Iowa State men’s golf finished up The Hootie at Bulls Bay Tuesday by shooting 296 (+8), the 11th-best team score on the day. The Cyclones’ final round helped them finish in a tie for 15th place with Limestone.

ETSU, NC State, South Carolina and Missouri tied for first place at -20 overall. ETSU’s Archie Davis won the tournament by shooting -12 overall and -7 in the third round. 

Iowa State’s finish certainly isn’t what it expected, nor hoped for. The team struggled to get much production outside of junior Nate Vance. 

Team struggles on Par 4s

Iowa State held its own on par threes and par fives on Tuesday, finishing tied for eighth and tied for 10th in those respective holes. Par fours were a different story though, and that was a continued theme throughout the week.

The Cyclones shot +9 on par fours on Tuesday, just three strokes better than Limestone. While their day overall was above-average, better results on the par fours would’ve helped their result even more. 

Vance shines

After an opening round 74, Nate Vance bounced back with solid rounds in the final two days of the tournament. He shot 68 on Monday and finished with a 72 on Tuesday. His -2 overall and 214 total score resulted in a tie for 21st in The Hootie.

He was by far the best Cyclone golfer all tournament long. In the 96-man field, Vance was the only Cyclone that finished top-65. A double bogey on hole 7 hurt what was an otherwise stellar back nine that included four birdies on Tuesday. Par fives were where he excelled the most on the week.

Barker’s tournament struggles continue

Heading into The Hootie, Lachlan Barker had been playing some of his best golf of the season. He was coming off a tied for 15th finish at the Colleton River Collegiate.

Fast forward to this week in South Carolina, and Barker struggled. He ended the tournament by shooting +3 on Tuesday, resulting in a tied for 71st finish. His struggles certainly correlated to the team’s poor finish, but his teammates didn’t particularly help either. 

The men’s golf team next tees off at the Wyoming Cowboy Classic, located in Chandler, Ariz. It’s just a two-day tournament, beginning Monday.