FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The South Dakota men's golf team finished in third place at the Ram Masters Invitational hosted by Colorado State concluding Tuesday at Fort Collins Country Club. The Coyotes tallied 854 shots over the three rounds to finish four shots out of second place.
 
"I am proud of the team," head coach John Vining said. "The guys came prepared for the golf course and adjusted to the elevation really well. We fought hard all week on a difficult course. A top-three finish in this field is great.
 
"We made big improvements as a team from our first event. These guys are eager to continue to improve and it is great to be around."
 
Sophomore Tate Arends made one of the biggest moves on the leaderboard in the entire field, jumping 18 positions to tie for ninth place with 211 strokes. Arends utilized seven birdies over the final 18 holes to shoot a 2-under-par 68. He ended the event with the third-most birdies in the field with 13, while marking a tie for the most eagles with two.
 
Senior Tommy Vining closed the tournament with a 1-over-par 71 and totaled 213 strokes to place in a tie for 15^th. Junior Matt Tolan earned a tie for 22^nd position collecting 214 strokes over the three rounds. Tolan shot a 3-over-par 73 through the final tour of the course and matched Arends with two eagles at the event.
 
The final two point scorers for USD were sophomore Jacob Michel and freshman Ben Hicks. Michel placed in a tie for 47^th with 220 strokes while Hicks placed in a tie for 58^th with 222 strokes.
 
Host Colorado State won the event, totaling 836 strokes at 4-under-par. Illinois State placed second with 850 strokes, just four shots ahead of the Coyotes in the field of 17 teams and 96 players. Dan Starzinski of Wyoming won individual medalist honors with scores of 67-66-66 for 199 strokes at 11-under-par.
 
The Coyotes return to action October 1-2 at the Zach Johnson Invitational hosted by Drake.