Despite giving back two strokes during Satuday's third and final round of the MIAA NCAA Automatic Qualifier tournament, the Hope men's golf team held off Calvin to earn the automatic berth to represent the MIAA at the 2017 NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship.

Hope's nine-stroke lead from the first round gave the Flying Dutchmen enough cushion to fend off Calvin's rally, as the Knights had the lowest stroke total for both the second and third rounds of the four-team event. Hope's three-round stroke total of 866 was five strokes better than the second-place Knights. Kalamazoo finished third with a three-day total of 910, while Trine finished fourth with a score of 933.

Individual Results (pdf)

During the second round April 28, Hope's Josh Gibson fired a six-under 65 to lead the field by two strokes on the day, as Calvin's John Van Noord posted a four-under 67. Gibson then carded an even-par 71 on Saturday to finish with a seven-under 207 to lead the field by one stroke. Teammate Winton Munch followed with a six-under 208 after shooting three-under 68 during the final round.

Calvin's tandem of Ben Van Scoy, and John Van Noord finished third and fourth, respectively, with 209 (-5) and 210 (-4) three-round scores.

The MIAA boasts three of the top six teams regionally ranked in the Great Lakes Region, as released by the NCAA April 27: Hope (2), Calvin (4), and Kalamazoo (6). 

The field for the 2017 NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship will be announced Monday, May 8.