SARTELL, Minn. – The Carleton College men's golf team moved into a tie for fifth place following the final round of the Saint John's Fall Invitational held at Blackberry Ridge Golf Club.
Sam Higaki shot one-under-par on the day and moved up four spots on Sunday to earn a tie for medalist honors.
Bethel University won the tournament with a two-round total of 586 (+10), and the second-place team was the host, Saint John's University, at 589 (+13). The Knights compiled a team score of 604 (+28) and moved up six spots to finish tied for fifth place.
"Saturday was a tough day on the course with the terrible weather all day," said Carleton head coach
Sloan Wallgren. "The team was able to regroup on day two to post the lowest score for the day. Sam played some great golf over the two days and defended his individual title at the SJU invite. The team is going to shift our attention towards the Twin Cities Classic next weekend and hope to carry the momentum into the MIACs in two weeks."
Higaki had an impressive round two, shooting a 34 on the front nine and 37 on the back to earn a tie atop the leaderboard. His overall score for the tournament was 143 (-1). The senior golfer also won this tournament last year and battled on Sunday to defend his individual title.
Dillon Croco shot a one-over-par 73 on day two, with a round that included five birdies. He moved up to tie for 24th overall with his two-day score of 151 (+7).
Justin Rodriguez also shot a 73 in the final round, moving up 26 spots and into a tie for 46th overall. Rodriguez put together a round that included 15 pars, two bogeys, and one birdie.
Eli Slifer rounded out the scoring for the Knights with a two-over-par 74. He shot a 39 on the front nine, then played the back nine at one-under-par, which was highlighted with an eagle on the par-five 12th. Slifer's two-day total was 158 (+14).
Gareth Birney also competed for the Knights and shot a 76 (+4) on Sunday. His tournament total was 156 (+12).
Austin Mak played as an individual and carded a 77 on day two with a round that included three birdies. He finished tied for 38th overall with a score of 154 (+10) over the 36 holes.
Matt Kang also competed as an individual and turned in a round of 82 (+10).
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton will compete at the Twin Cities Classic hosted by Gustavus Adolphus. The three-day tournament will be played Oct. 3-5, beginning at Elk River Country Club on Saturday.
