The ISU golf team started to build some momentum over spring break with a good showing in Florida. However, the golfing gods were not so kind to the Cyclones when they traveled to the west coast earlier this week.

The Cardinal and Gold shot 952 to finish 11th at the Stevinson Ranch Invite in Turlock, Cal. Big XII rival Kansas battled the conditions and finished on top of the heap with a team total of 899.

Colorado completed the tournament second at 904, two strokes ahead of California.

According to ISU head coach Jay Horton, unfavorable weather and course conditions led to unusually inflated numbers for many of the participating teams.

“When you get a field that strong and scores that were that high, it shows how brutal the conditions were,” he said. “We didn’t handle the golf course very well. We were in position to realistically challenge for sixth place, and it was disappointing the way that we finished.”

“It was a tough course, and if you don’t hit perfect shots out there, it magnifies everything,” said sophomore Phil Slovitt. “I’d say the combination of [the wind and the course] was the toughest of the season, if not my whole college career.”

Only two players managed to complete the tournament with below par totals for three rounds.

Travis Hurst from Kansas won the competition by tallying a three-round score of 213. Colorado’s Kane Webber shot a 68 in the final round to jump to a runner-up finish, one stroke back of Hurst. Jason Highton from Pacific posted a 1-over par 217 to place third.

Slovitt and Josh Clay led the Cyclone charge with final matching scores of 237.

Kevin Oswald was the only team member not to shoot two rounds over 80 strokes, finishing at 240. Matt Gatchel completed his tournament with a total of 241, while Jamie Faidley rounded out the ISU scores with a 253.

“The scores were blown out of proportion because of the conditions, but we need to eliminate our mistakes and make pars instead of bogeys,” Horton said.

One way the squad can eliminate mistakes is to play outdoors on a more regular basis.

However, with the harsh Iowa winter, the Cyclones have not been able to practice outside for a considerable amount of time.

“It’s been a big reason, but I don’t label it as a main reason,” Horton said. “It’s a situation where other teams get to play year-round, so our kids need to focus more on the mental aspects [of the game].”

Several teams the Cyclones will be battling for spots in the regional competition made the trip out west to take part in the event.

“It’s a tournament that’s very important because it’s a chance to battle our district teams at a neutral site,” Horton said. “It’s always nice to win tournaments, but the teams we need to beat are those from our district.”

“We’ve put ourselves behind the eight ball,” Slovitt said.

“We can beat these teams, it’s just a matter of playing better. I think we have the focus, but we’re just not getting the job done right now.”

The Cyclones will compete next April 9-10 as they travel to Wichita, Kan. to participate in the Shocker Invitational. After that, the team will turn their focus to Branson, Mo. where the Southwest Missouri St. Intercollegiate will take place on the 14-15.

Playing two competitions in this short of a timespan is rare, but team members aren’t concerned about the grind ahead.

“This will condition their minds more than anything, which I think will be good for us,” Horton said. “We played well in Wichita last year and right now, our goal is to improve in the Big XII.”