The No. 11 Stanford men’s golf team had their work cut out for them over spring break when they competed in the United States Collegiate Championship hosted by No. 7 Georgia Tech in Alpharetta, Ga. The Cardinal finished in 11th place after facing eight of the top ten teams in the nation. No. 4 Southern California managed to clinch the top spot, followed by No. 6 Oklahoma State, No. 1 Alabama, No. 7 Georgia Tech. Rounding out the top five was No. 8 Florida State.

This tournament has gained the reputation of being the “Masters of College Golf” because it gives golfers PGA Tour-type, championship conditions by only inviting the best teams in the nation to participate. Each golfer receives a personal caddy for all three rounds which gives them a taste of life as a professional golfer. The “Lakeside Course” that is used is known to be tough, demanding precision on its fast greens. The Cardinal had never before competed in the tournament, which was only established in 2006.

The Cardinal struggled in the tournament, which was played in 40-degree weather that felt like 30 degrees when the wind picked up. On all three days of the tournament, play was delayed approximately 30 minutes to let the course defrost.

“The weather was a bit of a shock,” coach Conrad Ray said. “The practice round was really nice then we woke up in the morning to frost delays and snow flurries. That’s the great thing about traveling, playing different tournaments and competing against top teams — you need to learn to cope with the conditions. We didn’t do that very well the first day which cost us a better finish, but it was a good experience overall.”

Though the weather conditions proved to be less than favorable, freshman Steve Ziegler managed to lead the Cardinal in the individual ranks when he tabbed his best overall collegiate finish in a tie for 10th place with UCLA’s No. 11 Kevin Chappell and Brigham Young’s Esteban Calisto. He fired a three-day two-over-par score of 218. Ziegler really stepped up his game in the final round of the tournament, trimming his score to a four-under-par score of 68 from his first and second round scores of 76 and 74.

Following Ziegler was No. 10 Sihwan Kim, the only other Stanford golfer to conclude the tournament in the top 25. Kim tied for 25th along with Charlotte’s No.2 Jonas Enander Hedin and East Tennessee State’s No. 33 Gareth Shaw after notching a five-over-par 221. Kim had a rough start — scoring a six-over 78 in the first round — but improved tremendously in the end of the tournament, scoring a two-under 70 and a one-over 73 in the final rounds.

“We had a couple guys who had a really good week.” Ray said. “Kim did well, but we had a great showing by Ziegler. He’s the guy I’ve been waiting for all season to make his mark and he is really starting to do that in the past two tournaments.”

Next was senior Rob Grube who came in a tie for 33rd after shooting a seven-over 233. Like his teammates, Grube also improved in the third round, scoring a one-under 71 versus his previous pair of four over 76’s in the first two rounds.

“Rob hasn’t played as well as normal,” Ray said. “That’s o.k., that’s golf. I know that he will play for us when it really matters in June.”

Junior Daniel Lim and junior Dodge Kemmer both finished the “Masters of College Golf” in a tie for 75th with an overall 25-over score of 241. Lim struggled in the first and second rounds posting 84 and 83 but managed to improve by scoring a two-over 74 on the final day. Kemmer stayed consistent throughout the tournament scoring 80, 81 and 80 respectively.

From sixth place to the top, each rank in the individual competition was only separated by one stroke which shows the high skill level of each golfer participating in the tournament. This increased the pressure and intensity of the tournament, but added an element of excitement comparable to the NCAA tournament.

The whole team had a rough start to the NCAA preview, coming in 13th consecutively after rounds one and two. The team may have struggled but they adapted to the course well as they gained more and more experience. The Cardinal dropped nine strokes off of its original score of 310 in the second round, unloading 15 more strokes in the final round to bump themselves up to the 11th place spot.

“This was a great trip,” Ray said. “To play in such a difficult field on a tough course is really important for us to do. We didn’t get the results we wanted but we may rely on this experience down the road.”

The Cardinal has a two-week break before its next tournament on April 19 and April 20 when it hosts the United States Intercollegiate tournament right here at the Farm.

“We are really excited to golf at home,” Ray said. “The Stanford golf course is shaping up to have wonderful conditions. Since we won last year, I think the guys are set to defend their home turf. Over the next few weeks the guys have some time to settle in for spring quarter and we only look to improve upon our game as we make our run toward June.”

Contact Roxie Dickinson at roxie221@stanford.edu.