HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. – The University of Dubuque men's golf team shot three under par in round two of the NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championships and currently sit in a three-way tie for 11th place, making the 18-team field for the first time in program history. Junior
John Dobbe leads the Spartans on the individual leaderboard, tied for eighth place.
After a weather-shortened round one on Tuesday, the University of Dubuque men's golf team played 27 holes on Wednesday at the NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championships, finishing the final nine holes of round one at the Las Colinas course, followed by the full 18-hole second round at the El Campeon course at the Mission Resort & Club.
The Spartans ended the day as one of only three teams in round two to shoot under par, carding the third-best score of the day at three under par to move the Spartans up a team-best 16 spots to get them into the final 18-team championship field for the first time in program history. The Spartans also became the first American Rivers Conference school to make the cut since 2021.
Through two rounds, junior
John Dobbe (Eldridge, Iowa / North Scott HS) shot a 36-hole score of three under par (-3) after posting an even scorecard in round one, followed by a five-birdie second round to get him to three under par. Dobbe currently sits inside the top 10, tied for eighth place.
Luke Harwick (Guttenberg, Iowa / Beckman Catholic HS) was two-over-par through the first 18 holes, but would shoot a 71 today to get to one under par, tied for 26th place.
Bob Ryan (Tipton, Iowa / Tipton HS) shot seven over par in round one, but had a massive second round, carding a 70 (-2) to move up a staggering 95 spots on the leaderboard, sitting tied for 61st at five over par.
Pauly Bloomquist (Palatine, Ill. / Palatine HS) shot a 75 (+3) in round two and sits tied for 124th at ten over par through 36 holes, while
Tyson Malak (Elgin, Ill. / Burlington Central HS) carded a 76 today to bring his 36-hole total to 157 (+15) and is currently in a tie for 171st.
Hear from Dustin Bierman
"Really proud of this group today. We didn't get off to a great start in round one, but this group always responds, and that's what they did today in round two. We knew we had to shoot a low round and be aggressive with making birdies. John, Luke, and Bob all had rounds under par, and that's what you need to do to shoot up a leaderboard at these types of events. When we needed a great round, these guys delivered in a big way. Just really got a special team with these young men, and I am proud to be able to coach them."
The Spartans will continue their historic run to their best finish in program history tomorrow when they tee off for another 18 holes, which will be followed by the final 18 holes of the 72-hole championship on Friday. Both Thursday and Friday will be played at the El Campeon course.
