Feb. 12, 2011
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Palm Beach Gardens, FL – The University of Iowa men’s golf team worked through the consolation bracket at the Big Ten Match Play Championship Saturday afternoon. The Hawkeyes, who dropped a 2-4 quarterfinal match to Indiana Friday, beat Purdue, 4-2, before falling to Michigan, 2.5-3.5. The Hawkeyes finished in sixth while Ohio State defeated Illinois for third place. Northwestern won the title for the second straight year with a 4-2 win over Indiana. Competition was held on the par 72 Champion Course at PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.
“We were disappointed with our team finish, but we had quite a few nice individual performances today,” said Head Coach Mark Hankins. “We need to continue to get better over the next three weeks before our next tournament on March 5.
The Hawkeyes’ junior class led the way in a 4-2 decision over Purdue as Chris Brant, Barrett Kelpin, Brad George and Jed Dirksen each picked up wins. Kelpin earned a 4&3 win over Purdue’s Tyler Duncan while Dirksen beat Eddie Peters 2&1. Both Brant and George won 4&2 over Boom Ratanakul and William Sjaichudin, respectively. Hopfinger lost to Erich Johnston 1 UP while India fell 3&2 to Adam Schenk.
George and Dirksen each recorded wins in a 2.5-3.5 loss to Michigan. George topped Michigan’s Jack Schultz 4&3 while Dirksen beat Rahul Bakshi 1 UP. Dirksen was the only Hawkeye to remain undefeated throughout the championship. Kelpin’s match against Alexander Sitompul was halved, earning each golfer one-half of a point. Hopfinger dropped a 3&2 decision to Matt Thompson and India lost 5&4 to Michigan’s Lion Kim.
“Jed Dirksen was 3-0 this weekend, which is a good start,” added Hankins. “He seemed to handle the pressure of his first collegiate tournament for us. We anticipate he will continue to help us develop our overall team depth.”
The Hawkeyes travel to Dallas, TX, for the Black and Gold Challenge March 5. This annual events allows current Hawkeyes to take on Iowa alumni on some of the finest links Texas has to offer.
Iowa 4 – Purdue 2
1. Erich Johnston def. Brad Hopfinger, 1 up
2. Adam Schenk def. Vince India, 3 and 2
3. Chris Brant def. Nakarinta Ratanakul, 4 and 2
4. Barrett Kelpin def. Tyler Duncan, 4 and 3
5. Brad George def. William Sjaichudin, 4 and 2
6. Jed Dirksen def. Edward Peters, 2 and 1
Iowa 2.5 – Michigan 3.5
1. Matt Thompson def. Brad Hopfinger, 3 and 2
2. Lion Kim def. Vince India, 5 and 4
3. Joey Garber def. Chris Brant, 3 and 2
4. Barrett Kelpin and Alexander Sitompul, all square
5. Brad George def. Jack Schultze, 4 and 3
6. Jed Dirksen def. Rahul Bakshi, 1 up