The ISU men’s golf team is off to a quick start, thanks in part to an international duo from Denmark.

The pair consists of junior Jacob Aaholm, of Hornbaek, Denmark, and sophomore Mads Herskind, of Lyngby, Denmark.

Men’s golf coach Jay Horton said the recruitment of European players requires trust and time commitment.

“You don’t know who to trust, so you build relationships with people over there,” Horton said. “It’s a long process. Translating over all the paperwork to English and following the NCAA’s guidelines — it takes about three-fourths of a year to a year to finalize it all.”

Aaholm was recruited out of McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas. Herskind came to Iowa State straight from Denmark with the hopes of pursuing both his educational and golf careers.

Teaming up at Iowa State, however, was not the first time the two had met on the golf course.

Despite living almost four hours away, they faced each other in country club tournaments in Denmark.

“Country clubs in Europe are different from those in the United States,” Horton said. “Over there they have competitions, one club versus another, and Jacob and Mads were on rival clubs.”

The transition from Denmark to the United States wasn’t as difficult as it would seem for the two teammates.

“It was harder for them to compete individually since they were used to more team-based tournaments, but these were not your typical wide-eyed freshmen,” Horton said.

Aaholm and Herskind, both 22, came to the team with an older, more experienced background than most students, Horton said.

Pleased with the performances of the junior and sophomore, Horton stated, “Their work ethic alone is contagious and helps improve everybody on the team.”

As the Cyclone men head forward into their final two tournaments of the fall, the team has its mind set on a win. Building off of fifth-, seventh- and second-place finishes in their first three tournaments, the men have had a strong start to the season.

“It’s been very competitive,” Horton said. “We haven’t broken through with a win yet, but we are looking to carry over the momentum.”

The Cyclone men will head to Memphis, Tenn., next Monday to compete in the Memphis Invitational and will finish up the fall season at the Aldila Intercollegiate the following week in Chattanooga, Tenn.