Hawkeyes to Begin Fall Season

Sept. 7 Notes

THIS WEEK —
The University of Iowa men’s golf team opens its fall schedule Sept. 9-10 at the eighth annual Golden Gopher Invitational. The first and second rounds will be played consecutively on Sunday, beginning with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. (CT). Tee times for Monday’s final round will begin at 8:30 a.m. Competition will be held at Spring Hill Golf Club in Wayzata, Minn. Fans can follow the action live at golfstatresults.com.

THE COURSE —
Spring Hill Course at Spring Hill Golf Club was voted one of the top five courses in Minnesota in 2006. The par 72, 7,020 yard (bent grass) layout was designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 1999.

NEW FACES —
The Hawkeyes are welcoming in three talented newcomers to the 2012-13 roster. Voramate Aussarassakorn (Bangkok, Thailand), Landon Kowalski (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) and Nate Yankovich (Blacklick, Ohio) make up head coach Mark Hankins 2012 recruiting class.

RETURNING LETTERWINNERS —
Iowa will look to four returning letterwinners for experience this season. Junior Steven Ihm and sophomore Ian Vandersee both return full-time starting experience. Ihm was a second team All-Big Ten and PING All-Region honoree last season. He held a 73.6 stroke average and had three top-20 finishes in regular season stroke-play events. Vandersee also earned PING All-Region honors and had a 74.9 stroke average. Sophomore Brian Bullington competed in four events last season and finished with a 76.3 stroke average. Sophomore Joseph Winslow became the sixth Hawkeye in program history to become an All-American after placing 13th at the NCAA Championships as a freshman. Winslow competed in six events and had a 75.6 stroke average.

HEAD COACH Mark Hankins —
Head coach Mark Hankins enters his sixth season as head coach. Under Hankins’ guidance, Iowa has advanced to NCAA postseason competition the past four seasons. The Hawkeyes have advanced to three NCAA Championships in the past four years, and is one of just 22 teams in the nation to do so. Iowa was ranked 155th when Hankins took over the program in 2008, yet the Hawkeyes have been consistently ranked within the top-30 for the past three years. Hankins is a native of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, and a graduate of Iowa State.