Complete Results
Video Recap
 
SALEM, OR:  Texas Wesleyan University’s Nathan Anderson finished as the national runner-up at the 61st Annual NAIA Men’s Golf National Championships presented by FORE! Salem at Creekside Golf Club.  Anderson’s performance lifted the Rams to a sixth place finish.
 
Anderson entered Friday’s final round in third amongst 159 individuals, trailing Brandon Meltzer of Johnson & Wales University and Vilhelm Bogstrand of Oklahoma Christian University.  The junior from Burleson, TX, started hot with birdies on one, three, and four.  Meanwhile Meltzer was four over through four and six over on the front nine, while Bogstrand sat at even par through four, and Anderson took the lead.
 
However, Carson Kallis of the University of Victoria started his day with an Eagle on the par-five first.  Anderson fell to one-over par after a bogey on 14, but birdied 16 and 18 to finish at one-under on the day and four-under (284) for the tournament.  Kallis, who started the day eight shots off the lead in fifth place, was two-under at the turn before he knocked in five birdies in six holes (11-16) to take a one-stroke lead.  With Anderson already in the clubhouse, Kallis finished the 17th and 18th in regulation for the title.  Bogstrand finished third at 288 and Meltzer fourth at 289.
 
Meanwhile top-ranked Oklahoma City University shot a round of 295 to jump from third to first with a total of 1176.  The Stars claimed their NAIA record eighth national championship.  Second-ranked Oklahoma Christian finished second, three shots back.  Fellow Red River Athletic Conference member Our Lady of the Lake University entered the final round in second, but shot 310 on Friday to fall to seventh.
 
Jose Rolz shot a final round 76 and tied for 29th for Texas Wesleyan.  Cards of 73 from Joel Thelen and 77 for Dillon Watkins rounded out Texas Wesleyan’s team score of 297 on Friday, which was enough to remain in sixth place.
 
Following the tournament, the Golf Coaches Association of America announced its PING NAIA First-Team All-America honorees.  Anderson was among those honored.   Julian Taylor of William Woods University won the Phil Mickelson Award as the most outstanding freshman in NAIA men’s golf, while TWU’s Rolz was also named to the All-Freshman Team.
 
Anderson is the first Ram to finish as the NAIA Runner-up since Armando Villarreal did so as a sophomore in 2010.  Texas Wesleyan boasts an NAIA record nine national medalists.  The last to win the individual title was Chris Gaines in 1998.
 
Fin. Player          Socres
2    Nathan Anderson 70  74  69  71  284
T29  Jose Rolz       79  72  73  76  300
T38  Dillon Watkins  80  72  73  77  302
T54  Joel Thelen     77  83  72  73  305
93   Zach Monson     96  81  82  80  339
6    Texas Wesleyan  306 299 287 297 1189