With only the top five of 14 teams at the Central NCAA Regional advancing to nationals, the ISU men’s golf team faces a tough challenge on May 17 in Columbia, Missouri.

Lacking the pedigree of some of the elite programs in college golf, the Cyclones will look to use their low profile to their advantage as they attempt to advance past regionals for the first time since 1953.

“With the teams there, all the Golfweek and Golfstat people don’t expect Iowa State to advance,” said redshirt sophomore Collin Foster. “I think that will work in our favor; we can kind of concentrate on our own game and try to sneak in behind.”

Ranked 50th by Golfstat, Iowa State will enter the event as the ninth seed behind powerhouses like Arizona State, Oklahoma State and Virginia.

Iowa State, who finished at the bottom of the Big 12 just last season, will look to justify its at-large bid and has no problems playing the underdog role.

“Something I’m trying to stress is we really have nothing to lose. Just go out there with the mindset of trying to play our best and really not worry about the outcome,” said ISU coach Andrew Tank. “Most people outside of the program don’t really expect us to advance, so I want our guys to just go play and give it everything we have and at the end of 54 holes see where the scores stack up.”

Though a chip might be on the shoulders of the Cyclones, it is not due to a lack of confidence.

Iowa State will be one of four teams with experience at Old Hawthorne this season, the site of the Regional Preview tournament last September.

Iowa State posted a runner-up finish and was topped only by host Missouri by five strokes.

With familiarity coupled with proximity, the Cyclones are pleased with the straw they drew.

“I’ve always liked that course,” said junior Scott Fernandez, who finished in fourth place at the Regional Preview. “I think that’s going to play to our advantage, knowing the course already and just going out there for a practice round and see how it’s playing versus figuring out, ‘Where should we hit the tee shot, where should we lay up?’”

Fernandez is also excited to bring along the rest of his team with him this season. Last year, he qualified for regionals as an individual, but Iowa State failed to earn a team bid.

Now with the rest of the team alongside him for this attempt, he senses the team is locked in to try to make a deep postseason run.

“You can feel it when we’re practicing — we’re really focused on what we’re doing out there on the range and the course. The goals are set, the game plan is set. Like Coach told us, just go out there and have fun, we have nothing to lose,” Fernandez said. “[As an underdog], I think it’s motivating to make a story out of it and try to move on to nationals.”