March 22, 2010
MARANA, AZ – The University of Iowa men’s golf team will challenge UNLV for fifth place after going 1-1 in day two of the Callaway Match-Play Championship in Marana, AZ. The Hawkeyes fell to Colorado State 3-2 in the morning round before upsetting the tournament’s top seed and the nation’s No. 2 team, Stanford, in a convincing 3.5-1.5 decision.
Iowa went into the day with three holes remaining in its match-up to Colorado State. Sophomore Chris Brant had already finished his individual match with a 6 & 5 loss before darkness came Sunday. Sophomore Brad George was unable to draw closer to CSU’s Zahkai Brown and lost his match 3 & 2.
The Black & Gold were down 2-0 early, but sophomore Barrett Kelpin brought the team score within one after a 1-up individual victory. CSU’s Bryce Hanstad clinched the team match with a 2 & 1 win over junior Vince India before junior Brad Hopfinger defeated Riley Arp 2 & 1.
The 3-2 loss sent Iowa to take on Stanford, previously upset by eighth-seeded Southern California. The Cardinal struck first after George dropped an individual match 3 & 2. Brant then halved his match to give each team a half-point apiece.
Kelpin began the Hawkeye run with a 3 & 1 win before India and Hopfinger each beat a top-100 opponent in commanding fashion. India beat Golfweek’s No. 67 collegiate golfer Steve Ziegler 3 & 2 before Hopfinger bested No. 4 Sihwan Kim 6 & 5. Both student-athletes took the lead on the first hole and never looked back.
<“Our top three guys are asked to play our opponents’ top three athletes and they’ve been up to the task the last couple weeks,” said Head Coach Mark Hankins. “We’ve become a much tougher team and the success we had in today’s difficult conditions was a testament to our mental toughness. We got off to a good start this afternoon and played solid for the entire 18.”br>
Iowa will take on No. 11 UNLV Tuesday morning. The Rebels are seeded sixth in the tournament and have wins over Middle Tennessee and San Diego. You can follow the action live at golfstatresults.com.
“The guys understand that each individual match is an opportunity for either a win or a loss,” added Hankins. “If each athlete focuses on getting his individual win, the team win will come on its own.”
(12) Colorado State def. (13) Iowa, 3-2
Brad Hopfinger, Iowa def. Riley Arp, Colorado State, 2 and 1
Bryce Hanstad, Colorado State def. Vince India, Iowa leads, 2 and 1
Barrett Kelpin, Iowa def. Ryan Peterson, Colorado State, 1-up
Dustin Morris, Colorado State def. Chris Brant, Iowa, 6 and 5
Zahkai Brown, Colorado State def. Bradley George, Iowa, 3 and 2
(13) Iowa def. (1) Stanford, 3.5-1.5
Brad Hopfinger, Iowa def. Sihwan Kim, Stanford, 6 and 5
Vince India, Iowa def. Steve Ziegler, Stanford, 3 and 2
Barrett Kelpin, Iowa def. Andrew DeDecker, Stanford, 3 and 1
Joseph Bramlett, Stanford halved Chris Brant, Iowa
Steven Kearney, Stanford def. Bradley George, Iowa, 3 and 2