Even with perfect conditions, golf can be one of the toughest sports to play. Add 35-mph winds to an already difficult course, and posting low scores suddenly becomes an arduous task.

The Grand Valley State University men’s golf team struggled to find their rhythm in the fourth Great Lakes Regional at Purgatory Golf Course, taking home an eighth-place finish with a weekend total of 621 (45).

“It’s a tough golf course without wind, it’s pretty long and it was playing really firm and the wind was blowing a solid 30 to 35 mph,” said senior Travis Shooks, who finished in a tie for sixth place with a score of 151 (7). “You just had to play the wind on every shot and it would wear you down. It was hard to hit the ball close to the hole.”

Senior Nick Gunthrope finished in a tie for 12th after he shot a 153 (9). Sophomore Chris Cunningham posted a total of 159 (15) and sophomore Jack Rider finished with a score of 162 (18). Rounding out the scoring for the Lakers was junior Chase Olsen, who shot a 166 (22).

“We are a little disappointed with finishing where we did,” said head coach Don Underwood. “We had a couple bright spots and Nick and Travis played well. The rest of the group didn’t really play as well as I’m sure they’d hope to.”

A silver lining for the Lakers is how this type of adversity may help them down the line. Facing these types of conditions will help prepare the Lakers for the rest of their season.

“It shows you how you can overcome adversity,” Gunthorpe said. “Sometimes when it’s so windy, it’s all about grinding it out and that will help in postseason play and other competitions, when you have to dig deep down and come out with a low score.”

Even with the conditions, Underwood would still like to see his team place higher in the standings. The Lakers finished 14 strokes off of the tournament winner Tiffin University, who managed to shoot a 607 (31).

“We need to get all five of these guys finishing up in a more respectable spot in the field,” Underwood said. “Everyone’s playing out there in the same conditions. We’re down there to compete against other kids and that’s what we need to measure ourselves against.”

The Lakers have struggled to find the success that they had in the fall. GVSU finished the fall season winning the GLIAC Championships, and the Outback Steakhouse Invitational to close out the fall season. Coach Underwood hinted to some possible changes that could be coming to the lineup.

“We may make some changes this week and see if we give someone else an opportunity to see how they do,” he said. “It’s one thing we’ll consider this week, and then the other part is that we just need to keep working hard and preparing. These guys have talent, they’re good players, and they just need to keep doing what they’re doing and need to start performing better. They’ve done it in the past, and I know they’re capable of it.”

The Lakers golf team will next be in action Friday for the Detroit Titans Invitational.

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