The ISU men’s golf team has made a habit of getting off to slow starts and after one round of the National Invitational Tournament, the trend continued.

The No. 50 Cyclones posted an 11-over-par total of 299 and will have a 16-shot hill to climb in the closing two rounds as they look to improve from their 10th place standing out of 15 teams.

Despite a lackluster start, senior Scott Fernandez is in the thick of the medalist race.

With a two-under-par round of 70, Fernandez is tied for third place out of 83 golfers competing at the Catalina Course at OMNI Tucson National. Fernandez is two shots behind leader Luis Medina of New Mexico State.

A victory for Fernandez would be his second of the season and the fourth of his collegiate career.

Redshirt junior Collin Foster is tied for 30th place and was the next-lowest Cyclone after Fernandez, though his score of 74 did not count toward team scoring as Foster is solely competing as an individual. 

Iowa State’s second qualifying score came from Ruben Sondjaja. The sophomore posted a 75 and is tied for 37th place.

Sam Daley and Nick Voke, Iowa State’s two leading performers at the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate on Feb. 22, were unable to lead the way in round one.

The duo join sophomore Jack Carter in a tie for 59th place after posting rounds of 77.

Round two of the National Invitational Tournament will begin at 9 a.m. CST March 1. The third and final round is set for March 2.