University of Minnesota Athletics
Van Rooyen Wins Minnesota State Amateur
7/18/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
July 18, 2012
Golden Gopher senior Erik Van Rooyen, playing out of Les Bolstad Golf Club, shot even par for the tournament at the 109th Minnesota State Amateur at Hastings Country Club to claim the title by three strokes. He becomes the 23nd player with Gopher ties to win the tournament and also the second straight following Donald Constable's win in last year's event at White Bear Yacht Club.
Van Rooyen moved into the lead on day two of the tournament after a 3-under 68, his best round of the week. He was never more than one stroke over par during the tournament, and he birdied the 18th hole today to finish as the only player at even par (72-68-73).
A native of Oudtshoorn, South Africa, Van Rooyen will enter his senior season at Minnesota this fall. He was an All-Big Ten Second Team selection as a junior after finishing seventh in the conference tournament. He went on to compete at the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional.
Van Rooyen posted six top-20 and three top-10 finishes for the Gophers last season, including a career-best tie for third at the LSU Invitational. He led the Gophers with a stroke average of 72.6, the 12th-lowest season average in Minnesota history. He begins his senior year with the program's ninth-best career stroke average ever (73.98).
Current Gophers Colton Buege and David Haley Jr. also finished in the top 10. Buege, an incoming sophomore, tied for fifth (75-70-72). Haley, a senior, tied for eighth (78-71-70).
Their teammates Robert Bell and Jon DuToit tied for 15th, while Tyler Lowenstein and Genki Hirayama tied for 22nd and 30th, respectively. Former Gopher Adam Dooley tied for 25th.
The Gophers will open the 2012-13 season on Sept. 9-10 by hosting the eighth annual Gopher Invitational at Spring Hill Golf Club in Wayzata.
All-Time Gopher State Amateur Champions | Year (s) |
Les Bolstad | 1931 |
Lee Herron | 1933 |
Neil Croonquist | 1941, 1960 |
Henry Ernst | 1949 |
Spero Daltas | 1954 |
Thomas Hadley | 1955 |
William Waryan | 1956 |
Robert Henrickson | 1958 |
Eugene Hansen | 1961, 1962 |
Rolf Deming | 1963 |
Norb Anderson | 1965 |
Mike Fermoyle | 1973, 1980 |
John Harris | 1974, 1987, 1989, 1999, 2000 |
Steven Johnson | 1975 |
Tom Lehman | 1981 |
Dave Nordeen | 1986 |
Aaron Barber | 1994 |
James McLean | 1998 |
Adam Dooley | 1999 |
Ben Meyers | 2001 |
Andrew Paulson | 2006 |
Donald Constable | 2011 |
2012 |
Players Mentioned
