Prior to the start of the NCAA Division III championships, Webster University golf coach Andrew Belsky said his goal was for the Gorloks to make the cut, which would have required a top-15 finish.
Webster fell short of that, though, and concluded its season with a 50-over-par 626. The Gorloks shot a first-round score of 314 on Tuesday, May 15 and a second-round score of 312 on Wednesday, May 16. The tournament is being held in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.
The Gorloks were 24 strokes back of making it onto the cutline. Greensboro College – which won the 2011 title – and Wittenberg University tied for 14th with scores of 602 and were the last two teams to make the cut.
Webster finished in 25th place and recorded a better score than 16 teams in the field. The Gorloks improved slightly from their 2011 finish at the national championships, when they wound up 29th.
Junior Kyler Scott, who was named the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year, finished tied for 33rd in the individual standings with a two-day total of 149.
Scott shot a 72 in the first round and was tied for ninth, but couldn’t keep up the pace in Round 2, as he shot a 77. Scott missed the cut for the individual finals by a single stroke.
Freshman Matt Vanderbeek finished second for Webster by shooting 76 and 81 for a two-round total of 157. That score placed him tied for 108th in the individual standings.
Freshman Tanner Rabb, who was named the SLIAC Newcomer of the Year, wrapped up his impressive season with a second-round score of 71, the lowest one-round score by any Webster player. But Rabb’s first-round score of 87 had him fighting an uphill battle, as he finished tied for 114th individually.
Sophomore J.T. Beckmann and junior Steven Kinsman rounded out the Gorloks’ scoring. Beckmann shot a 79-83 for a total of 162, and Kinsman shot an 87-93 for a total of 180.
It was the Gorloks’ third appearance in the NCAA championships in the last five years. Oglethorpe University, which won the title in 2009, leads the tournament with a 1-over-par 577. The 15 remaining teams will play two more rounds on May 17 and 18 to determine the national champion.
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