Benson Finishes 2nd At SJU; Boosts Case For NCAA Meet

MONTICELLO, Minn. (4/28/24)---Sophomore Gabe Benson made a strong closing argument in his case for one of the six at-large bids to the NCAA Championship Meet in the final round of the St. John's Spring Invitational.

Benson fired a tournament-best, 4-under 67 on Day 2 at the Monticello Country Club to finish second in the final individual standings. Benson ended the 2-day meet with a final total of 139 after opening with an even-par 72 at the Wapikada Golf Club on Saturday. His final total was only two shots behind the champion from Bethel who holed out from the fairway for an albatross (double eagle) on his fourth-to-last hole of the tournament.

Benson's runner-up finish helped Concordia move up two spots in the final team standings to place sixth after Sunday's round. The Cobbers opened with a 303 on Saturday and carded a team total of 298 on Day 2 to jump into sixth place. CC was only one shot out of the Top 5.

Benson's 67 on Sunday included three birdies and an eagle. He only had one bogey on the round which came on hole No.17. Benson finished the tournament with two eagles and eight birdies. His two eagles led all golfers at the meet and his eight birdies were tied for second.

Benson finished 2023-24 with an average of 72.4, which puts him in the Top 5 of the region and in the Top 20 of Division III. He will now have to wait until Monday, May 6 to see if he receives an at-large berth into the DIII NCAA Championship Meet which will be held on May 14-17 at Boulder Creek GC in Boulder City, Nev.

First-year golfer Jack Hanson was the No.2 finisher for the Cobbers at the SJU Meet. He started slowly with a 78 on Saturday but then rallied to shoot a 74 on Day 2 to finish at 152 which was good for a tie for 24th place. Hanson had four birdies for the tournament. He capped his first year of collegiate golf by posting an average of 77.1 in 21 rounds.

Sam Henke and Jayce Johnson tied with a 2-round total of 156. Henke posted identical scores of 78, while Johnson opened with a 77 and came home with a 79. Henke was second on the team in scoring for 2023-24 with a 76.9 average in 24 rounds.  

Senior Ryan Jenson was the final member for the Concordia scoring team. He posted a total of 158. His opening-round 76 included an eagle and he finished the tournament with an 82.

Fellow seniors Justin Lamp and Sam Grafstrom played as individuals for the meet. Lamp shot an 82 on Day 1 and came back with an 80 f