The University of Minnesota men's golf team finished eighth at the Olympia Fields Illini Invitational in Chicago, Ill. The Gophers carded a final round 301 to finish 21 strokes behind tournament champion Duke. Minnesota completed the three-round event with a team score of 45-over 885.

The Gophers were led by junior Clayton Rask who finished in a tie for seventh at 5-over 215. Rask's finish is his fourth top-10 finish in his last five events including two straight to open the 2006 fall season. Rask fired a 1-over 71 today to move from 10th to seventh. Senior All-American Niall Turner fied for 11th after a 74 Monday. He finished at 7-over 217. Three-time All-American Bronson La'Cassie tied for 20th at 11-over 221 carding a third round 76. Sophomore Victor Almstrom finished in 50th place at 23-over 233 and sophomore Patrick Datz tied for 55th at 26-over 236.

The Gophers continue their fall season on Oct. 2-4 at The PING Preview in Williamsburg, Va.

Gopher Scores
T7 Clayton Rask 72-72-71=215 (+5)
T11 Niall Turner 74-69-74=217 (+7)
T20 Bronson La'Cassie 72-73-76=221 (+11)
50 Victor Almstrom 80-73-80=236 (+26)
T55 Patrick Datz 79-77-80=236 (+26)