The leaderboard changed often Monday in the final round of the fifth annual Gopher Invitational at Spring Hill Golf Club in Wayzata, Minn. but SMU proved too strong and pulled away late. The Mustangs, thanks to a course record 64 by Kelly Kraft, finished with a Gopher Invitational record score of 9-under par 855 to win by 10 strokes over the Arkansas Razorbacks.
The Gophers finished third, three shots ahead of fourth place North Carolina-Charlotte. Kraft finished with a tournament record score of 15-under par 201 to take home medalist honors.
Senior Ben Pisani, playing in his fourth Gopher Invitational, paced the Gophers all weekend including a then course record 65 in the opening round. He carded a second round 71 and a third round total of 73 for a 54-hole score of 7-under 209 to finish runner-up, eight shots behind the medalist Kraft. The 7-under total of 209 is a career-low as is the first round tally of 65. His runner-up finish can also be added to the Pisani record book. His previous best was a third place finish at last spring's Big Ten Championships.
Freshman Frederick Van Rooyan played the invite as an individual but posted the best score of the day for any Gopher with a 4-under par 68. The native South African finished in a tie for 14th place. Redshirt freshman Robert Bell made his collegiate debut this weekend and finished alone in 20th place with a score of 221. Cameron White started the day on fire with a pair of birdies and an eagle in his first four holes but cooled and finished with a 74. His tournament tally of 6-over 222 was good for a six-way tie for 21st.
The Gophers also counted scores from senior Thomas Campbell and sophomore Derek Chang over the weekend. Chang fought his way through an opening round 88 to play the final 36 holes at even par. He finished 58th. Other individuals playing the invite for Minnesota were David Haley Jr., Tim Peterzen, Christopher Meyer, Justin Kaplan and Shang Zhi.
Minnesota will take a week off before heading to Ann Arbor, Mich. for the Wolverine Invitational on Sept. 26-27.
Gopher Individuals (Final): 2. Ben Pisani
| 65 | 71 | 73 | (209) | -7 |
T14. Frederick Van Rooyen (I)
| 77 | 74 | 68 | (219) | +3 |
20. Robert Bell
| 75 | 70 | 76 | (221) | +5 |
T21. Cameron White
| 76 | 72 | 74 | (222) | +6 |
T30. David Haley Jr. (I)
| 74 | 71 | 79 | (224) | +8 |
T43. Tim Peterzen (I)
| 72 | 76 | 79 | (227) | +11
|
T53. Christopher Meyer (I)
| 78 | 73 | 78 | (229) | +13 |
58. Derek Chang
| 88 | 72 | 72 | (232) | +16 |
T59. Thomas Campbell
| 76 | 80 | 77 | (233) | +17 |
71. Justin Kaplan (I)
| 79 | 78 | 84 | (241) | +25 |
72. Shang Zhi (I)
| 85 | 79 | 79 | (243) | +27 |
| | | | | | |
Team Leaderboard (Final): | 1. SMU | 285 | 290 | 280 | (885) | -9 |
| 2. Arkansas | 296 | 281 | 288 | (865) | +1 |
| 3. Minnesota | 292 | 285 | 295 | (872) | +8 |
| 4. UNC-Charlotte | 298 | 281 | 296 | (875) | +11 |
| 5. Iowa | 294 | 294 | 290 | (878) | +14 |
| 6. Notre Dame | 302 | 286 | 293 | (881) | +17 |
| 7. UNC-Wilmington | 287 | 299 | 299 | (885) | +21 |
| 8. Wisconsin | 306 | 294 | 293 | (893) | +29 |
| 9. Lamar | 304 | 292 | 298 | (894) | +30 |
| 10. UNC-Greensboro | 301 | 301 | 297 | (899) | +35 |
| 11. Miami (Ohio) | 300 | 306 | 303 | (909) | +45 |
| 12. Northern Iowa | 306 | 291 | 313 | (910) | +46 |
