PENFIELD, N.Y. – The third day of play at the NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championships once again saw chilly and rainy conditions as players spent 11 hours on the course at Midvale Country Club. The Carleton College squad sat in 14th place after the third round, but with concern regarding Friday's weather forecast, the 18-team field started the fourth round right after the third round concluded with the Knights getting in an additional 14-18 holes before play was suspended due to darkness.
 
"The guys played great today during a very long day of golf," said Carleton head coach Sloan Wallgren. "This has been an amazing experience, and the team is ready to return to campus tomorrow night to enjoy the last two weeks of school with their friends."
 
Carleton posted a team score of 303 (+15) in the third round and held a 54-hole score of 906 (+42, 294-309-303).
 
Senior Ryan Choi led the way with a bogey-free third round that featured three birdies for a 69 (-3), which tied for the best third-round score in the field. He sat in a tie for sixth place on the leaderboard through 54 holes but started the fourth round with bogeys on three of the first five holes. He is four-over par through the opening 14 holes of the fourth round and is currently +6 for the tournament, good for 19th place.
 
Junior Gordon Walker carded a 77 (+5) during the third round and was tied for 43rd place before getting off to a strong start in the final round. He birdied the first three holes of the fourth round, then shook off back-to-back bogeys on No. 5 and No. 6 with three more birdies on No. 8, No. 9, and No. 11 to move to -4 through 15 holes. He is currently +7 for the week.
 
Sophomore Sam Higaki had an up-and-down third round with three birdies, six bogeys, and a double bogey to card a 77 (+5). He is five-over par through the first 16 holes of the fourth round, making him +17 for the tournament.
 
First-year Gareth Birney was Carleton's fourth scorer during the third round, posting a score of 80 (+8). He was four-over par through the first 13 holes before playing the final five holes at four-over despite a birdie on No. 17. He started the fourth round with a birdie on the opening hole but could not maintain that pace and carded a final round 89 (+17) to conclude the tournament with a 72-hole score of +45 (80-84-80-89=333).
 
Sophomore Justin Rodriguez posted a third-round score of 82 (+10), including a birdie on No. 17. He is +6 over the first 16 holes of the final round and is currently +25 for the tournament.
 
In the team competition, No. 1-ranked Methodist University — which sat in 19th place after the first round and sixth after the second round — took over third place during the third round and got off to a blistering start in the final round and now holds a two-shot lead over No. 5 Illinois Wesleyan University.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton will wrap up the 72-hole tournament on Friday. Play is projected to resume at 7:45 a.m. EDT/6:45 a.m. CDT.