Despite adverse weather and poor course conditions, the men's golf team finished fifth in the Woodyard-Hungarland Intercollegiate Tournament Thursday and Friday in Huntington, Texas.

Sam Houston State, the tournament's host, won the event with a 596 two-round score. Penn State shot 313-299 for a total of 612, only four strokes short of second place.

"We scored well for as early as it is," Coach Mary Kennedy said.

Thunder and lightning, along with a downpour of rain, forced Wednesday's practice round to be shortened. The Lions had hoped to spend some time on the course at Elkins Lake Country Club due to their lack of play on the Bermuda grass in Texas. Only senior Kyle Ross had previous experience on the course.

However, the team benefited from considerable practice time on courses in Houston throughout the week.

"We played some of the finest courses to get our game back in groove," Kennedy said.

"The difficulty of these courses made the one we competed on seem shorter," William Smith added.

Once again, it poured on Thursday for the opening round. The Lions completed only nine holes before the day's action was postponed.

"The wet Bermuda grass makes it a whole different ball game. The greens started out puttable, but soon there was standing water," Kennedy said.

Kennedy added that the situation posed a disadvantage for her team because the schools that started earlier did not have to deal with the adverse conditions.

"We had not played in those conditions; it was tough to play golf," Smith said.

Ross also thought the conditions were unfair. He added that the course was not suitable for competitive golf. The casual water made the putting game difficult.

"Tournaments are won on the green, the most successful putters will win the tournaments," Kennedy said.

Due to the postponement, the Lions had to complete the back nine at 7 Friday morning and play the second round in the afternoon. The Lions were tied for fifth after the first round.

Smith, Ross, and Dan Vonna each shot a 152 for the tournament. Freshman Matt Shiley recorded 156 for the two rounds.

After a disappointing first round, Ross shot a team low 72 in the second round. His experience on the course was an asset to the team in dealing with the course conditions.

"His leadership was well-taken by the guys in painting a better picture of holes we had not seen," Kennedy said.

Smith had some early penalties in his first-round 79, but rallied with a 73 on Friday. Vonna was the Lions most consistent player, shooting 77-75 for the two rounds.