Sometimes, the only thing keeping a team from success is itself.

The Penn State men's golf team had been a classic example of this, as last year was marked by underwhelming performances, despite a roster full of talented golfers. The Nittany Lions couldn't seem to put it all together over the course of an entire tournament, leading to a string of disappointing finishes.

When the 2006 season began, it looked to be more of the same, as Penn State finished 11th at the Wolverine Invitational in Ann Arbor back in September. However, after earning a share of the championship at last week's VCU/Mattaponi Springs Shootout in Ruther Glen, Va., the team may have found the spark it needs to ignite a turnaround for the new campaign.

If the Lions are to use this victory as the launching point to a successful year, they will need to capitalize on the momentum and experience they gained from last week's showing.

The upcoming Alister Mackenzie Invitational, to be held in Fairfax, Ca., should be a good indicator of whether Penn State is for real, or if its recent win was just an aberration.

The golfers' attitudes in the days leading up to the tournament indicate that they plan on sticking around at the top for quite some time.

"We're going to work on all aspects of our golf game so we can go out to California and show them how it's done," freshman Kevin Foley said.

That confidence may be exactly what the team has been missing. That a freshman entering his third college tournament is showing that kind of bravado really speaks volumes about the way this team is coming together.

In the past, Penn State lacked the ability to finish strong. They would frequently play themselves out of contention when things weren't going well. Now, head coach Greg Nye sees a very different team on the course.

"I think that we did better playing through some of the adversity in every one of the rounds," Nye said. "Composure was something that we addressed."

Another positive for the golfers was the contribution from every team member. Last year, as Robert Rohanna went, so went the Lions. At the VCU/Mattaponi Springs Shootout, Rohanna carded the third best score, while Foley and sophomore Chad Bricker led the way.

Rohanna is glad that some of the burden on him has been lifted, but he is still showing the drive to be the best.

Afterward, he even voiced displeasure at himself for not lifting the team to an outright first-place finish last week.

"[Having to share the championship] was big for me personally because I feel that we were capable of winning the tournament and we didn't," Rohanna said.

If the rest of the Lions share his desire for victory and play like they did last week, this season should be an improvement.

Their performance at the Alister Mackenzie Invitational will reveal a lot about this team, though. If Penn State doesn't continue to improve, it could slip back into its old form. If the golfers stay hot throughout the season, they could be in for quite a run.