It’s something every competitive golfer fears — one bad swing that can turn a great score into an average score in seconds.

Iowa junior Vince India fell victim to that scenario Sunday afternoon when he quadruple-bogeyed Blue Top Ridge’s 13th hole at the inaugural Golfweek Conference Challenge in Riverside.

After India won the Iowa Open Championship on Aug. 22 at Blue Top Ridge, head coach Mark Hankins selected him for the No. 1 slot out of the five Iowa tournament competitors. India played in winning form, hitting an eagle on No. 12 to bring his score to 4-under on the day.

Then came No. 13.

The Deerfield, Ill., native’s tee shot landed in the course’s thick, links-style prairie grass. After conferring with Hankins, India attempted to punch the ball out with a sand wedge, but instead, he drove the ball deeper into the brush.

A second attempt came up empty as well, before he was finally able to chip the ball out on his fourth shot.

His luck didn’t improve — his fifth shot landed on a very difficult area of the green before he three-putted for an 8.

“I don’t think I was focused on the tee shot because I made eagle on the hole before, so I was a little jacked up,” he said after finishing tied for 23rd. “I just didn’t do a good job of bringing myself down.”

Hankins said India was disappointed in his final score of 73 (1 over) but said India’s round was something every golfer experiences. There are two rounds left to make up the score, the coach noted.

“It was one of those scenarios where if [the ball] popped out, he could’ve gotten a par,” Hankins said. “But he ground out the rest of the round, and he’ll be back out there [today] trying to improve.”

The Hawkeyes ended the day with a combined score of 288 (even) in the 15-team tournament. The score landed Iowa in fourth place, eight strokes behind Baylor, the tournament leader.

Leading the way for Iowa were sophomore Barrett Kelpin, who fired a 69 for a fourth-place tie, and junior Brad Hopfinger, who tallied a 70, good enough for a seventh-place tie.

Kelpin, who competed in the U.S. Amateur Championship on Aug. 24 and 25 in Tulsa, Okla., nailed five birdies, including three in a row on holes 11 through 13. The trio of birdies was accentuated when he surprised himself after chipping in for birdie on the 13th.

“I was in a pretty tough spot and was just hoping to put it close for a par,” he said.

The Kalamazoo, Mich., native, who missed the cut for match play by one stroke at the U.S. Amateur Championship, said his time in Tulsa helped his mental game.

“I came out of the U.S. Amateur with a lot of confidence,” he said. “I really feel like I can play good golf all year having that experience.”

Sophomore Chris Brant is tied for 47th with a 76, and freshman Ryan Marks, who also competed in the U.S. Amateur, is in a 62nd-place tie after holing a 79.

Hankins said he was satisfied with the Hawkeyes’ position after day one.

“This is a three-round tournament, and our guys know they can’t get excited about a good round or a bad round,” Hankins said. “We will just try to get better each day and finish strong.”