The ISU men’s golf team will travel to the Border Olympics in Laredo, Texas, to compete Friday and Saturday in one of the three remaining tournaments before the NCAA Regionals.

Only the top seven teams in each district qualify to enter each regional tournament. The Cyclones are ranked seventh in their district, placing the team in a position to compete in regionals for the first time in several years.

“We’ve got a shot to get into the NCAA tournament,” head coach Jay Horton said. “We control our destiny. We need to play well in the last three tournaments to get a bid.”

It is important for the team to play well, especially against conference competition, in the remaining tournaments. The golf team will face Kansas State, Missouri, Colorado and Kansas two more times in the three remaining tournaments. Winning against these teams would secure a bid to the NCAA regional tournament.

“If we do that, we definitely can go to the NCAAs,” senior Kevin Oswald said. A poor performance would make the Cyclones postseason hopes dimmer, placing the golf team “on the bubble” for a favorable end-of-season district ranking. The importance of the final stretch of tournaments before the NCAAs has gotten the team pumped up.

“We are excited to get going and play down in [Laredo] this week,” Horton said.

The team has not played on the Laredo course, but has heard positive comments.

“I heard it is a good course, one of the oldest college courses in the country,” Horton said.

The team traveled to Laredo Wednesday to scout the course on Thursday before the tournament.

Weather in Laredo should be conducive to good golfing. Temperatures are expected to reach the low 90s both days of the tournament, with a slight chance of rain for Friday.

“We are excited to get down South,” Oswald said. “It’s got a good field, a lot of good teams that if we beat we’ll get into the NCAAs.”

The team is made up of two seniors, a junior and two freshman. Strong play by the freshmen Drew Dalziel and Tyler Swanson has been a key asset to the team. Junior Jeremy Lyons has been a solid player during the season.

Senior Greg Stephanson shot a five over par in the last tournament. His score was the second-best put up by the golf team during the tournament. Stephanson’s play suffered from a few rough spots during the season, but has improved.

“Greg Stephanson stepped up in California,” Oswald said. “Our top five played pretty consistent at the last tournament.”

The best finish at the last tournament was turned in by Oswald with an even par.

“Kevin Oswald’s been playing great. He has been real consistent,” Horton said. “He has been a real leader throughout the year.”

During the season, the golf team has improved steadily, posting lower scores while sharpening its game. Early in the season some inconsistent play was haunting the golf team, but now appears to have been ironed out.

“The last tournament we played was our best,” Horton said. “Those were the best numbers we shot all spring.”

Oswald, who has helped with the progress first hand, said the team is coming along.

“We are getting there,” he said. “We have come a long way.”