Through one round at the Badger Invitational, the ISU men’s golf team is likely thinking of what could have been.

After making the turn to the back nine holes, Iowa State was hovering inside the top three and sophomore Ruben Sondjaja had sole possession of first place on the individual leader board.

A trying back nine, however, has the Cyclones in sixth place out of 13 teams and Sondjaja tied for sixth as well.

Five of Iowa State’s six golfers posted equal or worse scores on their back nine holes compared to their front nine. Though the back nine played tougher for the field as a whole, the Cyclones slipped down the leaderboard as the day went on.

For Iowa State, which sits 13 shots behind leader Sam Houston State University, Sondjaja was the leader on day one. With a 1-under-par 71, Sondjaja is three shots off of the individual lead, but will rue his 17th hole.

On what was an otherwise error-free scorecard, Sondjaja triple-bogeyed the par-3 to drop out of first place. After a 4-under-par start through six holes, Sondjaja recorded nine straight pars until the 17th.

The next lowest Cyclone was Nick Voke, who won medalist honors at Iowa State’s previous tournament, the VCU Shootout. Voke backed up his win with a 2-over-par 74, two shots better than the field average of 76.37. He is tied for 21st place out of 79 golfers.

Rounding out the starting lineup was Scott Fernandez with a 75, Collin Foster with a 76 and Sam Daley with a 77. Fernandez is tied for 32nd, Foster is tied 39th and Daley is tied for 45th place.

Competing as an individual, Jack Carter also recorded a 77.

Iowa State will look to gain ground on the field in the final two rounds as it has been known to do. In eight of its last 14 events, the Cyclones’ worst round of the tournament has come in the first round.

The Cyclones led the field in par-5 scoring in round one with an 8-under-par total that featured two eagles on the day.

The second and third rounds will take place Sept. 29 and 30 at University Ridge Golf Course in Madison, Wis.