Andy Achenbach and Rodney Dangerfield had something in common -- neither got respect, until now.

While competing last week on Monday and Tuesday at the William and Mary Kingsmill Invitational in Williamsburg, Va., Achenbach had a couple of career days in lifting the men's golf team to its first team victory this spring.

Achenbach shot a one-over par, 143 to earn his first career victory. Meanwhile, the team climbed three slots from it's fourth-place finish in the Karl Tucker Guadalajara Intercollegiate in Mexico in the spring opener the week before.

"I played as good as I could," said Achenbach. "(The team) all had faith in me."

And faith seemed to be enough for Achenbach -- that and one of Dangerfield's old movies. Achenbach admitted he didn't even know he won until other people came up to him and congratulated him.

"(Winning) was like a new thing for me," the senior said. "I felt like the guy from Caddyshack. The guys (on the team) were probably happier for me than I was."

One of "the guys" who was happy for Achenbach was fellow senior golfer Ted Wrubleski, who spoke for the entire team when he said he was proud of Achenbach.

"I was proud of us and Andy at Kingsmill," said Wrubleski, who fired a 67 in the first round in Mexico. "Dirk (Ayers) also played real well with a 68 in the first round."

Second-year Coach Greg Nye said that Wrubleski's 67 at the competition in Mexico and Ayers's 68 at Kingsmill are close to being the lowest rounds ever shot by a Penn State golfer.

But despite the low rounds by the two standouts, Penn State did struggle in its final tournament of the spring week Friday and Saturday. Weary of traveling and competing in two tournaments in six days, the golf team limped its way to the middle of a 22-team field at the Fripp Island Intercollegiate at Fripp Island, S.C.

"We played our poorest rounds of golf all year," Nye said. "Our bubble burst. We were riding a wave and we rode the wave too long."

The loss can be blamed partly on Mother Nature, who whirled 30-35 miles per hour winds on the helpless golfers.

"The winds were incredible," said Ayers, who shot a respectable 232 at the Ocean Point Golf Links.

"I've never experienced winds like that before," Achenbach said.

Despite the disappointing performance at Fripp, Nye knows how the team can bounce back for the rest of the season.

"We need to hit some shots outside and we want to work some on our course management," Nye said. "Those two are keys."