The ISU men’s golf lineup featured some new faces as they opened the season in Omaha at the Fairway Club Invitational without experienced golfers Matt Gatchel, Phil Slovitt and Josh Clay, all of which are not featured on the current Cyclone roster.

At the end of the 54-hole tournament, the Cyclones finished in seventh place with a final score of 900. Last season, the Cardinal and Gold squad finished the same competition in 12th position.

“I thought we were a lot more competitive against [other district] teams,” said ISU coach Jay Horton. “It was a good barometer for us. It’s going to be a very competitive district this year.”

Lamar University bested the University of Missouri to win the competition by four strokes. The two teams had nearly identical rounds, with Lamar ending up at 873, while the Tigers finished at 877. Kansas State came in third after posting a three-round total of 888.

An even closer battle took place for the individual title, as six players ended the tournament within two shots of the champion. Lamar’s Shawn Stefani shot 215 to beat out Missouri’s Brandon Knaub by one stroke to win the individual crown.

Cyclone Jeremy Lyons tied with three other golfers at 217 to finish in a lengthy tie for third place. Tied with Lyons were A.J. Elgert of Kansas State, Matt Larson from Lamar and Missouri’s Chris Happ.

Another member of Iowa State’s team ended the tournament with a top-20 finish. Junior Greg Stephanson shot 223, which gave him a share of 17th position. Kevin Oswald was the next best golfer for the Cardinal and Gold, ending at 233.

Corey Schultz’s 235 was good enough to place him in a tie for 235, while freshman Chad Kovaleski shot 236 in his first-ever collegiate tournament. Clark Smith competed as an individual and finished with a score of 234.

Horton is not surprised at the success of Lyons, who redshirted last season. He was also impressed with how his team played as a whole.

“Jeremy’s an outstanding player,” he said. “[He] always shows up early and stays late. Overall, the consistency was excellent.”

Three freshmen, including Kovaleski, will challenge for spots on the travelling team. However, Horton doesn’t feel pressed to rush the youngsters into competition.

“I think we’re deeper than we were before,” he said. “They [can] come along at their own pace.”

Now a wait ensues as the team wonders if it will participate in its next scheduled event, the Minnesota Invitational in Minneapolis.

The questionability of the tournament follows the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon Tuesday.