FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Sam Johnson finished one-under to tie for seventh-place and lead Idaho to a seventh-place finish at the Ram Masters Invitational hosted by Colorado State at the Fort Collins Country Club.
 
Johnson scored a two-under 68 in round one, including five birdies on the front nine. He notched a second-round 72 before closing out with a one-under 69.
 
Head coach David Nuhn was impressed with his sophomore. Johnson was known for his consistency last year, but this performance showed something else.
 
"Going to a golf course like this and never seeing it before and coming out to compete like Sam did this week is really impressive," Nuhn said. "Seventh in that field, with a few top-100 players and guys that play that course all year long, it is hard to overstate how inspiring that is to see this early in the season."
 
Joe Sykes finished two-over 212. After a slow start with a four-over 74, he scored a 68 in his second round and closed with an even-par 70.
 
"These two sophomores came to play like veterans and continue to build off of their great freshmen year," Nuhn said. "I am excited about the maturity they showed, it should pay dividends this fall for the Vandals."
 
Johannes Hounsgaard finished tied for 44th with a three-round score of 221. Dalton Dean finished tied for 56th with a score of 225 and Tommy Kimmel finished in 73rd with a score of 237.
 
The Vandals stick around in Colorado and are back in action early next week at the Air Force Gene Miranda Falcon Invite, Sunday-Tuesday, Sept. 10-12, at the Air Force Academy's Eisenhower Golf Club. The 24-team event will feature the team competition on the Blue Course and the individual competition on the Silver.
 
"There are a lot of opportunities to improve right away, especially around the greens, but I am really excited about the place we are as a team," Nuhn said. "We have a chance to right back at it this weekend and I am excited about the improvement we can make in a quick turnaround."