No. 13 Iowa Wins Third Straight Tournament Title

Oct. 11, 2010

Iowa City, Iowa — The University of Iowa men’s golf team finished its third consecutive tournament in first place after winning the Rod Myers/Duke Invitational Monday afternoon. The 13th-ranked Hawkeyes posted a final round of even par 288, ending the tournament with a score of 851 (-13). No. 14 North Carolina State (856, -8) finished five strokes behind Iowa while No. 41 Charlotte (860, -4) rounded out the top three.

For the second consecutive tournament, seniors Vince India and Brad Hopfinger have finished in the top-10 individually. In fact, India is four-for-four on top-10 finishes this fall.

“Vince and Brad came into the season as two of our top three players and they have played well this fall,” said Head Coach Mark Hankins. “This team has shown depth and the ability to stay focused. That is what keeps the team scores low.”

Hopfinger carded a final round at even par 72, making him one of four individuals to fire even par or better all three rounds. The Lake Forest, Ill., native finished tied for second with a score of 212 (-4).

“Playing consistent has always been a goal of mine,” said Hopfinger. “Last week everything was clicking and it was more of an easy finish for me. This week I needed to adjust and get my short game around in order to do well. It’s nice to know that I can get it done either way.”

India is tied for fifth after firing a final round 69 (-3), bringing his tournament total to 213 (-3). The team leader is ranked No. 21 individually in Golfstat’s official rankings.

“This is a quality win for us,” added India. “Teams are gunning for us and we’ve proven that we can stay on top. We beat some quality teams this week and that’s because everyone on the team is contributing.”

Juniors Chris Brant and Barrett Kelpin tied for 20th with 54-hole totals of 218 (+2). Kelpin posted a final round of 73 (+1) while Brant turned in a 74 (+2). Junior Brad George tied for 30th with a three round total of 220 (+4). The Marion, Iowa, native recorded a final round of 76 (+4).

“Everything is in great condition back home so we’re ready to go hard until the Baylor Intercollegiate in a few weeks,” said Hankins. “We’ll continue to adapt to the conditions at hand and focus on improving ourselves individually.”

The Hawkeyes will close out their fall season Nov. 1-2, as they travel to Dallas, TX for the Baylor Intercollegiate.

Team Results
1. Iowa 277-286-288=851 (-13)

2. North Carolina State 283- 286-287=856 (-8)
3. Charlotte 285-287-288=860 (-4)
4. Michigan 282-293-286=861 (-3)
5. Duke 291-290-285=866 (+2)
6. Minnesota 288-294-292=874 (+10)
7. Tulsa 295-284-296=875 (+11)
8. UNCG 298-279-299=876 (+12)
9. East Tennessee St. 296-291-290=877 (+13)
10. Middle Tennessee St. 288-291-300=879 (+15)
11. Rice University 297-301-293=891 (+27)
12. VCU 301-299-296=896 (+32)

Individual Results – Par 72 (Top 3 + Iowa)
1. Albin Choi (NC State) 69-71-71=211 (-5)
2. Brad Hopfinger (UI) 71-69-72=212 (-4)
Donald Constable (Minn.) 69-73-70=212 (-4)
Michael Whitehead (Rice) 68-71-73=212 (-4)
T5. Vince India (UI) 76-68-69=213 (-3)
T20. Chris Brant (UI) 69-75-74=218 (+2)
Barrett Kelpin (UI) 67-78-73=218 (+2)
T30. Brad George (UI) 70-74-76=220 (+4)