March 31, 2012
BATON ROUGE, La. — The University of Iowa men’s golf team, ranked 34th in the nation by golfstat.com, is winning the 12-team LSU Invitational through two rounds. Three Hawkeye golfers are in the top-five individually as Iowa leads the team race with a mark of eight-under par 568, the ninth-lowest 36-hole team mark in program history. Host school and 24th-ranked Louisiana State (574, -2) is six strokes back as Purdue (585, +9) finished the day in third. Competition is being held on the par 72, 7,274-yard course at LSU’s University Club in Baton Rouge, La.
“The biggest reason for our success today was our preparation,” said Head Coach Mark Hankins. “We have played some really tough match-play on difficult courses, and that has prepared us for this . The greens were a litter softer than what we’ve been competing on and that helped us settle in and feel comfortable early in the day.”
Freshman Ian Vandersee is pacing the Black and Gold through two rounds. The West Des Moines, Iowa, native posted a day one total of five-under par 139(-5) and is in second place. Vandersee finished an opening round of three-under 69 with four birdies in his last seven holes. He also posted four birdies and 12 pars during his second round of two-under 70.
Sophomore Steven Ihm is sitting alone in fourth place with a 36-hole mark of three-under 141. Ihm found himself in first through 18 holes after posting a score of five-under 67 which ties the fifth-lowest round in program history. The Peosta, Iowa, native followed that with a second round of 74 (+2). Ihm recorded eight holes under par on the day, including an eagle on 12, a par 4 that plays to 422 yards.
“All five guys were into it all day,” said Hankins. “It was a matter of them staying in the present and playing one shot at a time. We have been focused on individual goals this week and being ready to compete for top finishes independently of the other guys. In the end, it’s cliche but only worry about the things you can control: attitude, external focus and discipline while staying patient. That and just being tough out there all day long.”
Barrett Kelpin marks the third Iowa competitor sitting in the top-five through two rounds. The senior posted identical rounds of one-under 71 and is tied for fifth with an opening day total of two-under 142. Kelpin recorded eagles on a pair of par fives (holes six and 17), during a solid second round.
Senior Chris Brant is tied for 15th with one round to play. The 2011 All-Big Ten honoree recorded a two-round mark of 146 (+2). With an opening round of 74 (+2), Brant shaved a couple strokes off and finished his second 18 at even par 72. Additionally, freshman Joseph Winslow is tied for 45th with a 36-hole score of 154 (+10) posting a pair of 77s (+5).
About the final round, Coach Hankins said, “This is new territory for our team, so tomorrow we will use what we’ve learned to go out and compete to win tomorrow’s round. When we get all five guys in the mix we are pretty tough.”
Final round action will begin with shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. (CT) Sunday. Fans can follow live scoring at golfstatresults.com.
Team Results (Par 72)
1. Iowa 281-287=568 (-8)
2. LSU 285-289=574 (-2)
3. Purdue 302-283=585 (+9)
4. Minnesota 296-291=587 (+11)
5. Louisiana-Lafayette 301-290=591 (+15)
Louisiana Tech 292-299=591 (+15)
Iowa State 298-293=591 (+15)
8. UNCW 305-295=600 (+24)
9. Chattanooga 305-299=604 (+28)
10. Furman 306-302=608 (+32)
11. Michigan 302-308=610 (+34)
12. Boston College 314-316=630 (+54)
Individual Results (Top 3 + Iowa)
1. Erik Van Rooyen (Minn.) 69-69=138 (-6)
2. Ian Vandersee (Iowa) 69-70=139 (-5)
3. Curtis Thompson (LSU) 71-69=140 (-4)
4. Steven Ihm (Iowa) 67-74=141 (-3)
T5. Barrett Kelpin (Iowa) 71-71=142 (-2)
T15. Chris Brant (Iowa) 74-72=146 (+2)
T45. Joseph Winslow (Iowa) 77-77=154 (+10)