LAKE CITY, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University and Carleton men's golf teams squared off for a match Saturday afternoon at The Jewel.

But this wasn't any ordinary match — not by a long shot.

Rather than a traditional “dual,” in which the two teams would take the four best 18-hole scores to determine the winner, the Cardinals and Knights squared off in a Ryder Cup-style match, with eight players from each school squaring off for individual competition in which three points were awarded for each match — a point for winning the majority of the front nine holes; a point for winning the majority of the back nine holes; and a point for total holes won over the 18. In the case of a tie a half point went to each team.

It was the first such competition for SMU coach Jeff Stangl and his entire SMU team — but definitely not the last.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Stangl, whose Cardinals came out on the short end of a 20-4 decision when play ended Saturday. “Our guys had never played in a competition like this and admitted that it takes a completely different mindset than medal play.”

Carleton's Hal Baseman blanked SMU's Tony Hynes (Lino Lakes, Minn.) at No. 1, 3-0, while Rob Klein (Lake Bluff, Ill.) and the Knights' Brian Gillmore tied 1 ½-1 ½ at No. 2.

Trent Wells posted Carleton's second sweep with a 3-0 win over Keith Fahrforth (Winfield, Ill.) at No. 3, while SMU's Ryan Brodd (Woodbury, Minn.) and #D.J. Borgen# (Red Wing, Minn.) each picked up a point in 2-1 losses at No. 4 and No. 5. Zack Cizek (St. Paul, Minn.) accounted for the Cardinals' other half point, falling 2 ½-1/2 at No. 7.

 “The match was really a lot closer than the final score might indicate,” said Stangl. “Most of the matches were close, stretching into the final few holes before a winner was determined.

“It was a new experience for most of these guys and it was a lot of fun.”