Team attempts to regroup after lackluster finishes
Courtesy photos: ISU Athletics
Nate McCoy, sophomore in communication studies, led the VCU Shootout this weekend by one stroke. Michael Wuertz also finished in the top 10, scoring 216.
April 7, 2011
After a horrendous last tournament, the ISU men’s golf team had some soul searching to do.
Each player tried to do so by working on his own game through individual workouts over the last week.
“This gave us a chance to get out and play a few more holes this week by ourselves,” said junior Tom Lathrop, “and prepare in our own way, which was really nice.”
The team heads into the Adidas Hoosier Invitational this weekend a bit rattled. After setting the ISU 54-hole record score, the team has finished 12th out of 17 teams, and then 10th out of 12.
A possible reason for why the team has struggled so much as of late could be confidence. The Cyclones’ struggle to get back on track and regain that confidence was demonstrated through the previous two tournaments. In those two tournaments the Cyclones saw their team’s stroke average per round go from 76, 75 and 79 at the First Tee Collegiate to 78, 78 and 84 at the University Club Collegiate.
“As we’ve got to tougher golf courses, our weaknesses have been exposed,” said assistant coach Patrick Datz. “So we’re just trying to get back to basics for this weekend.”
A few changes were made in the lineup for this weekend’s meet. In place of Michael Wuertz and Jacob Aaholm, senior Nathan Leary and sophomore Josh Bruder will be starting. Bruder, a Lakeville, Minn. native, will be making his first collegiate start for the Cyclones. Bruder wasn’t available for comment, but said in a text message he is “excited to get some experience under his belt.”
A notable difference in this weekend’s meet compared to the last two is a weaker field. At the First Tee Collegiate, there were seven teams in the top 100, and then at the University Club Collegiate, there were six teams ranked higher than Iowa State, including No. 12 LSU and No. 13 Iowa. This week the field features 15 teams, only one ranked higher than the Cyclones in No. 34 Indiana.
“The guys just need to go and handle business, because things can’t keep going the way they have been,” Datz said. “So if we get back to the way we played earlier this spring, we’ll be fine.”
