Competing in the Zach Johnson Invitational in Des Moines, the Panther men’s golf team took a ninth-place finish with a score of 911 overall and 59 over par for the tournament. 

“There’s no question, we have to be more consistent,” head coach John Bermel said.

“We’ve got seven or eight kids that all can travel, so it’s going to be really exciting to qualify just to travel. The consistency has to be there, because if you’re going to travel, you have to consistently be up there.”

Named after two-time major tournament champion and Iowa native Zach Johnson, the 54-hole event was hosted by Johnson’s alma mater, Drake University, at the Glen Oaks Country Club in West Des Moines.

Senior Sam Sacquitne led in individual score for Northern Iowa, carding a 222 for the four rounds. Coach Bermel has a lot of confidence in his upperclassmen to be leaders.

“Sam [Sacquitne] is a senior, so he’s obviously going to be huge for this team because he knows exactly what we expect and what we’re trying to get to,” Bermel said.

Teammate Griffin Parker tied Sacquitne for ninth place, followed by Tommy Doyle, who scored a 231 to tie for 34th place.

Loyola-Chicago took home the first-place finish with a score of 888, and Valparaiso golfer Garrett Wills won the individual carding with a score of 215.

Up next for the Panther men is a trip to Jonesboro, Arkansas for the Bubba Barnett Intercollegiate Tournament hosted by Arkansas State University from Oct. 13-15.