Sept. 8, 2010
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THIS WEEK — The University of Iowa men’s golf team will travel to Wayzata, MN for the sixth annual Golden Gopher Invitational, Sept. 12-13. The first and second rounds will be played consecutively on Sunday, beginning with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. (CT). Tee times for Monday’s final round will begin at 8:30 a.m. Competition will be held at Spring Hill Golf Club.
SPRING HILL — Spring Hill Course at Spring Hill Golf Club was voted one of the top five courses in Minnesota in 2006. The par 72, 7,020 yard (bent grass) layout was designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 1999.
THE COMPETITION — This week’s field features 11 other teams, representing eight different conferences, and includes host Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Southern Methodist, Arkansas, Lamar, Kent State, Louisiana State, Marquette, UNC-Charlotte and UNC-Greensboro.
GOLDEN GOPHER HISTORY — Marking their third-consecutive trip to the Golden Gopher Invitational, the Hawkeye will look to improve on their fifth place team finish in 2009 where Vince India (then a junior) fired a 215 (-1) to tie for fourth. The Black and Gold placed fourth in 2008 (883, +19) as senior Cole Peelver tied for second (215, -1).
HEAD COACH Mark Hankins — Hankins is in his fourth year as Iowa’s head men’s golf coach after spending seven years as the head coach at Michigan State University. Under Hankins, the Hawkeyes finished the 2010 season with the highest national ranking in school history. Ranked 36th among all NCAA Division I teams, Iowa earned its best Big Ten finish (second) since 1992 and produced a NCAA Regional berth for the second-consecutive year. Additionally, the Hawkeyes picked up their second tournament title in as many seasons with a win at the 2010 TaylorMade-adidas Hawkeye Invitational. Hankins is a native of Mt. Pleasant, IA, and a graduate of Iowa State.
QUOTING COACH HANKINS — “I feel like we’ll be familiar with the environment at Spring Hill and know how to prepare this week. That allows us to maximize our potential and hopefully place highly in this tournament.”
LOOKING AHEAD — The Hawkeyes will return home to host Golfweek’s Conference Challenge Sept. 19-21. Competition will be held at Spirit Hollow Golf Club in Burlington, IA.