3. Corey Nagy (Char.), 73-70-68—211 (-5); T4. Jonas Enander Hedin (Char.), 69-74-69—212 (-4); T4. Alexander Sitompul (Mich.), 74-70-68—212 (-4).

Minnesota Individuals: T1. Clayton Rask, 68-68-72—208 (-8); T30. Victor Almstrom, 73-77-71—221 (+5); T54. Ben Pisani, 74-78-73—225 (+9); T66. Patrick Datz, 75-77-77—229 (+13); 83. Andy Pauilson, 75-89-75—239 (+23).