TOLEDO, Ohio — LMU closed out the Inverness Intercollegiate in ninth place, carding a 21-over 873 over three rounds at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio. Noah Peens paced the Lions with a tie for 14th, closing at 4 over with back-to-back even-par rounds to finish the week. LMU posted rounds of 296 (plus-12), 287 (plus-3) and 290 (plus-6).

"This week was a tough test," head coach Jason D'Amore said. "The golf course was challenging and it was a very competitive field. Our guys handled themselves well. In events like this, it's the smallest of margins that separate everyone. We hung in there and had a respectable finish. I'm excited for this team and it's clear we have some guys who can play."

ROUND 1 (Sept. 13)
The Lions opened at 12 over as a team. Jonathan Oakes led LMU with a 1-over 72, followed by Nateesh Anatha Ganesh at 2-over 73, Peens at 4-over 75, Daniel Bullen at 5-over 76 and Ethan Hoffmann at 6-over 77.

ROUND 2 (Sept. 14)
LMU shaved nine strokes off its opening round, posting a 3-over 287, the low team round of the tournament for the Lions. Hoffmann carded a 2-under 69, the best individual round by an LMU golfer all week, and Peens added an even-par 71. Oakes shot 1-over 72, Bullen carded 4-over 75 and Ganesh shot 5-over 76.

ROUND 3 (Sept. 15)
The Lions closed with a 6-over 290. Peens and Bullen each fired even-par 71s, Ganesh shot 2-over 73, Hoffmann carded 4-over 75 and Oakes finished at 6-over 77.

D'Amore pointed to the setup as one of the toughest the Lions will face this season.

"Inverness is championship golf," D'Amore said. "The wind kicked up a few times this week making it challenging. Some of the flags we saw this week were about as tough as you can get in a course setup. We were disciplined all week and stuck to our game plan. The guys overall handled the challenging setup well."

FINAL INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
T14 | Noah Peens, 4 over (75-71-71, 217)
T36 | Ethan Hoffmann, 8 over (77-69-75, 221)
T36 | Jonathan Oakes, 8 over (72-72-77, 221)
T45 | Daniel Bullen, 9 over (76-75-71, 222)
T45 | Nateesh Anatha Ganesh, 9 over (73-76-73, 222)

PLAYER NOTES

• Peens tied for 14th at 4 over in his first collegiate outing, closing with rounds of even-par 71 in each of the final two rounds.
• Hoffmann tied for 36th at 8 over and turned in the low round of the week for LMU, a 2-under 69 in Round 2.
• Oakes tied for 36th at 8 over, opening with back-to-back 1-over rounds before a 6-over finish.
• Bullen tied for 45th at 9 over, closing with an even-par 71 in the final round.
• Ganesh tied for 45th at 9 over and finished 2-under on par-3s for the tournament, tied for the best mark in the field.

TEAM NOTES

• As a team, the Lions averaged 2.96 on par-3s, the best mark on those holes in the tournament.
• LMU posted the fourth-best team score on par-5s.
• Bullen and Ganesh each finished 2-under on par-3s for the week, tied for the best individual mark in the field.
• Hoffmann made 40 pars over the three rounds, the second most in the tournament.

Looking ahead, D'Amore said the finish gives the Lions a foundation to build on.

"Our finish sets in a nice baseline for who we are," D'Amore said. "Not everyone had their best this week and we were still able to hang in there. This might be the toughest setup we see all year, so hopefully many more birdies moving forward."

LMU returns to action at the Trinity Forest Invitational, hosted by the SMU, beginning Sunday, Oct. 4, at Trinity Forest GC in Dallas.