The No. 8 Stanford men’s golf team notched its fourth top-ten finish in four tournaments played this season when it took ninth in the Isleworth-UCF Invitational yesterday in Windermere, Fla. The Cardinal posted a three round 15-over-par team score of 879 and were led by freshman Sihwan Kim who was the only Cardinal golfer to post a below-par round.

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Sophomore Jordan Cox finished in 40th with a six-over three round score of 222 at the Isleworth-UCF Collegiate Invitational. Cox was part of a ninth-place effort for No.8 Stanford which was led by freshman Sihwan Kim, who finished tied for 13th. #gallery http://daily.stanford.edu/image/full/8061
Stanford Daily File Photo

Sophomore Jordan Cox finished in 40th with a six-over three round score of 222 at the Isleworth-UCF Collegiate Invitational. Cox was part of a ninth-place effort for No.8 Stanford which was led by freshman Sihwan Kim, who finished tied for 13th.

“The week was a pretty good one,” head coach Conrad Ray said. “The field was very strong. We struggled on the green mostly because Florida has a type of grass that we don’t normally see in California. The guys made the adjustment fairly well and we did some good things throughout the tournament especially considering the high level of difficulty of the course.”

No. 5 Georgia won the tournament with a 23-under-par score of 841, 21 strokes ahead of second-place No. 29 Clemson. Rounding out the top five were No. 7 USC with a one-under score of 863, No.4 Oklahoma State with a two-over 866 and No.17 Wake Forest with a four-over 868.

Kim’s third top-25 finish of the year was driven by his strong performances in the first two rounds of the tournament — he shot scores of 71 both days to record his fourth and fifth collegiate under-par rounds. He shot a one-over 73 on the third day of competition to reach a one-under three round total of 215 and tie for the 13th spot in the individual competition.

“Kim had a great week,” Ray said. “He made a great showing as a freshman, especially with the high level of competition.”

Sophomore Joseph Bramlett finished the tournament in a tie for 33rd with a five-over-par three round score of 221. Like Kim, Bramlett was consistent over the first two days when he maintained identical one-over scores of 73.

Fellow sophomore Jordan Cox came in only one stroke behind Bramlett, earning scores of 73, 72 and 77 for the tournament. After a tough third round, Cox fell thirteen places to a tie for 40th.

Senior Rob Grube concluded the tournament in a tie for 48th with a seven-over score of 223. Rounding out the Cardinal five was junior Dodge Kemmer, who ended up in a tie for 71st with a 13-over score of 229.

The Cardinal was in a tie for eighth after the first two days of the tournament after earning a three-over-par 291 for each day; however, the team fell under the pressure and unusual course conditions. Stanford concluded the final round with a nine-over score of 297.

The Isleworth is considered to be one of the most prestigious collegiate tournaments and hosts only the top teams in the country. The field included 16 2007 NCAA participants, 14 teams ranked in the top-50 and six of the current top-ten teams.

“The conditions were a lot harder in the third round but I think that it affected all of the teams because we didn’t fall very far in the standings,” Ray said. “The guys were disappointed with our finish but it definitely was not horrible considering the field.”

The Cardinal is hoping for a better finish at its next tournament, the CordeValle Classic, which will begin Nov. 5 at the CordeValle Golf Club in San Martin, Calif.

“When guys who normally do well have a tough time, it makes for a tough team score,” Ray said. “The guys are anxious to work on their individual performances when we get back to Stanford and we are looking to improve next week at the CordeValle Classic.”