April 7, 2009
THIS WEEK — The University of Iowa men’s golf team will travel to Columbus, OH, to compete in the 40th annual Robert Kepler Invitational hosted by Ohio State University. 36 holes of golf will begin 8:30 a.m. Saturday, followed by the final round Sunday. Fans can follow the tournament action at www.golfstatresults.com.
THE COURSE — The tournament will be held on the Scarlet Course at the Ohio State University Golf Club. The 7455-yard par 71 was redesigned by the Jack Nicklaus Design firm in 2006. The ceremonial first round was played by Jack, his son, Gary, and two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin, who are all Ohio State graduates.
THE COMPETITION — The 14-team field Iowa will be competing in includes East Tennessee State, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Marshall, Middle Tennessee State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Temple, Wisconsin and Tennessee Chattanooga.
THIS WEEK’S LINEUP — 1. Cole Peevler Sr. Keokuk, IA (Keokuk) 2. Vince India So. Deerfield, IL (Deerfield) 3. Brad Hopfinger So. Lake Forest, IL (Lake Forest) 4. Brad George Fr. Marion, IA (Linn-Mar) -The fifth spot in the lineup will be decided after practice Tuesday afternoon.
LAST MEET — Last weekend, the Hawkeyes placed eighth of 14 teams at the Spring Break Championship in Delray Beach, FL. The Hawkeyes saw five of this week’s 13 teams in Delray Beach including Eastern Michigan, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Wisconsin. Iowa, finishing with a score of 884 (+32), was led by senior Cole Peevler who carded a 54-hole score of 218 (+5) to finish tied for 14th.
HEAD COACH Mark Hankins — Hankins is in his second year as Iowa’s head men’s golf coach. He was named Big Ten Coach of the Year, at Michigan State, in 2005 and 2007. He led the Spartans to Big Ten Championships those years. Hankins also led the Spartans to five NCAA tournament appearances in his seven years as head coach. He is a native of Mt. Pleasant, IA, and a graduate of Iowa State University.
QUOTING COACH HANKINS — “We haven’t put it all together yet this spring. When we do these guys are really tough and we will compete for championships.”