Andy Petersen May 16, 2009

Dutch take 19th place at NCAA tourney

PORT ST. LUCIE, FLA.—Central College put the wraps on a championship season by placing 19th at the NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championships.

Meanwhile freshman Sarah Paulson (Ottumwa) became the first Central College women’s golfer to earn NCAA Division III all-America honors Saturday, as she tied for sixth place at the national tournament.

The four-day, 72-hole tourney concluded Saturday at the 54-hole PGA Village.

Paulson shot 75-72-81-86—314 at the 5,831-yard, par-72 Wanamaker course.  Susan Martin of Methodist Univ. (N.C.) cruised to the individual crown at 73-71-73-77-294. Jessica Urban of Wis.-Stevens Point was three shots back at 75-74-75-73—297 and Marisa Mauldin of Southwestern Univ. (Texas) was third at 81-72-79-79—311. Paulson was just a shot out of fourth place, tying first-round leader Torie Ives of Wis.-Eau Claire, who shot 72-83-80-79—314, and Kali Griggs of Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.), who shot 77-80-78-79--314.

“Sarah had a tough finish,” coach Jodee Schaben said. “She hits the ball high and she was having a tough time figuring out the wind. She just didn’t hit the greens.

“But she had a good tournament. She finished tied for sixth in the nation as a freshman, so you can’t feel too bad about that.”

Schaben was impressed with Paulson’s poise as a young player on the national tournament stage, even when things didn’t go well.

“She was very relaxed and seemed confident and comfortable,” Schaben said. “She didn’t give up, she fought for every shot. I was proud of the way she handled herself.”

The men, making their 28th NCAA appearance but their first since 2006, played Saturday at the 7,123-yard, par-72 Dye course and finished at 302-308-312-312—1,234. Oglethorpe Univ. (Ga.) rallied with a sizzling finish to secure the championship at 301-284-290-289—1,164, four shots better than the Univ. of La Verne (Calif.). Third-round leader Methodist slipped to third at 1,171.

Andy Petersen (senior, Davenport, West HS) didn’t achieve all-America status but was Central’s top finisher, as he typically has been throughout his college career. A two-time Iowa Conference MVP and four-time all-conference performer, Petersen finished in a tie for 38th at 73-75-74-80—302. Mitchell Fedorka of La Verne was the medalist at 67-71-74-73—285. Petersen finished the year with a combined fall-spring average of 74.0.

“Andy’s tournament didn’t finish the way we wanted but he had a great year and a great career,” Estabrook said. “Hopefully that’s what he’ll remember down the road when he looks back on his career.”

Petersen and Andrew Townsend (junior, Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley HS) also were named to the Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholars team Friday. Petersen carries a 3.29 grade point average with a physics major and Townsend has a 3.51 GPA while majoring in accounting.

Townsend tied for 60th at 74-80-75-78—307 with Justin Smool (junior, Bagley, Panorama HS) tied for 79th at 76-76-81-78—311, Jason Harvey (sophomore, Goldfield, Clarion-Goldfield HS) tied for 100th at 81-77-83-76—317 and Matt Vegter (freshman, Morrison, Ill.) 117th at 79-82-82-82—325.

“We tried to make a move and get in the top 15, but we probably tried too hard,” Estabrook said. “We just didn’t relax.

“We had some things that didn’t go our way. Justin Smool got every bad break in the world today, but that’s golf. It just wasn’t our week.”

Yet Estabrook didn’t view the season’s final week as an ending.

“This was a great experience for the guys,” he said. “We’ve got four players coming back and if we’re lucky enough to go back to the national tournament next year, hopefully we can draw on the experience we gained and be better prepared.

“We’ve got a lot of good players returning and I hope this is the start of a string of national tournaments for us. This experience is certainly something we can build on.”