After a successful alumni tournament, the Missouri Southern golf team was back on the road last week, competing in the Missouri Western Invite in St. Joseph.

The team tied for fifth place among 20 teams, a feat that may help their standing for regional competition later in the season. Senior Ryan Buerk paced the Lions with an overall score of 221 over two days of golf.

“Ryan had a really good round, the second round 67,” Head Coach Mike Wheeler said. “Andy Hogenmiller had a good round the last round with an even par 71 on a windy Tuesday.”

Every team in the tournament was in the same region as the Lions, meaning their finish will  improve their chances of making the regional tournament in May.

Buerk’s overall finish was good enough to land him at 11th place, while Hogenmiller wound up at no. 21 after shooting an 11-over 224.

Not one of the teams in the tournament finished under par. Central Oklahoma won the event shooting 8-over as a team for the tournament.

“If we’d have, instead of 306, shot a 295 that third round, we’d have finished second or third, so we just need to finish one off,” Wheeler said.

Psychology is a big piece of golf, and that’s what Wheeler will be working on with his players as the head into the season break.

“Their perspective has to be that it’s 54 holes or 36 holes, not 18, 18, 18,” Wheeler said.

To keep the team on track and maybe keep their heads in the game, Wheeler will be working with the players through regular practice, sports psychology reading assignments and even yoga to help raise their flexibility.

The team is off from now until March, when they’ll travel to Arkansas for the David Falconer Memorial Classic.