In golf tournament play, it’s about the finishing rounds, not the starting rounds.

After finishing fourth in the first round, the Iowa men’s golf team faltered down the stretch in rounds two and three at the Schenkel Invitational in Statesboro, Georgia. The team concluded the March 18-20 event in 12th, posting a score of 856 (minus-8).

Vanderbilt captured the team title after a third-round 269 (minus-19) moved it from third to first. The Commodores were led by tournament medalist Will Gordon, who carded a three-round 203. Wake Forest finished second, and Kentucky took third.

The Hawkeyes were led by juniors Raymond Knoll and Carson Schaake, who tied for 37th after they finished at 214 (minus-2). After the first round, both were tied for 27th, but after the hot start, they failed to move up the leaderboard.

Knoll and Schaake’s 37th-place finish is still impressive, because the tournament field included eight teams ranked in the top 50 of the GolfWeek/Sagarin rankings.

Throughout the tournament, Knoll showed consistency that most golfers dream of, posting rounds of 70, 73, and 71. Schaake carded his best 18-hole score of the weekend and Iowa’s lowest round of the day in the third round. Schaake matched Knoll’s consistency making a par or better on 15 holes, including 7 birdies, on his way to a 2-under 68.

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Hawkeye Nate Yankovich wasn’t able to maintain the same stability. He posted a first round total of 66, good for second place on the first day.

Unfortunately, Yankovich struggled in the second round with 76, dropping him to 30th. And on the final day, the mistakes continued for the senior, he posted a 74. Yankovich’s frustrating tournament concluded with a tie for 47th.

After an individual top-10 finish at the March 1 Southwestern Jones Invitational, Yankovich will try to get his season back on track.

One Hawkeye who has been on the money this spring season is Matthew Walker. He joined Yankovich in carding a 74 in the final round, and the freshman totaled 219 for the tournament and finished 57th.

Sophomore Sam Meuret finished 1 stroke behind Walker to tie for 61st. Meuret’s performance was his first stroke-play event of the spring season, and he finished at 220.

Rounding out the competition was freshman Aaron DeNucci, who finished the weekend with a three-round 222. His tournament total was his best 54-hole score of the season, good for 66th.

The Hawkeyes will return to action on April 2-3 for the Thunderbird Invitational in Tempe, Arizona.