In the aftermath of Tiger Wood’s remarkable comeback that inspired the golf and sports world, the UNI men’s golf team finished in sixth place at the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Championship, which was held on on April 22-23.

The championship took place in the heart of the Lake of the Ozarks at The Club at Porto Cima in Sunrise Beach, Mo. 

Porto Cima roughly translates to “Hillside by the Harbor,” a name aptly describing the lay out of the course.

The course also happened to be designed by Jack Nicklaus according to portocima.com. Nicklaus is the all-time leader in major championships in golf.

Playing on a highly regarded course, the Panthers exceeded expectations as they were predicted to finish last in ninth place by a poll of MVC head coaches.

The top performer for the purple and gold was freshman Tommy Doyle, finishing in 14th place with a total of 225. Parker Oleson finished just two strokes behind Doyle, marking a total of 227.

The Southern Illinois Salukis took home the title with a total of 859 as a team. UNI tallied a total of 918, just 16 strokes behind Valparaiso’s total of 902 for a fifth-place finish.

The UNI golf team finished the season with a second-place finish at the UNI Men’s Invitational, a fifth-place finish at the Beu Mussatto Invitational and a final sixth-place finish.

UNI will have the entire roster returning in the fall, except that of senior Dominic Schnepf.