Then junior Ricky Costello watches the flight of the ball after a chip at Coldwater Golf Links April 3.
Iowa State men’s golf turns their attention to the postseason, beginning with the Big 12 Championships in Trinity, Texas, on Monday.
The Cyclones come in after a sixth finish at the Hawkeye Invitational just a week ago. They rank as the worst team in the Big 12, as they’re the only ones outside of the top-80 nationally (No. 105).
No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 2 Oklahoma State remain the favorites heading in. Oklahoma are the defending NCAA champions, while Oklahoma State defeated the Sooners by one stroke to claim the 2021 Big 12 Championship. No. 7 Texas Tech and No. 9 Texas come in a step ahead of everyone else in the field as well as the only other top-25 teams.
In Big 12 match play back in October, Iowa State finished up in seventh place of the 10 teams. They defeated Baylor and West Virginia, while losing to Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas.
After finishing fourth in the 2018 Big 12 Championship, Iowa State has struggled in the two events since. They finished eighth in 2019 with the event then cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic. Last year, they finished last in the field.
In that, former Cyclone Tripp Kinney finished the highest on the team in a tie for 35th. Current Cyclones Lachlan Barker (T39), Frank Lindwall (T39), Nate Vance (T45) and Ricky Costello (50) competed in the event as well.
If there’s one thing Iowa State can be confident about heading into the week, it’s certainly its experience. Lindwall, Barker and Costello have all competed in the Big 12 Championships multiple times. While the results haven’t exactly gone the way they may have expected, they have been through the pressures of the tournament.
Additionally, Barker comes in playing really well recently. He finished top five in consecutive events to conclude the regular season. ISU will need their secondary guys to step up if they want a solid finish.
The event takes place at Whispering Pines Golf Club. Barker called it “the best course in Texas” having played it once before.
Iowa State tee off 9:30 a.m. Monday alongside West Virginia. The final round will conclude Wednesday in the three-day event across four rounds.
