Augustana University Athletics

Phil Strand began playing golf seriously at his home course in Montevideo, MN, when he was in the seventh grade. By the time he was finished with his collegiate career at Augustana he was a two-time North Central Conference champion. For his numerous accomplishments, he becomes the first Augustana golfer to enter the Hall of Fame.

During his four year college career, Phil was a medalist in 14 tournaments, but the two NCC Conference Tournaments he won stand out most vividly in his mind. He wrote, "The 1973 Championship, held at USD's home course in Sioux City, IA, was met with some of the worst weather imaginable - 40-45 degrees, 30 mph winds, frequent rain squalls mixed, at times, with sleet. I muddled my way through day one of the tournament and shared the lead with two other players. Playing within one shot of each other all day, I had fallen back by one shot. We had only six holes left to play and one of the players knocked it close on a 165-yard, par 3. Knowing I had to get one close to stay in the hunt, I tightened the chinstrap on my down-filled hunting cap that I wore for the entire two days. My shot looked good and appeared, from the tee, to be very close to the hole, but it was difficult to see in the heavy mist and wind. We walked off the tee into a valley, and upon returning to green elevation my ball had disappeared, luckily into the hole. The mist covered the green and left an image of the ball's path, and where it had lingered, momentarily, upwind from the cup. The image has stuck in my mind, and probably my opponent's minds."

The following year the Conference Championship was played at Keller Golf Course in St. Paul, MN. Phil wrote, "I played inconsistently on day one, and was 4 shots off the lead. Day two wasn't turning out much better, but I managed to get it together on the final nine, posting a score good enough to be the leader in the clubhouse. Playing two groups behind me was the leading group (including the same two golfers I was paired with the prior year); they came into the final hole tied with each other, each believing they needed a birdie to win. Memorable? The look on their faces when they discovered I had done it again. Priceless."

Phil remembers Dr. J.D. Thompson who, "taught me that a person could be cerebral and yet be humanly sociable. He had a mentoring style that has stuck with me through my business career." Also, "Dr. Karel Vander Lugt taught me not to be bothered by situations that were not perfectly logical and in the last three decades this has proved useful."

Phil was active in student life as well. He was a member of the Men's Senate, Blue Key Honor Society, Inter Society Board, Syttende Mai Royalty Court, Who's Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities, and Who's Who Executive Club.