WHEELING, W. Va. --  Powered by a historic under par third round at the 2021 NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championships, sophomore Robb Kinder (+6) vaulted all the way to eighth place on the individual leaderboard, just four strokes off the lead. Kinder dropped five birdies and finished one-under to become the first Captain ever to card a round under par after the cut at the championship event. 

Showing his growing familiarity with the track at Oglebay Resort, Kinder cruised through the third round to post one of only three rounds under par on Thursday. He joins 1994 national champion Scott Scovil as Captains to score under par in the NCAA Championships third or fourth round as Scovil did so in the final 18 en route to his crowning achievement. The NCAA Division III Championship did not institute a cut until 2007. 

In addition to making history individually, Kinder joins an elite group of only six Captains to ever score under par in the championship event. Scovil did it twice in 1994 (-2 in the 1st and 4th rounds) and was followed by current assistant coach Jonathan Howard (-1 in 2011 2nd round), Brian Jaeger (-2 in the 2012 1st round), Joseph Evans (-1 in the 2012 2nd round), and David Rabil (-2 in the 2017 1st round). 

Heading into the final round, a pair of Christopher Newport men's golfers are well within striking distance of the individual title. Kinder remains four behind a four-way tie at +2 for the leaders and fellow sophomore Alex Price is just seven strokes out at +9 through 54 holes. Price is tied for 14th after a six-over 76 on Thursday. 

In the third round, Kinder got out to a torrid start on the front nine with just one bogey and eight holes at par or better. He recorded three of his five birdies on the front, including a three on the lengthy 452-yard Par 4 starting hole. Only six players in the 96-player field birdied the first hole and over 40 players scored over par; it played as the seventh-toughest hole in the field. With five birdies, he now ranks tied for third after 54 holes with 11 total birdies. 

Despite the highest score of the week for Price, his remarkable consistency continued to lead him to a spot high on the leaderboard. He now has 36 pars in 54 holes for a percentage of 66.7%. On the front nine, Price notched seven pars to go out with a 38. On the way back in, he added a birdie on the 355-yard Par 4 10th hole before tacking on four more pars. 

Christopher Newport is one of only four teams with two players in the top 15 heading into the final day. Illinois Wesleyan, Methodist, and Carnegie Mellon join the Captains with multiple players shooting for individual medalist honors on Friday. 

As a team, the Captains slipped one spot on the leaderboard and are sitting ninth with an even 900 strokes through 54 holes. On Thursday, CNU finished with a 304 led by Kinder and Price; rookie Aidan Baron added an eight-over 78 while Carrter Morris and Kevin Quinto each carded 80's. Morris was nearly perfect with only four holes over par but a 10 marred an otherwise brilliant 18 for the young golfer, which included a team-high 14 pars. 

Illinois Wesleyan (+15) leads the standings by 15 strokes over second-place Methodist (+30). The Captains are 52-over through 54 holes with a 307-289-304 showing. 

Christopher Newport will be in the first group off the tee on Friday, with Quinto teeing off at 7:30 a.m. on the Speidel Jones Course. Live scoring is available through Golfstat.com; the link can be found by clicking here or by going through the men's golf schedule at CNUsports.com.