Gophers Set to Defend Big Ten Title at Gopher Invite

By Nick Hunter
nhunter@mngolf.org


Expectations are usually high for most teams heading into a new season, but the University of Minnesota men’s golf team likely surpassed most people’s predictions a year ago, claiming its first Big Ten conference title since 2007 and best finish under current head coach John Carlson.

The Gophers kick off the 2014-15 season Sunday as they play host to the 10th Gopher Invitational at Windsong Farm Golf Club in Independence, Minn., looking to improve on a fifth place finish last season.

While a number of Gophers had successful summer seasons a year ago, Carlson said he felt like his team might’ve been a bit tired coming into the season.

Carlson believes his team is more fresh entering this season, and carrying a Big Ten Championship banner, the Gophers have more pride and a bit more to play for.

“I think that elite athletes have to handle expectations,” Carlson said about the pressure of defending a Big Ten championship. “I feel like our program is starting to move into the category of elite in the Big Ten. I feel like this is the most talented team we’ve had in the five years I’ve been coaching.”

“All of our guys know that it’s going to be difficult to make the traveling team this year, and I think we have eight or nine guys that are interchangeable and because of that, they are going to be fighting really hard.”

Carlson, entering his fourth season as head coach, said he’s excited about the work ethic early on by this year’s team.

“All of these guys are eager to practice. They’ve worked very hard—they don’t accept bad shots and they don’t accept bad scores. The young guys are coming in having won at the level they’ve been playing at, and like Jose [Mendez] last year, they don’t know anything other than winning,” Carlson said.

“I think our expectations are higher because the guys hold themselves to higher standards than they have in the past.”

A young team from a season ago will get even younger as the Gophers field just one senior and one junior on the roster this season and will look to build on the most successful season the team has had in eight years—a season which earned Carlson Big Ten Coach of the Year honors.

The Gophers will certainly miss Jon Trasamar, who led the team on and off the course last season and proved to be one of the most consistent players on the roster for the past couple of seasons.

Trasamar finished tied for third in the Big Ten a year ago with three Top-10 finishes during his senior year. He earned Big Ten Golfer of the Week honors after finishing second at the Barnabus Health Intercollegiate, shooting a career-best 66 during the second round.

Minnesota also loses Alex Gaugert who, despite a slow start to the season, played solid golf down the stretch and played a key role in the Gophers success last season.

Gaugert recorded four Top-10 finishes last season and posted career-bests for lowest round (67 at Alister McKenzie Invitational), best finish (two fourth-place finishes), tournament score (207 at Del Walker Classic) and score to par (7-under at Alister McKenzie Invitational).

Carlson said his biggest hurdle for the upcoming season will be to find consistency early, and to find someone who will step up and fill a leadership role.

“Last year our top four guys had one of the most consistent spring seasons as any team in the country. We won the Big Ten championship without using a fifth score,” he said.

“The other biggest challenge will be to find some leadership. Jon Trasamar provided some great leadership for our guys and we’ll struggle with that a little bit until somebody fills that role. In college golf it’s important to have a leader playing on the road. At the end of the day, that’s what we get ranked on and that’s where our program is going to continue to succeed.”

The Gophers will rely heavily on the services of sophomore Jose Mendez who came into his freshman season as one of the most highly touted recruits in the program’s history and was every bit as advertised, winning three times including an individual Big Ten title.

Leading the team with a 71.97 stroke average during his extraordinary freshman season, Mendez earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors, as well as being named All-Big Ten First Team, PING All-Region and a Freshman All-American.

Tyler Lowenstein returns as the lone senior on the Gopher squad and will look to build on his performance from a year ago in which he played in six tournaments with two Top-10 finishes.

Lowenstein led the Gophers at the Gopher Invite last season as he finished tied for 10th with a career-best tournament score of 1-over par 214.

He will begin the season with some momentum as Lowenstein finished as low amateur at the Bobcat North Dakota Open, finishing at 3-under par for the tournament.

Junior Jon DuToit, Chaska, Minn., will look to play a big role for the Gophers this season as DuToit appeared in 10 tournaments, posting a 74.06 stroke average with one Top-10 and three Top-20 finishes.

DuToit, the 2013 Minnesota State Open champion, had career-bests for lowest round and tournament finish at the Del Walker Classic in March before a career-best 10th place finish a month later at the Hawkeye Invitational. DuToit qualified for the U.S. Amateur Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club in August.

Sophomores Grady Meyer, Fargo, N.D., and Matt Rachey, Waconia, Minn., will compete heavily for starting time as the two both saw tournament action as freshman last season.

Meyer made his Gopher debut at the NCAA Regional tournament, while Rachey appeared in seven tournaments with a sixth-place finish at the Barnabas Health Intercollegiate in October.

Iceland native Runar Arnorsson is one of three freshmen added to the Gopher roster this season, and the 22-year-old freshman will look to have an immediate impact with the Gophers.

Charlie Duensing, Sandy, Utah, is a top Ping junior golfer and familiar with courses in the state as he’s spent a number of summers in the Detroit Lakes area.

Riley Johnson, Fargo, N.D., joins the Gophers as one of North Dakota’s best high school players, with two individual state titles to his credit.

While Carlson is accustomed to players coming and going, the 2014-15 Gophers are without assistant head coach Tyler Stith, who returns to his alma mater as head coach of the University of Iowa men’s golf team.

Carlson said while losing Stith is a big blow to the program, he is extremely encouraged by a strong candidate pool and looks to fill the position within the next week.

“We wish the best to Ty and we’ll look forward to competing at Iowa for sure.”


2014-15 GOPHERS ROSTER

RUNAR ARNORSSON (fr., Hafnarfjordur, Iceland)
“He’s physically fit—he’s mature and he hits a fade every shot and very talented,” Carlson said of the 22-year old freshman and one of the top players in Iceland over the last several years.

Carlson believes Arnorsson will have an immediate impact because of an excellent short game and talent around the green.

CHARLIE DUENSING (fr., Sandy, Utah)
“He’s big, strong and used to winning,” Carlson said. “He played very well on a national level two years ago.” He’s familiar with the state having relatives living in the Detroit Lakes area.

JON DUTOIT (jr., Chaska, Minn.)
“[DuToit] is certainly someone we’ve worked with really hard as a coaching staff. His game changes monthly and I would say that’s because he’s always trying to get better. He needs to realize how good he is because he’s primed to have a good and I hope he can get off to a good start,” Carlson said.

RILEY JOHNSON (fr., Fargo, N.D.)
“[Johnson’s] practice habits are contagious,” Carlson said of two-time North Dakota state champion. “He’s got a fundamentally sound golf swing. He’s physically talented and hits the ball a long ways.” “He’s got a lot of drive and determination and he’s going to fight hard in the qualifiers. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the lineup a few times this year,” Carlson said.

WILLIAM LEAF (so., Winona, Minn.)
A sophomore transfer from South Illinois University-Edwardsville who caught Carlson’s eye as a junior player in the state. “He has a golf swing that’s very similar to PGA Tour players—it’s on plane, it’s very simple, but he just needs a little more experience under his belt,” Carlson said. “He’s someone I don’t want to see outside the lineup very often.”

TYLER LOWENSTEIN (sr., Plymouth, Minn.)
“[Lowenstein] has had some good finishes in college, but lost a little bit of confidence this spring. He’s played well this summer and I think he has regained that confidence—he’s a tireless worker and loves the game,” Carlson said. “

DANIEL LUFTSPRING (so., Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
“As a freshman [Luftspring] was trying to get his bearings and has really improved over the summer. He’s shot some good scores this summer and improved his short game. I think he’s going to be someone who really shakes things up in the qualifiers,” Carlson said.

JOSE MENDEZ (so., San Jose, Costa Rica)
“[Mendez] is better than he was last year,” Carlson boasted. “I think he now knows that he belongs with the top players in the country. He’s gotten stronger this summer and picked up 10 to 15 yards, and he’s still one of the best short-game guys I’ve been around, both college and professional golf.”

GRADY MEYER (so., Fargo, N.D.)
“[Meyer] has made the most improvement from year one to year two,” Carlson said. “We changed his grip and his swing, but he’s always had confidence as an athlete. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has some breakout weeks and sophomore season.”

Meyer finished as medalist after the qualifying rounds of the Pine to Palm tournament after shooting 64-70—134.

MATT RACHEY (so., Winona, Minn.)
Rachey has had a fantastic summer as he won the Island View Golf Club Championship by ten strokes and finished as runner up at the Pine to Palm tournament.

“[Rachey] is very talented and hits it a long way,” Carlson said. “He’s had a really nice summer. We did a lot of work with him, trying to change his technique and he’s got a chance to start every week.”


The opening rounds of the Gopher Invitational begin Sunday, with tee times starting at 8 a.m. at Windsong Farm Golf Club.