The Iowa State men’s golf team concluded the fall component of its season Oct. 11.

The team finished with two wins and three losses, resulting in a finish shortly below the .500 mark. The team boasted the September Big 12 Men’s Golfer of the Month in junior Luke Gutschewski.

However, in a season with both high and low finishes, not all of Iowa State’s season experience was positive. The team will now look to reflect upon its ups and downs before it returns in the spring.

Gutschewski dominates

Gutschewski was the September Big 12 Golfer of the Month. The award marked a major milestone as the junior from Elkhorn, Nebraska, became the first Cyclone to earn it.

Throughout the season, Gutschewski appeared as both a definitive leader for the young Cyclone squad but also a dominant individual performer.

The highlight of the fall season was his big win at the Zach Johnson Invitational in West Des Moines. That moment highlighted how crucial he had become for the team as he earned the individual win, helping his team win the tournament in strong fashion.

The tournament and the fall season overall stood testament to the power of Gutschewski as a leader and a golfer. When his Cyclone career is finished, it seems likely Gutschewski will follow in the professional footsteps of his father, Scott Gutschewski.

Home-state advantage

The Cyclones were able to capture two wins throughout the five-tournament season at both the Zach Johnson Invitational and the Hawkeye Invitational.

Both of those wins took place in Iowa. Within the state borders, the Cyclones never finished any lower than first in 2023.

Though their out-of-state performances may have been lackluster, the Cyclones were the team to beat in Iowa. That trend represented both a victory for the team and also highlighted a weakness. While home-state success was a big part of their successes, the Cyclones fell short when they left their stomping grounds.

No clear second

The biggest takeaway from the season was a lack of consistency overall, and one of the biggest reflections of that is seen on the leaderboards for their five tournaments.

Iowa State had its clear top performer in Gutschewski, but it struggled to find him a consistent partner in crime.

Both sophomores Paul Beauvy and Zach May finished beneath Gutschewski, but neither made any real statement to solidify them as the second-best on the team. All the players on the golf team had their moments, but the consistency needs to grow.

Without a clear second, the Cyclones tended to flounder in the standings, and that ultimately ended up costing them in big situations.

Overall, the Cyclones experienced a strange fall season. Both wins brought big highs for the team, but the losses were demoralizing when the Cyclones failed to capitalize on the momentum from previous wins.

If the Cyclones hope to be successful in the spring component of the season, they must address their biggest issue in consistency, or rather, lack thereof.

Cyclone men’s golf returns to action Jan. 29 at the National Invitational Tournament in Tucson, Arizona.