After the first round at the UCF Challenge, it would have been easy to count out Iowa State as title contenders.

Heading into the final 54 holes, Iowa State was tied for eighth place and already 10 shots behind the leader, University of Central Florida. Only one Cyclone golfer, sophomore Cajsa Persson, recorded an under-par round Sunday, making for an inauspicious start to the team’s spring season.

“We were only focused on our own games and what we were supposed to do,” said junior Chonlada Chayanun.

The tide turned on Feb. 10, however, as putts began to drop and attitudes improved.

“I think we did a better job of saying ‘Hi’ and waving on the course and being positive and just kind of giving each other energy the past two days,” said senior Prima Thammaraks. “[The second round on Feb. 10] was really exciting; everyone was making birdies nonstop.”

Led by a pair of three-under-par rounds of 69 from Thammaraks and Chayanun, the Cyclones recorded the second lowest team score in program history (281) and vaulted back into contention.

All five starters recorded rounds of par or better and four Cyclones were inside the top 20 on the individual leaderboard.

A surge allowed Iowa State to climb five spots up the leaderboard to third place and found itself well within reach of winning its first tournament of the season, just six shots behind leader UCF.

The strong play found Feb. 10 continued into the next day, as the Cyclones received three rounds of par or better from Thammaraks, senior Sasikarn On-iam and Chayanun, who carded rounds of 69, 71 and 72, respectively.

The key for Chayanun, who played the final two rounds in three-under-par after a first round 73, was in her technical approach to the game.

“The first day I was just focusing on my game and my score, basically, and trying not to hit a bad shot. The second and third rounds I focused on my posture,” Chonlada said about her turnaround, which resulted in her best finish of the season, a tie for seventh place.

The team’s comeback, fueled in part by Chayanun, allowed for Iowa State to temporarily grab a two-shot lead during the closing holes Feb. 11.

A late rally by UCF, however, quickly closed the gap resulting in a one-shot victory against the Cyclones, who recorded a season-best second-place finish.

Thammaraks, who finished in a tie for fourth individually said she and the rest of the team were not aware of their exact standing on the leaderboard in the closing stretch. She did have a feeling the tournament could come down to the wire, though.

“I just knew we were in good shape, because I felt like everyone was playing well, though I didn’t know how much under [par] everyone was,” Thammaraks said. “I wasn’t worried about where we were on the leaderboard.”

Though the Cyclones fell short in their first tournament, another opportunity looms next weekend in Puerto Rico, a tournament expected to field some of the nation’s top-ranked teams.

“I think we did a great job giving it our best and just knowing that we’re one shot short, it’s kind of a reminder of how close a tournament can be and how much one shot matters,” Thammaraks said. “I think we’ll use it as motivation to be better next time, just knowing how close we are.”