Toughness isn't a term that is often associated with the sport of golf. But with its performance this weekend, the Penn State men's golf team may have challenged that preconception.

The Lions scored a combined 606 to capture third place at the Kepler Invitational Tournament in Columbus, Ohio, on Sunday. Wintry conditions were the biggest obstacle for the team with temperatures not exceeding the mid-30s and high winds and rain throughout the weekend.

Penn State head coach Greg Nye was impressed with the team's performance despite the harsh weather.

"The weather affected everyone out there," Nye said. "Being outside for as many hours as we were with exposed hands really shows the toughness of being a collegiate golfer. We showed great perseverance and we were well prepared. I was extremely pleased."

Play was limited to two rounds instead of the normal three because of rain. The first and half of the second rounds were completed on Saturday, while the remainder of the holes was finished early Sunday morning. The Lions managed to jump to third place form from a tie for 5th between rounds and finished behind only Louisville and Michigan State, ranked 20th and 30th, respectively.

Penn State junior Robert Rohanna finished 3rd individually in the tournament. This is following a first-place finish at the Marshall Intercollegiate last week that earned him the Big Ten's Co-Golfer of the Week honors by Golfweek. Rohanna was pleased with his performance.

"I felt like I played well out there," said Rohanna. "I struck the ball solid both days. My goal was to go out and shoot a 75 or lower, which I did, so I'm pretty happy about it."

He finished with a four-over par 146 for the tournament, an average of 73 per round.

Nye was eager to praise Rohanna for his stellar play as well.

"He has just been outstanding lately," said Nye. "He just continues to impress with his brilliant play. The team really enjoys his performance and they're always pulling for him."

One of the bigger signs of how the weather affected the tournament could be seen in the scores of the Penn State golfers. Freshman Kevin Foley finished tied for 11th with a nine-over par 151. Junior Harvin Groft finished with tied for 14th with a 10-over par 152. Sophomore Chad Bricker and Frehman Jim Markovitz both tied for 53rd with a 19-over par 161.

In comparison, the scores of the previous tournament, played in favorable conditions, were much lower. Foley shot a 138, Groft shot a 146, Bricker shot a 151, while Markovitz ended with a 148. These were 14, six, 10, and 13 strokes worse, respectively.

Foley's second round was actually more strokes than the first, but as a testament to conditions, he moved up 15 positions from 26th overall to 11th between the two rounds.

This tournament served as preparation for the Big Ten championships in two weeks, which will be played on the same course in Columbus.

The team hopes that playing the course already may have lent an advantage.

"It was a confidence builder," said Rohanna. "Now we know we can go out on that course and compete with other good teams."