Men’s golf finishes fall season, looks ahead to spring

The Augustana men’s golf team wrapped up its fall season on Oct. 24 at the Tulsa Cup in Oklahoma, placing 15th as a team with 914 strokes. 

Sophomore Jacob Stewart led the individual effort with 219 strokes, tying for 16th. Junior Will Allen was the second-leading scorer for Augustana with 223 strokes in a tie for 35th place. 

“We played in this tournament last year, and it’s a great venue with some very high level teams,” Allen said. “We went about it just like any other tournament. The preparation was similar, and I think all the guys went in with confidence.” 

On Sept. 25-26, the Vikings traveled to Lake City, Minnesota, for the Watkins Invitational. The team placed seventh out of 15 teams at 584 strokes. With 67 shots in round two, junior transfer Emmet Hansen earned the Vikings’ lowest score since the 2016-2017 season. 

“I’m not focused on breaking records,” Hansen said. “I want to get out there and play with the team and make sure we’re having a good time and playing at the highest level we can.” 

At the University of Sioux Falls Invitational in Larchwood, Iowa, on Oct. 9-10, Stewart marked his first tournament victory with 141 strokes. Allen followed in eighth with 148 strokes. The Vikings scored a total of 588 strokes, placing second out of eight teams. 

“As a team we really tried to focus on being confident and committed all day,” Allen said. “We’re a talented group and we just wanted to be as confident as we could be. Once we have that, we’re a very competitive team.” 

The Vikings will now settle down in their offseason and continue practice until the spring approaches with conference championships. 

In the 2022-2023 season, the Vikings placed ninth in the NSIC championship. 

“We’re better as a team this year and have more experience,” head coach Mike Krsnak said. “Last year was a pretty young team, and now we’re playing better, knowing the golf courses more and the guys are playing great.” 

Krsnak is in his second year as the head men's golf coach at Augustana. After taking his team to the NSIC championship in April 2023, he said he believes that the Vikings can earn a spot again in the upcoming spring. 

“Our goal is keeping our eye on the prize,” Krsnak said. “Obviously we would like to win the conference, but this year for us, if we can get the top third or fourth in the conference, that would be a big achievement for us. In golf, winning is hard. I keep telling them that pressure is a privilege and the more that we get into the fire, the more that we will learn from it and become better players.”