Freshman Corey Matthey finished 23rd at the NAIA Men’s Golf National Championship.

Morningside freshman Corey Matthey tied for 23rd place at the 2017 NAIA Men’s Golf National Championship at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill.

Matthey, who was tied for 22nd place after the first two rounds, carded a four-over par 75 in Thursday’s third round to put him at 13-over par 226 and in a tie with five other players for 25th place. He shot a seven-over par 78 in the final round to move up in the final standings. Matthey started on the back nine and had some troubles before settling down and shooting an even par in his final nine holes of the tournament.

Matthey, the 2017 Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Men’s Golfer of the Year, is the first golfer in Morningside history to survive the national tournmaent cut. The field was cut to the top 17 teams and 40 individuals following the completion of 36 holes. A decision was made by the tournament commitee on Wednesday to cut the field after 36 holes in place of the standard format of a 54-hole cut after rain suspended play on Wednesday and forced much of the field to complete their second round on Thursday morning before the start of that day’s third round.

Matthey started his third round on the 10th hole and parred his first five holes of the day before he bogied the 450-yard par-four 15th hole. Matthey rebounded with a birdie on the 140-yard par-three 16th hole to get back to even par for the day before he made the turn at three-over par 39 after a bogey on 17 and a double bogey on 18. He played the front nine in one-over par 36 with birdies on the 337-yard par-four sixth and the 377-yard par-four eighth.

Matthey had carded a two-over par 73 in Tuesday’s opening round to put him in a tie with eight other players for 17th place. Matthey, who started his round on the 10th tee, parred each of his first three holes before he birdied the 411-yard par-four 13th hole. Matthey also birdied the 536-yard par-five 17th hole and made the turn with a one-under par 35. Matthey was at even par through 13 holes before a bogey on the fifth hole and a double bogey on the sixth dropped him to three-over par. Matthey ended his round with a birdie on the demanding 460-yard par-four ninth hole to finish at two-over.

A second round 78 put Matthey in a tie for 22nd place at 151. Matthey, one of several players able to complete Wednesday’s round before rain suspended play, played the first nine holes in even par 35 before he ran into trouble on the back nine with a seven-over-par 43.

Rowan Lester of Texas Wesleyan was the individual champion at three-over par 287 for a three-stroke victory margin over runner-up Ben Kendrick of the University of the Cumberlands, who finished at six-over par 290.

Defending NAIA National Champion David Ravetto of Texas Wesleyan, who was in 43rd place after two rounds, moved up to eighth place at the finish with a 14-over par 298.

Grand View University won the team national title with a total of 1197 strokes when it overcame a 13-stroke deficit in the final round to defeat Cardinal Stritch, the leader after each of the first three rounds. The Wolves finished second with a 1202.

GPAC champion Northwestern finished in 13th place with a 1246, while No. 1-ranked Oklahoma City, the defending NAIA National Champion, finished sixth with a 1222.

Results