Montplasir Leads MIAC Men's Medal Hunt, But Auggies Still 1st as a Team

COON RAPIDS -- If you ask any 10 guys from bigtime Division I college golf programs what they plan to do after they graduate, you might get the same response from all 10. 

"Turn pro and play on the PGA Tour." 

Cade Montplasir plays Division III golf for Concordia (Moorhead), and he has other ideas. A junior from Mesa, Ariz., Montplasir is a biology major who intends to go to medical school and become an orthopedic surgeon. No mini-tours or Q-Schools in his future.

But that doesn't mean he can't play some pretty good golf. On Sunday, Montplasir shot a 2-under-par 70 at Bunker Hills GC, and that gave him a 36-hole aggregate of 143 and a one-stroke lead going into the final round of the 2015 MIAC Championships. 

Pete Sienko, a sophomore at St. Thomas, is in second place after a second-round 73. 

Montplasir birdied three of the first six holes on the front (East) nine. He bogeyed the 450-yard, par-4 eighth hole, and made his second bogey of the day at the 180-yard, par-3 12th (No. 3 West). He bounced back with birdies at the par-4 13th (380 yards) and the par-5 14th (550), but gave one back when he bogeyed the 440-yard, par-4 15th. Having gone four holes without a par, he made nothing but pars on the last four holes and concluded his round 2 under. 

Like Montplasir, Sienko birdied the first hole (430, par 4) and the ninth (390, par 4), but he made two bogeys in between. He actually got to 2 under for the tournament when he birdied the 440-yard 15th hole, and he would have been the 36-hole leader except that he bogeyed the 220-yard, par-3 17th and the 380-yard, par-4 18th. 

Augsburg occupied the top two spots in the individual standings after Day 1. The Auggies slipped back a bit on Day 2 as far as that was concerned, but they still hold the next two places -- Michael Barrette and Brett Gaustad are tied for third at 146 -- and they actually increased their lead in the team competition, if only by a single stroke.

They followed their opening 292 with a 298, but that was still the best team total for the day, one better than the 299 by St. Thomas. Which means that Augsburg has a cumulative 590 and a 10-stroke lead over the Tommies. 

Gustavus Adolphus and defending champion Bethel are also within striking range, although a lot of things will have to go right for them -- and wrong for Augsburg -- if they're going to hoist the team trophy. The Gusties turned in a 301 and are 15 behind at 605, and the Royals another stroke back at 606 after a 300.  

MEN'S COLLEGE GOLF 

MIAC Championships

At Bunker Hills Golf Course

Par 72, 6,877 yards

Coon Rapids

Second-round results 

1. Augsburg                       292-298--590

2. St. Thomas                    301-299--600

3. Gustavus Adolphus       304-301--605

4. Bethel                            306-300--606

5. St John's                       310-301--611

6. Concordia                     316-305--621

7. St. Olaf                          321-311-632

8. Carleton                         326-317--643

9. Macalester                     331-329--660

10 St. Mary's                      337-332--669

Individuals

1. Cade Montplasir, Concordia    73-70--143

2. Pete Sienko, St. Thomas         71-73--144

T3. Michael Barrette, Augsburg   76-70--146

T3. Brett Gaustad, Augsburg        70-76--146

5. Max Savini, Gustavus               74-75--149

T6. Sam Olson, St. John's            79-71--150

T6. Dillon John, Bethel                  78-74--150

T6. Bennett Smed, Bethel             76-74--150

T6. Andrew Krasaway, Gustavus  76-74--150

T6. Dakota Krech, Augsburg         69-81--150

11. Jack Riester, St. Thomas         74-77--151

T12. Davis Tollette, Bethel             76-76--152

T12. Chris Captain, Gustavus         77-75--152

T12. Riley Gannon, St. Thomas       80-72--152