Feb. 7, 2012
Complete Release in PDF Format
THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa men’s golf team will kickoff its competitive spring schedule at the Big Ten Match-Play Championship Feb. 9-11. Action will be held at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla. Fans can follow the action on the tournament central page at www.ajga.org/big10mpc.
THE COURSE
Named “Best New Private Course of 2006” and “Top 100 Courses in the U.S. 2009” by Golf Digest magazine, The Concession Golf Course was designed by Jack Nicklaus in association with Tony Jacklin. The par 72, 7,474-yard offers a natural golf experience lined with aged oaks and pines, along with scenic water features.
THE FIELD
Seedings for the 12-team field will be based on teams’ national rankings on golfstat.com. In order of their respective seeds (and national ranking), the Big Ten Match-Play will feature Illinois (21), Iowa (30), Indiana (31), Purdue (49), Michigan State, Ohio State, Northwestern, Minnesota, Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin and Nebraska.
HEAD COACH Mark Hankins
Hankins is in his fifth 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 last season ranked ninth among all NCAA Division I teams. Hankins’ 2010-11 squad is coming off a 10th place finish at the 2011 NCAA Championships, Iowa’s best finish since 1960. After a second place finish at the 2010 Big Ten Championships, its best finish since 1992, Iowa placed third at the 2011 Big Tens. Hankins and company will look to make their fourth-consecutive NCAA postseason appearance this season.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes will return to The Concession Golf Club for the Callaway Collegiate Match-Play March 18-20. Iowa will look to improve on its ninth place finish from 2011.