As the Arizona men’s golf team stepped onto the freshly cut course at Barona Creek Golf Course in Lakeland, Calif. to compete in the Barona Cup early last week, the team had one common goal on its minds: winning of course.

In a season that has been up-and-down the entire way, the Wildcats now stand just short of the playoff race as they finished with a team total of 5-over-par to take eighth place in the twelve-team tournament.

“”We had an up and down tournament,”” said UA assistant coach John Knauer.

That has been the story of the Wildcat’s season, playing well enough to be considered a top team in some tournaments and missing opportunities in others. With a record slightly below .500, the Wildcats currently sit right outside of the playoffs.

The Wildcats were hoping for a big finish, but with many adjustments made to the lineup before the tournament, it was unpredictable as to how the team would perform.

Senior Creighton Honeck had a solid tournament for the Wildcats, posting a 5-under-par and finished tied for eighth individually. Freshman Tarquin MacManus finished 1-under-par to tie for 17th place while junior Tyler Neal tied for 32nd with a 4-over par outing.

Senior Trey Denton, who was inserted into the lineup for the first time this year after freshman Jonathan Khan was scratched due to back problems, finished with a seven-over-par to tie for 42nd place. Freshman Andrew Kelly also competed in his first tournament of the year, finishing at 26-over-par to take 59th place.

“”We just couldn’t get a fourth scorer,”” said Knauer. “”Other guys needed to step it up.””