BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. - The Concordia-St. Paul men's golf team shot 279 (-9) to total 862 (+2) and win the NSIC Championship. Senior Thomas Gutzmer led the Golden Bears shooting 210 (-6) after shooting 66 (-6) on Saturday. With the win, the Golden Bears earned an automatic bid at the NCAA Central/Midwest Regional. 

The team excelled on the final nine holes of the tournament, shooting 11-under-par between the five golfers. The Golden Bears had 15 birdies and only four bogeys on the final nine holes as a team. Concordia finished the tournament with the most birdies of any team with 49 total. 

The Golden Bears entered the day tied with Winona State. The Warriors shot 289 (+1) in the third round to finish 10 strokes behind the Golden Bears. CSP's nine-under-par team score smashed Winona's 284 (-4) in round two for the tournament's lowest. 

Gutzmer shot 33 (-3) on the front and back nine for a total of 66 (-6). The senior was on fire in the second round hitting five birdies out of six holes on 11-16. He was eight-under-par before settling for bogeys on the final two holes. His third round was the second-lowest by any golfer. 

He finished with rounds of 71 (-1), 72 (E) and 66 (-6) for a total of 210 (-6). That ties for the second-lowest three-round score in program history. Gutzmer also broke the school record for the lowest total score and lowest round at the NSIC Championships. Thomas Huettl previously owned the record for lowest total shooting 214 (-2) and Brandon Sperling shot 68 (-4) for the lowest round in 2022. 

Gutzmer earned All-Tournament team for his second-place finish. He becomes the ninth player in program history to earn the honor. Gutzmer is the fourth player to finish in the top two at the championships in program history. The senior led the tournament in birdies with 14. 

Tommy Marker shot rounds of 75 (+3), 74 (+2) and 70 (-2) to total 219 (+3) and finish tied for seventh. Marker shot 34 (-2) on Saturday's back nine after shooting 36 (E) on the front nine. The senior shot four-under-par on the last 14 holes of the day. 70 (-2) ties for his second-lowest round of the season. 

This was Marker's best finish at the NSIC Championships as he placed 25th last season. He shot even on par fours and four-under-par on par fives at the tournament. He shot five birdies in the third round after shooting three in the previous two combined. 

Josh Esterley tied Marker in seventh with rounds of 72 (E), 74 (+2) and 73 (+1) for a total of 219 (+3). The sophomore shot 39 (+3) on the front nine with an exceptional 34 (-2) on the back nine. He hit par on holes two, 10 and 14 on the day and didn't score higher than par on the back nine. 

He tied for the sixth-best score on par fives in the tournament shooting four-under-par. Esterley's 34 total pars tied for the eighth most at the NSIC Championships. 

Tyler Debruyckere finished tied for 14th with rounds of 76 (+4), 70 (-2) and 75 (+3) to total 221 (+3). His 70 (-2) in round two was the lowest by any CSP golfer. The freshman had a solid outing in Saturday's final nine holes shooting 35 (-1). His 11 total birdies tied for the sixth-most by any golfer.

Trey Timm had an amazing third round shooting 70 (-2) with a 37 (+1) on the front nine and 33 (-3) on the back nine. He finished with rounds of 81 (+9), 72 (E) and 70 (-2) to finish tied for 17th at 223 (+7). Timm led the team on par threes on the weekend, shooting even and tying for the second-best score of any golfer. 

Bemidji State's Logan Schoepp won the individual race shooting 209 (-7). He and Gutzmer entered the final hole of the tournament tied. Schoepp hit par on the final hole to capture the individual title. Winona State's Luke Mass finished in third shooting 212 (-4). 

The Beavers entered Saturday one stroke behind Concordia and Winona State. The Beavers shot 300 (+12) in the third round to tie Minnesota State for third at 884 (+20). 

Concordia-St. Paul's win marks the second NSIC Championship in program history (2021-22). The Golden Bears shot 882 (+18) that season to defeat Winona State in second by nine strokes. This year's 862 (+2) is the CSP's lowest score at the NSIC Championships.

This season, the Golden Bears are averaging the best team score in program history at 290.9. CSP has broken its own team record every year for the last four years. Gutzmer is currently averaging a score of 72.0, which ranks first in program history above Sperling's 72.1 last season. Esterley's 72.6 average is third in program history. 

The Golden Bears will now compete at the NCAA Central/Midwest on May 8-10 at St. Joseph Country Club in St. Joseph, Missouri; hosted by Missouri Western University and St. Joseph Sports Commission. This is the fourth time the Golden Bears will compete as a team at regionals (2010, 2012, 2022).