MONTGOMERY, Texas - The University of the Incarnate Word men's golf team finished tied for fifth out of 14 teams at the Bentwater Intercollegiate played at Bentwater CC and hosted by Sam Houston State. The Cardinals posted a team score of 873 (+21).
 
UIW was paced by Joel Talusen who shot 216 (+3) and finished tied for 15th in the individual standings while completing every round at +2 or better. Francisco Taboada followed close behind with a 217 (+4) in a tie for 18th. The senior shot even par in both the second and third rounds. 
 
Rhys Nicholas was third among the Cardinals and tied for 27th overall at 219 (+6). He had UIW's only under-par round of the event with a 70 (-1) in the third, tying for seventh place in the round. The Cardinals placed three of their competitors in the top half of the 81-man individual field.
 
UIW found itself in a tie for 13th place after the first round with a 298 (+14), but rebounded dramatically. The Cardinals shot 289 (+5) in the second round, which tied for sixth, and dropped to 286 (+2) in the third round, tied for fifth, which made up for a shaky beginning and allowed them to tie for fifth overall.
 
UIW managed 157 pars throughout the tournament, which tied for the most of any team. It converted the fifth most birdies with 43. The Cardinals were strong on par fives, shooting -9 with an average of 4.85. 
 
Individually, Taulsen was even on par threes, which tied for the third-best mark of the tournament. Nicholas found himself in a tie for eighth at +1. Taboada, meanwhile, paced the field with a -4 on par fours. Taulsen led all players with 39 total pars and Taboada came second with 13 birdies.
 
UIW is back in action when it travels to San Antonio, Texas for the Lone Star Shootout hosted by UTSA on Feb. 23-24.