LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  - Austin Peay State University men's golf team fell to ninth after the final round at the UALR First Tee Classic, played at Chenal Country Club, Tuesday.

At perhaps the most inopportune time, the Govs fired the tournament's second worst round - a 324 - in the final 18 holes, slipping five spots in the final standings. Southeastern Louisiana held on to win with a three-round 887, while Sam Houston State finished second with a 900. Oral Roberts, which was the only team with a sub-300 final round, finished third at 904.

Louisiana-Monroe and Stephen F. Austin tied for fifth at 910, followed by Missouri-Kansas City at 916 and Eastern Michigan at 917. Austin Peay and Missouri State each finished at 920.

"We just weren't prepared for the course today," head coach Kirk Kayden said. "That was partly my fault. I didn't have them ready and the course played hard. You really had to be disciplined and keep your emotions in check today. We didn't control the things we could control."

Sophomore Marco Iten proved to be the Govs most consistent player through the tournament, finished t-4^th, shooting 72-74-76 for a three-round 222. Missouri State's Will Hogan won the event with a 216.

As for the rest of the Govs, it was a tournament to forget. Sophomore Anthony Bradley sandwiched a second-round 72 between a 78 and 84 to finished t-48^th. Freshman Tucker Wallace was with in 48^th after a final-round 82 . Junior Dustin Korte battled to a final-round 82 as well, his second 80+ round this season and first of the spring, to finish 59^th.  Sophomore Trey Tarpley shared his pain with a final-round 85.

"We have to learn something from this," Kayden said. "When the pins are difficult, we have to do a better job of hitting the middle of the green, taking a two putt and getting out. This is a situation where we have learn from our mistakes and move on."

After an easy-to-forget tournament like this, the Govs are more than looking forward to Arkansas State's Red Wolf Intercollegiate, an event which Austin Peay has historically played well, beginning April 2 at RidgePointe Country Club.

-AP-