Welcome back to the cockpit.

This week, I am bringing you this column from the cockpit of a golf cart at the Glen Oaks Country Club in Des Moines.

That’s right. After my recent journey to the Big Eight women’s golf tournament, I have decided to recap the event with my column this week.

The opportunity to cover the final Big Eight event is special, especially when it’s in your own backyard.

The women’s team is an impressive one to watch.

After a windy first day, the Iowa State team managed to claim second place behind Oklahoma State.

That’s great, except the Cyclones were a distant 27 strokes behind.

Nothing against our team, though. Oklahoma State managed to somehow buck the wind, and run out to a 36-hole total of 633 strokes.

The wind, which was gusting at 35 to 40 miles per hour, made it difficult for the Cyclone golfers to adjust.

While talking to sophomore Cathy Matthews at the completion of the tournament, she told me that it was difficult to convince herself to move up three total club lengths.

She said that it was like using your 200-yard club instead of your 150-yard club on a 150-yard hole.

No Cyclone was able to post a score below 80 in the first round of the tournament, while Matthews was able to adjust enough in the second round to post a 79, the only Cyclone to do so.

Iowa State had a nice-sized contingency made up of parents and officials, including Athletics Director Gene Smith.

I would like to take the time to thank head coach Julie Manning and the Cyclone players for their hospitality. All of them were very helpful throughout the year and the tournament was no exception.

But that is a reflection of their coach.

In the past two years, Manning has been extremely helpful, whether with interviews or with other information.

Tournament Sports Information Director Mike Green has, throughout the year, been very helpful, especially getting me the statistics and information I need to write the stories.

I also had the opportunity to talk to some of the parents of the players at the tournament.

While there, Sue Bader, the mother of senior Beth Bader, told me they were going to miss the comraderie the most.

She told me that every one of the players’ parents was able to make it, except for sophomore Fiona Watson’s. Watson is from Scotland.

On the final day, Iowa State saw a school record-setting performance on the course with its 300-stroke round.

Matthews and Watson led the charge with their scores of 74, three over par for the course. Meanwhile, senior Holly Duncan was able to add a 75.

The final counting Cyclone was Bader, with her 77.

Iowa State will be proud of the effort this team put in over the course of the season.

The women have managed to carry the Iowa State flag well with a only one finish below the top half of a field in a tournament.

That tournament, the SMU, USC, OSU regional challenge, had probably the most talented field of the year.

The Cyclones managed to beat the Cowgirls in Utah by 13 strokes and my guess is that Utah was gunning for the Cyclones.

So I wish the team luck in its goal to gain a post-season regional berth.

And so with one more column to go this spring, I will see you next week with a fall and spring wrap-up with my first ever year in review.