The Cyclone golf teams returned home this week after competing in their first tournaments of the season last weekend.

The men finished their meet last Sunday, wrapping up the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational. They ended in a tie for sixth place in the 19-team event.

Despite the respectable finish, members of the men’s team thought they could’ve played better.

“There’s no question about it. We actually putted terrible, and there were a lot of other mistakes,” said Jay Horton, men’s coach. “I know everyone was struggling to read the greens because you’re playing up in the mountains, and it’s hard to read all the breaks.”

Xavier, which finished the meet in first place, set a tournament record with a team score of 845 and had three of its golfers finish in the top five individually. Despite the Cyclones mistakes, they were in position to challenge Xavier for the lead until the last round.

“With around seven to nine holes to play, we were within four or five shots of Xavier, but we made some bogies and they made some birdies,” Horton said. “They [Xavier] have good players, but nobody we can’t play against. We just didn’t quite get the job done.”

Iowa State was led by senior Rodney Hamblin and junior Joe Cermak, both of whom tied for the team lead with final scores of 217. That mark was good for Hamblin’s career-best 54-hole score.

The consensus, however, is that the Cyclones could have easily finished higher.

“We could’ve done much better. It’s not a bad way to start off the year – not playing great, but still hanging tough,” Cermak said. “I was happy with the way I hit the ball, but I’m going to keep expecting more out of myself and everyone else so we can all have a chance to win as individuals and as a team.”

Cermak also hinted that the goals might be set a little higher this season.

“We want to finish in the top five in every tournament,” he said. “We’re not going to settle – not this year.”

One reason for optimism may be the talent of the new recruits. Horton said the rookies impressed him the most. Freshman Cameron White finished 37th overall with a final score of 220 in his first collegiate tournament. Junior college transfer Cedric Bertin was right behind him, ending with a tally of 221. Freshman Ross Menke also finished with a solid 225.

“I thought Cameron played absolutely awesome,” Cermak said. “I know he wishes he would’ve played better, but he did well for his first college meet.”

On Monday, the ISU women’s golf team finished in seventh place at the Lady Badger Invitational in Madison, Wis.

ISU freshman Pennapa Pulsawath, from Bangkok, Thailand, was the player to watch. She led the team with a final score of 233 and finished in 10th place overall. Competing in her first college tournament, Pulsawath’s game inspired the praise of her teammates.

“I thought [Pulsawath] did a really good job,” junior Kendra Hanson said. “I mean, she got 10th place in her first tournament. She has just played some solid golf and made some great shots.”

Pulsawath was followed by Hanson and senior Christie Athas, who shot final scores of 236 and 237, respectively. Both finished in the top 30 individually. Hanson wasn’t too excited with her individual finish or the team’s overall performance.

“We didn’t perform our best,” she said. “I could’ve been better. I’ve got some things to work on, but there were a lot of positive points, too.”

The women don’t play until Oct. 2, when they will head to Lawrence, Kan. Hanson said she doesn’t mind having a break.

“I think it will be good,” Hanson said. “We’ll have a lot of time for practice and improvement, so we’ll be ready to go in a couple weeks. We’ll keep it competitive and get a lot of practice in.”