Big final rounds by Hutchins, Lindenman lead men's golf at Cropper Classic

MARION, Iowa – Led by exceptional performances from Andy Hutchins and Trent Lindenman, the Simpson men's golf team placed ninth of 22 teams at the 36-hole, Cropper Classic at Hunters Ridge Golf Course over the weekend.

Hutchins and Lindenman each fired final round 69s on Sunday to tie for 15th and help Simpson top four Iowa Conference schools and finish second among Division III competitors.

Simpson shot 316 in Saturday's opening round before closing with a 291 on Sunday. Simpson's 607 was six strokes behind St. Francis (Ill.) and eight ahead of Viterbo.

The Storm finished ahead of league foes Wartburg (t-11th, 619), Loras (16th, 635), Buena Vista (17th, 637) and Coe (22nd, 684).

Hutchins and Lindenman followed each other step-for-step throughout the weekend, as each shot 76 on Saturday and 69 on Sunday, closing at 1-over 145 for the weekend. The final round 69s shot by the duo is the lowest round by a Simpson golfer since 2009.

Nathan Molstead and Shaan Desai broke 80 on Sunday to help Simpson climb up the team standings. Molstead (81-77-158) tied for 56th and Desai (83-76-159) tied for 64th.

John Hartung rounded out the effort in a tied for 108th (89-83-172).

A total of 119 players took part in the tournament, hosted by Mount Mercy. Illinois Wesleyan (292-275-567) won the team title by three strokes over Grand View and Mount Mercy, while Myles Pfingsten shot 7-under 137 (73-64) to take home medalist honors.