Sept. 28, 2010
Sept. 28, 2010
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South Bend, Ind. — The University of Iowa men’s golf team won its second tournament title in as many weeks with a victory at Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish Gridiron Golf Classic. The Black and Gold (853, +13) fired a final round of 286 (+6); finishing six strokes ahead of second place Notre Dame (859, +19). The 14-team field competed on the par-70, 7,023-yard Warren Golf Course in South Bend, Ind.
“I’ve said it before, but our goal is to win championships and finishing second isn’t a championship,” said Head Coach Mark Hankins after winning his fourth tournament title while at the U of I. “We had to control our emotions and continue to play one shot at a time. I thought that we handled our nerves, stayed relaxed and did all of the things we needed to get another team win.”
Brad Hopfinger fired a tournament-low third round of 67 (-3) to finish in third place. The senior posted four birdies on the day and finished with a two day total of 209 (-1). Vince India picked up his second-straight top-10 finish with a score of 212 (+2). The senior fired a final round of 71 (+1) and tied for seventh.
“I’m thrilled with my finish,” said Hopfinger. “It was a really good week for me mentally and everything with my ball striking came together.”
Junior Chris Brant carded a tournament total of 216 (+6). The Edwardsville, Ill., native posted a third round of 73 (+3) and tied for 14th. Barrett Kelpin marked the fourth top-20 individual finisher for the Hawkeyes. The junior finished tied for 17th with a 54-hole score of 217 (+7). Additionally, junior Brad George fired a tournament total of 225 (+15) and tied for 44th.
“Another team title is awesome and I’m happy for us because we all worked really hard, even after last week,” added Hopfinger. “Winning two weeks in a row is never easy, but we worked hard and did well enough to get the job done.”
The Hawkeyes will return to action Oct. 10-11 when they travel to Durham, N.C., for the Rod Myers/Duke Invitational.
“I think they’re continuously becoming better players,” added Hankins. “Each one of them has individual goals, so they’re all saving every shot they can and the team is benefiting.”
Team Results
1. IOWA 289-278-286=853 (+13)
2. Notre Dame 281-286-292=859 (+19)
3. San Francisco 286-291-283=860 (+20)
4. Houston 292-292-287=871 (+31)
Lamar 295-286-290=871 (+31)
6. Miami (Ohio) 301-289-285=875 (+35)
7. Missouri 293-296-288=877 (+37)
8. Texas-Arlington 304-286-291=881 (+41)
9. Eastern Michigan 297-293-298=888 (+48)
10. Georgetown 306-295-290=891 (+51)
11. Charleston 299-299-295=893 (+53)
12. Cincinnati 303-302-289=894 (+54)
13. Gonzaga 299-297-302=898 (+58)
14. Seton Hall 302-303-295=900 (+60)
Individual Results – Par 70 (Top 3 + IOWA)
1. Ji Hwan Park (San Fran.) 69-71-68=208 (-2)
Taylor Travis (San Fran.) 68-71-69=208 (-2)
3. Brad Hopfinger (UI) 74-68-67=209 (-1)
T7. Vince India (UI) 70-71-71=212 (+2)
T14. Chris Brant (UI) 73-70-73=216 (+6)
T17. Barrett Kelpin (UI) 73-69-75=217 (+7)
T44. Brad George (UI) 73-77-75=225 (+15)