The Iowa State Men’s Golf team finished up the Marquette Intercollegiate invitational where they fell two spots from day one and finished in fourth place as a team—an event where sophomore Luke Gutschewski stood out above the rest. 

After round two of day one being suspended due to darkness in the playing area, Gutschewski managed to finish strong and take home the individual Marquette Intercollegiate championship.

Gutschewski shot a 204 (65, 73, 66) over three rounds and led the Cyclones in individual scores in two out of three of the rounds. 

So far this season, a new and improved, confident Gutschewski has taken the green. 

“This time around last year, I was the youngest guy in every tournament, so it really just came down to believing in myself and reminding myself that I belonged,” Gutschewski said. 

The day-to-day process has been Gutschewski’s mentality this entire season. It has led to solid performances week after week from the sophomore. 

Redshirt senior Nate Vance had a solid three days in Milwaukee as well, firing a score of 214 (71, 71, 72). This score tied Vance for 10th place overall at the meet. 

This match was the Cyclones’ second top-five finish of the season. Hopefully, this is showing signs that this young squad is moving in the right direction. 

Experience is Key 

If there is one thing that stood out in this match, it was experience. The guys who have had more experience seem more comfortable out there, and their play is showing it. It is better to get production out of the older guys so younger guys have an example to watch after. 

It is key for both Vance and Gutschewski to keep up these strong efforts to lead this young Cyclone core.

Freshmen need to bounce back 

After having a rough first day on the course both freshman Paul Beauvy and Kyo Morishita found it hard to dig themselves out of a hole from day one. Both finished with scores of 225 and 222, respectively. 

Morishita finished tied for 58th place overall and Beauvy finished tied for 71st place, both going down rankings from their day one scores. 

“It’s hard being a freshman,” Gutschewski said. “There’s ups and downs a lot in your performances.” 

Pany Continues to Improve 

After being benched a few weeks ago, Lukas Pany managed to work his way back into the starting lineup. In this match specifically, Pany found himself having a solid contribution to the Cyclones’ success. 

Pany shot for 216 on the weekend (70, 73, 73). If Pany can implement himself as a more consistent golfer down the stretch of the season, it will be huge for this young Cyclone team. 

Iowa State’s next match is Big 12 match play on Oct. 17, in Hockley, Texas. After a solid weekend like this, the Cyclones have great momentum going into conference play.