The 2007 Gopher Invitational held at Spring Hill Golf Club in Wayzata this weekend was not kind to the host team. Despite third and fourth place individual finishes by Victor Almstrom and Clayton Rask, the Gopher men’s team placed eighth among the twelve teams competing:

• 1, Lamar University, 290-286-292-868 (+4)
• T2, Arkansas, 298-295-297-890 (+26)
• T2, Wisconsin, 293-289-308-890 (+26)
• T4, Indiana, 297-295-299-891 (+27)
• T4, Notre Dame, 294-291-306-891 (+27)
• 6, SMU, 304-299-295-898 (+34)
• 7, Michigan State, 306-283-314-903 (+39)
• 8, Minnesota, 308-304-297-909 (+45)
• 9, San Diego, 304-298-309-911 (+47)
• 10, Illinois, 303-295-315-913 (+49)
• 11, Georgia Southern, 312-309-314-935 (+71)
• 12, Princeton, 316-324-319-959 (+95)

Almstrom’s 71-74-71-216 (E) and Rask’s 74-71-72-217 (+1) were both career bests for those players. Gopher Junior Andy Paulson, playing as an individual, also recorded a career-best finish with a tie for seventh at 76-70-73-219 (+3).

The Gopher team total was 308-304-297-909 (+45):

• 3, Victor Almstrom, 71-74-71-216 (E)
• T4, Clayton Rask, 74-71-72-217 (+1)
• T50, Ben Pisani, 82-77-76-235 (+19)
• T60, Patrick Datz, 81-83-78-242 (+26)
• 63, Thomas Campbell, 82-82-84-248 (+32)

The next men’s event is the PING Preview, being held next weekend at Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana.