The ISU men’s golf team will be hitting the beach at a popular Spring Break location a week earlier than students at Iowa State.

The Cyclones take to the links for the second time this week at St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands for the St. Croix Collegiate Classic.

Earlier this week, the Cyclones played their best round of the season, firing a 289 during the opening round of the Roadrunner Invitational. The team faded down the stretch, prompting ISU coach Jay Horton to continue stressing consistency and confidence.

“We’ve gotten better in that we played 18 holes well,” Horton said. “But we need to be able to play well for all 54 holes of the tournament.”

Freshman Chris Baker’s hot play has established himself as the team leader, as he fired an ISU season-low 69 during the opening round in Texas, while fellow freshman Joe Cermak and junior Drew Dalziel have been close behind.

“Chris has been playing well so far, and both Joe and Drew have been right there,” Horton said.

“We just need to get them all going at the same time now.”

With the learning experience in San Antonio only three days old, Horton said the Cyclones have a chance to try in get into a rhythm.

“I think anytime we can get out and play, it helps us,” he said.

“Where we need to improve the most is on the golf course, not so much as in our practice.

“We just need to compete. The more competition these guys get, the better.”

Many ISU golfers said they think this can be an opportunity to build on their momentum from Texas.

“I definitely like playing two tournaments a week,” Cermak said. “You can get on a little bit more of a roll. It’s more like the PGA Tour in that you’re getting out and playing competitively every couple of days.”

Dalziel said he doesn’t have a preference when it comes to how many tournaments the Cyclones play each week.

“You know, playing two tournaments a week, it has its pros and cons,” Dalziel said.

“If you have something good going, then it’s nice, but it’s also a lot of traveling.

“I guess I don’t mind the traveling this time, since we’re going to the Virgin Islands.”

The St. Croix Collegiate Classic follows a different format than the other tournaments the Cyclones have played. This tournament is be spread out over three days, following an 18-18-18 format, rather than the two-day 36-18 format.

“It’ll be nice because you’ll get to play 18 holes and then actually have time to practice afterwards,” Horton said. “It can help from a practice standpoint — if someone struggles one day, they can get out and work on their game and, hopefully, be better the next day.”