The Washburn golf team started out the season last week at Cougar Point Golf Course with a 28-over-par 604, which got it a ninth place finish.

Finishing in the middle of the pack, this performance was not exactly what the team had hoped for with the first tournament of the year. The team started out the first round tied for sixth with a 3-over-par 288. But after sliding in the second round shooting a 25-over-par 313, any hopes of placing near the top were dashed. Oklahoma Christian led the way in the tourney with an even-par 576.

Disappointed about the performance for the first tournament, many members of the veteran golf team felt they should have had a better showing, including sophomore Matt Lazzo, who tied for 40 with a 10-over-par 154.

“We should have done a lot better,” said Lazzo. “We just have to work harder to get some tournament wins.”

Individually, the lower classmen lead the way for the Ichabods. Junior Matt Ewald and junior Matt Salome finished tied for 15th, each shooting a 3-over-par 147.

Senior Ryan Deutsch tied for 49th shooting a 12-over-par 156 while senior John Robbins tied for 65th with 17-over-par 161.

The Kiawah Invitational saw its share of strengths and weaknesses for the Washburn golf team.

“Our weaknesses were our accuracy off the tee,” said Lazzo. “Our strengths were that we made enough birdies to win the tournament but we just made to many high numbers.”

Like in anything, the team hopes to learn from the negatives of the event and build off of the positives and take them in to the next meet being that much stronger.

“To be ranked as high as we are and to stay a premiere team, we have to start winning some tournaments,” said Lazzo.

The Ichabod golf team is in action again today at the Truman Bulldog Classic in Kirksville, Miss. In the first MIAA tournament of the year, Washburn looks to continue its recent dominance of the conference, winning four of the last five MIAA championships.

“We want to go down there and put ourselves in a position to win the tournament, and then go out and win the tournament on the second day,” said senior John Robbins.