Steven Ihm is entering his second season as volunteer assistant men’s golf coach at the University of Iowa. Ihm is part of a staff under head coach Tyler Stith that has led the Hawkeyes to the top four of the Big Ten Championships five times, advanced to five NCAA Regionals, and totaled three or more top-three tournament finishes in six of nine seasons. Three of Iowa’s five Big Ten medalist performances have been won with Coach Stith at the helm.
In 2023, Ihm helped direct the Hawkeyes to two team championships at the Iowa Fall Classic and the Hawkeye Invitational. Senior Mac McClear was medalist in each of those outings, as well as at the Big Ten Championships, becoming Iowa’s first two-time Big Ten Champion as well as the winningest Hawkeye since 1976 with five collegiate victories. The Hawkeyes tied for fifth as a team at the Big Ten Championships, which were cut short to just 36 holes due to weather concerns during the third round.
Iowa won its 17th team championship at the Hawkeye Invitational in the event’s 29-season history. Other notable outings included a tie for fourth place at the Wake Forest Invitational, where McClear tied for second and senior Ronan Kleu tied for ninth in a loaded field of competition at Pinehurst No. 2. The Hawkeyes also hosted the Calusa Cup, one of the premier events of the 2022 regular season; Iowa welcomed eight ranked programs, including four of the Golfstat top-five ranked teams, to Calusa Pines Golf Club.
McClear advanced as an individual to the NCAA Regional competition in Las Vegas. He earned All-Big Ten Second Team recognition, the third conference postseason honor of his historic Hawkeye career. In the classroom, Iowa was recognized for posting the top Spring and Fall team GPA of 2022 among Hawkeye men’s athletics programs.
An alumnus of the University of Iowa, Ihm was the first Hawkeye in program history to earn all-conference honors on three occasions, including consecutive first-team All-Big Ten selections in his final two seasons.
In three seasons at Iowa, Ihm’s teams qualified for NCAA Regionals each year and placed 22nd at the NCAA Championships in 2012. Ihm was a four-time medalist as a Hawkeye, finishing atop the leaderboard at both the Hawkeye Invitational and Boilermaker Invitational in 2013 and 2014. He was also the low Hawkeye finisher at the Big Ten Championships each of those seasons, as the team placed third in back-to-back years. His personal-best 18-hole round of 64 ties for third in the Iowa record books.
Ihm made his PGA Tour Debut via sponsor’s exemption at the 2013 John Deere Classic and has since played on the PGA Tour Latin America, the Korn Ferry Tour, and the Forme Tour. In 2018 he finished second at the Utah Championship and tied for third at the Price Cutter Charity Championship, marking his two best finishes on the Korn Ferry Tour. Ihm has competed at the John Deere Classic on three occasions, including a 27th-place finish in 2014.