Takeaways: Upperclassmen lead the way at the Gopher Invitational

Iowa State men’s golf head coach Andrew Tank watches the team practice at the Coldwater Golf Links on April 3.

Anthony Hanson
September 14, 2021

Iowa State men’s golf started their fall season this past weekend with an 8th place finish at the Gopher Invitational, in large part due to the strong outings by upperclassmen.

After three rounds at the Windsong Farm Golf Club in Independence, Minn., the Cyclones shot a score of +15. The tournament was highlighted by strong performances from experienced Cyclones and the team’s success on the course’s longer holes.

Experience leading the way

Experience proved to be valuable for the Cyclones on Sunday and Monday. Senior Lachlan Barker, senior Frank Lindwall and redshirt junior Nate Vance posted the best scores of the Cyclone group.

All three upperclassmen finished in the top-30 on the leaderboard.

Barker finished tied for 8th with a score of -4, Lindwall finished 23^rd with a +1 and Vance finished tied for 28^th with a +3.

The Cyclones’ two underclassmen in the lineup golfed scores lower on the player leaderboard. Redshirt freshman Jake Slocum tied for 62^nd, and sophomore Lukas Pany finished in 75^th.

Slocum redshirted last season, which means this was his first collegiate tournament for the Cyclones.

Sophomore Lukas Pany competed in only four tournaments his freshman season. The Cyclones will expect improvement from their underclassmen as they gain valuable experience in more significant roles.

Success on longer holes

The course at the Gopher Invitational features par fives on the ninth, 12th and 18th holes. The Cyclones posted 10 birdies and three eagles on these holes. Iowa State’s total score on all par fives was -12.

The Cyclones led the tournament in eagles with three. Frank Lindwall eagled the 12th hole in both his second and third rounds. Lachlan Barker added an eagle on the ninth hole in his first round.

Lachlan Barker scored -8 on par fives throughout the tournament, the top score of any individual.

However, the Cyclones struggled on shorter holes, particularly par threes. On par threes, Iowa State scored +23, the second to last score at the tournament, ahead of only Rutgers.