The ISU men’s golf team finished in 10th place this week at the University of Louisiana-Monroe Invitational.

With the help of a strong third-round performance, the Cyclones shot an overall total of 902.

“We set some goals this week that we got a little closer to achieving,” said Coach Jay Horton. “We’ve kind of struggled this fall, but we just try to keep improving.”

The University of Arkansas-Little Rock blitzed the field to win the invitational with a score of 857. Texas-Arlington shot 869 to place second, while Lamar finished third with a three-round total of 879.

The ISU squad finished 11 strokes out of fourth place, which was one of their main goals for this tournament. According to Horton, if each player shot one less stroke per round, that objective would have been reached.

“It’s a fine line from being in the top four to finishing in tenth or eleventh,” he said. “We need to find a way to get that extra shot.”

Throughout the season, different members have led the Cyclones in scoring, giving Horton a lot of options as to a leader of the team. This diversity has its advantages and its problems.

“Our team isn’t the type that has one or two dominant players,” he said. “It’s hard to challenge for a lot of titles. We need to play consistently every time.”

At this competition, Josh Clay was low scorer for the Cyclones, shooting 224 to complete his tournament in a tie for 25th. After Clay, the team scores became very bunched together. Phil Slovitt ended with a 228, Matt Gatchel at 229, Kevin Oswald at 230, and Jamie Faidley rounded out the scoring at 232.

“They’re thinking better on the course,” Horton said. “They understand their limitations a little more.”