Former University of Minnesota golfer Clayton Rask fired a 9-under 63 in the final round of the Saskatchewan Open on June 6 to finish in a six-way tie for fourth place. His final round 63 and tie for fourth place finish are personal bests for Rask, who has made the cut in all three tournaments he has played as a professional on the Canadian Tour.
Rask made his professional debut in the Times Colonist Open in Victoria, British Columbia and finished in a tie for 32nd. He also made the cut in the Greater Vancouver Charity Classic and finished in a tie for 41st.
A four-time letterwinner at the University of Minnesota, Rask finished his Gopher career with a 74.47 stroke average. He recorded a stroke average of 72.94 as a senior, the 16th best single-season average in school history and was named First Team All-Big Ten. Rask left Minnesota with records as well, as his 206 in the Windon Memorial Classic as a senior ties him for the fourth lowest 54-hole score in school history. Also, he shot 140 in the Administaff ASU Invitational as a senior, the second lowest 36-hole score in school history and shot 66 and 65 in back-to-back days of the aforementioned Windon Memorial, tying for the fifth and fourth lowest 18-hole score, respectively, in school history.
Another former Gopher, Justin Smith, carded a four-round total of 16-under 264 to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place at the NGA Hooters Tour Classic played June 26th-29th at Kings Creek Golf Club in Spring Hill, Tenn. Smith has played in 10 Hooters Tour events this season, making the cut in eight, and currently sits in 16th place on the tour’s money list. His best finish prior to the Hooters Tour Classic was a tie for sixth place at the Orion Group Golf Classic played in early May.
Smith, a three-time All-American at Minnesota who cemented the Gopher’s 2002 NCAA title, is one of three former Gophers playing on the Hooters Tour this season. The Gophers only four-time All-American, Bronson La’Cassie, is currently 27th on the money list while Matt Anderson, a 2002 All-American, and Niall Turner, a two-time All-American, are 57th and 63rd, respectively, on the money list.
The Hooters Tour’s next event will be Onion Creek Classic, played July 21-27 at Onion Creek Golf Club in Austin, Texas while the Canadian Tour’s next stop will be the Telus Edmonton Open in Edmonton, Alberta this weekend.
