March 23, 2010
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MARANA, AZ – The University of Iowa men’s golf team finished the Callaway Match-Play Championship in fifth place after another upset, this time against sixth-seeded UNLV. After besting fourth-seeded Arizona State and first-seeded Stanford, respectively ranked No. 14 and No. 2 in collegiate rankings, the Hawkeyes topped the No. 11 Rebels 3-2.
UNLV struck first with a win from Jeremiah Wooding. He beat sophomore Brad George 2 & 1. The Hawkeyes responded with wins from sophomores Chris Brant and Barrett Kelpin, as well as junior Vince India. Brant picked up an impressive 4 & 3 win while Kelpin and India where both victorious with 2-up decisions. Hopfinger was handed his first loss of the tourney in the form of a 4 & 3 defeat from Golfweek’s No. 26 collegiate golfer, Derek Ernst.
“Today was the opposite of yesterday,” said Head Coach Mark Hankins. “We got down early and fought hard to turn the momentum. Once again, we were tough down the stretch and it was enough for the team win.”
The Hawkeyes finished the tournament 3-1 as they crushed their 13th-seed expectations to finish fifth. Kelpin finished with a perfect 4-0 record while Hopfinger and India went 3-1. New Mexico won the title while Southern California and Colorado State rounded out the top three.
The Black and Gold will return to action March 26-28 when they travel to the Spring Break Championships. This year’s sixteen-team field includes ten of the nation’s top 100 NCAA Division I collegiate teams and four past national champions. Florida Atlantic will host the tournament at Gleneagles Country Club in Delray Beach, FL.
Three 18-hole rounds will be played on the pristine Legends Course. Designed by Karl Litten in 1985, the course offers 6,723 yards of Bermuda grass for a par 72. It is one of two challenging courses at Gleneagles Country Club.
The No. 41 Hawkeyes will look to improve on their eighth place finish from a year ago. Illinois won the event by 14 strokes over Michigan. Live tournament scoring will be provided on golfstatresults.com.