March 17, 2010
THIS WEEK — The University of Iowa men’s golf team will travel to Marana, AZ, to compete in the Callaway Collegiate Match-Play March 21-23. The tournament is being directed by the Golf Coaches Association of America and will be played on Dove Mountain at the Ritz Carlton.
THE FIELD — Competing along side Iowa will be USC, UCLA, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Stanford, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado State, Washington, Indiana, San Diego and UNLV.
HEAD COACH Mark Hankins — Hankins is in his third year as Iowa’s head men’s golf coach after spending seven years as the head coach at Michigan State University. Under Hankins, the Black and Gold won their first tournament title (2008 Landfall Tradition) since 2004 and placed sixth in the 2009 Big Ten Championships, their best finish in eight years. Iowa then made its first NCAA Regionals and NCAA Championships appearance since 1995. The Hawkeyes advanced through regional play a year ago and placed 17th in the nation at the NCAA Championships. Additionally, the Hawkeyes have improved their Golfweek ranking from 155th to now 36th with Hankins at the helm. He is a native of Mt. Pleasant, IA, and a graduate of Iowa State.
QUOTING COACH HANKINS — “Matchplay tournament experience is important since the NCAA Championships started using this format in the past year. The Callaway Matchplay, along with the Big Ten Matchplay, gives us head-to-head competition with the best teams in the country.”
BIG TEN COMPETITION — The second Golf World/Nike Golf Coaches Poll of the spring season has been released and Iowa is among just three Big Ten schools in the discussion. Illinois ranked 12th in the poll while Iowa and Michigan are beginning to receive votes.
LOOKING AHEAD — The No. 41 Hawkeyes will continue their season March 26 when they travel to the Spring Break Invitational. The three-day competition will be held in Boca Raton, FL.