May 4, 2009
IOWA CITY, IA – The University of Iowa men’s golf team was selected Monday afternoon, to compete in regional competition in Sorrento, FL. Teams were selected to join one of six regional sites, with 13-14 teams competing at each site, May 14-16.
This marks the third time in school history that Iowa has been selected for NCAA regional play. The last time the Hawkeyes were selected was 1995, with their regional debut in 1960.
Competition will be co-hosted by Central Florida and the Central Florida Sports Commission at the Red Tail Golf Club in Sorrento, FL. Red Tail features 7,152 yards from the longest tees for a par 72. The course was designed by David S. Harman and opened in 2004.
In order of their respective seedings, the Central Florida Regional will consist of Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina, Central Florida, Florida State, Arizona, Augusta State, Kentucky, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Iowa, Charlotte, Campbell and Loyola (MD).
“Since we’ve played two tournaments in Florida this spring, we feel pretty comfortable being selected to the Central Florida Regional,” said Head Coach Mark Hankins. “We will prepare for this tournament just as have we the entire spring.”
Coach Hankins also commented on the depth of the Big Ten Conference, as nine of the 11 teams were selected to join regional play.
“It’s an honor to be part of such a strong conference,” said Hankins. “We are looking forward to competing against the best teams in the country and representing the Big Ten.”
The top five teams and top individual, not on a qualifying team, in each region advances to the NCAA Championships, held at the Inverness Club in Toledo, OH. Inverness has hosted four U.S. Opens, two PGA Championships, a U.S. Amateur Championship and a U.S. Senior Open.