GOODYEAR, AZ & OLYMPIA, WA — Saint Martin's Men's Golf headed down to Arizona to compete in the Hot Dirt Desert Shootout and The Stack Cougar-Burro Collegiate before defeating Pacific Lutheran in the South Puget Sound Cup this past weekend.

In Goodyear, the Saints would start their slate of competition with Rasmus Tamker taking the lead for the Men's roster. He would tie for 30^th individually while leading the team throughout the week, notably landing a 71 (-1) in the first round before finishing just one stroke above par. Carter Sheets tied for 40^th in two consistent days of golf while Parker Sawatzky, Christopher Gunlikson, and Davis Sheets would round out the team's effort on Friday. The team's performance would serve as a good starting point, as SMU Men's Golf would surge just two days later in TheStack Cougar-Burro Collegiate.

The second event of the week saw Tamker lead the Saints once again, tying for 35th individually and ending the event with a bang by shooting a 70 (-2) in the final round. Gavin Klein would have a good showing after not participating in Friday's contest by tying for 49^th individually, notching a productive second round to help elevate him in the standings. Head Coach Anne Bahr noted both Tamker and Klein's consistent efforts:

"Rasmus Tamker and Gavin Klein continue to play well and show they can post low numbers. Distance control in the desert can be challenging to gauge, but both of them were able to make adjustments and finish our tournament on a high note." 

Davis would make a big leap in his performance during TheStack Cougar-Burro Collegiate, placing 57^th individually in the process in one of his lowest marks of the season. His brother, Carter, would finish closely behind in 64^th place individually. Sawatzky would round out the starting lineup for SMU and help push the Saints to a 12th-place finish as a team while Gunlikson would show out in as an unattached competitor. Bahr noted that Davis's performance really stood out to end the week in Arizona:

"I'm impressed with Davis Sheets' performance in our second event. He has struggled to get a solid first round score posted this year and was finally able to break through that mental barrier and had our lowest round of the day on Sunday at Verrado. His game has shown remarkable improvement and my hope is he can build on the momentum and take it into the back half of the season."

Shortly after a successful road stint, the Saints would head home to take on the local Lutes in the rescheduled South Puget Sound Cup, where Davis would once again stand out, leading the team with a score of 72 (E) in the single round that was played. The team would show resiliency across the board, defeating PLU 299-304 to bring the Cup home and end their stretch of competition on the right note.

The Saints will be back in action on Monday, April 7th, as they tee off at RJGA Palm Valley Classic. Take a look at the rest of their schedule here.