The Cyclones took a short trip to West Des Moines to participate in the Zach Johnson Invitational. In their third tournament of the season, Iowa State walked away with its second victory of the season, spearheaded by tournament winner Luke Gutschewski.
Gutschewski ended day one of the tournament in the lead and managed to maintain this exceptional level of play through the third round. Along with Gutschewski, the Cyclones had two other top-10 finishers in Zach May (T-3) and Paul Beauvy (T-9).
Gutschewski undisputed at the top
After finishing behind teammate Paul Beauvy at the Gopher Invitational, Gutschewski returned to the dominant form he showed during the Hawkeye Invitational. His score of 15-under-par earned the victory and looked incredible paired with his career low of 54.
His total score was 198, a solid eight points above second place and 11 above the next Cyclone golfer. If there was any doubt before the tournament that the junior is the leader of the team, it was borderline gone after Tuesday’s contest.
The streak is over
After two years at the top of the Zach Johnson Invitational, North Dakota State fell to third place in 2023, finishing behind Iowa State and DePaul, respectively.
The win was a definitive moment for the Cyclones this season. Considering that their 829 total score is lower than both former champion’s scores during wins in 2021 (853) and 2022 (840), the win was much deserved. North Dakota State did not necessarily finish poorly, still shooting 837, but Iowa State just outperformed everyone.
A more definitive and striking defeat of North Dakota State’s winning streak could not have been possible without the Cyclones’ strong performances, which spell out a bright future for the 2023-24 season.
A bright future for this season and beyond
A win is a team effort, no matter the sport, and the Zach Johnson Invitational was only a testament to this idea.
Besides the previously mentioned performance, sophomores Beauvy and May were phenomenal. May presented his best career finish and a career-low at 209.
Beauvy scored only three points higher at 212 in a tight finish through second and ninth place. Freshman Owen Sawyer and Dianchao Wu also put their best feet forward.
Sawyer finished just one point away from the top 10, finishing in a four-way tie for 12th, his best-career finish. Wu was also on his A game, presenting his career-best finish at 35th.
The golfers showed up and showed out. If there wasn’t a reason to watch the Cyclone men’s golf team before, there certainly is now. Of the three tournaments of the season, the Cyclones took first in two of them.
The Cyclones will open the month of October with a tournament Sunday. The Cyclones will travel to South Bend, Indiana, to participate in the Fighting Irish Classic.
