Oct. 21, 2012
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ALPHARETTA, Ga. — The University of Iowa men’s golf team wrapped up play at the U.S. Collegiate Championship at the Lakeside Course on the Golf Club of Georgia. Iowa placed 15th in the strong field, carding a 54-hole total of 912 (+48). Junior Steven Ihm and sophomore Brian Bullington led the Hawkeyes, as each placed in the top-35 of the leaderboard.
Georgia Tech, the 12th-ranked team in the nation and the tournament host, won the event. Stanford’s Patrick Rodgers earned medalist honors. Iowa and 13 other teams in the field are ranked or receiving votes in the GolfWorld/Nike Golf Coaches Poll.
“Steven and Brian both posted solid finishes on a championship conditioned golf course,” said Iowa head coach Mark Hankins. “However, here at Iowa, we have prided ourselves on team depth and consistent scoring each day and we didn’t get it this week.”
Ihm carded a three-round total of 222 (+6) and tied for 28th individually. Ihm shot a six-over par, 78, in his final round. He had 13 pars and a birdie on the par-five ninth hole. Ihm had nine birdies in the tournament, and placed within the top-30 for the second straight year at this event.
Sophomore Brian Bullington tied for 34th place on the leaderboard after shooting a 76 (+4) in his final round. Bullington finished with a 54-hole score of 223 (+7), which is tied for his low tournament score of the fall season. Bullington made birdie on No. 8 and 14, and had 10 pars in his closing round.
Junior Ryan Marks had Iowa’s low score of the day and improved six spots in the individual standings. Marks carded a one-over par, 73, after playing the back nine at two-under par with birdies on holes 11 and 12. Marks closed shot a 236 (+20) for the tournament and tied for 71st.
“I’m very proud of Ryan today,” said Hankins. “Our goal for him was 75 or below, and we went out, stayed focused all day and made it happen.”
Sophomore Ian Vandersee shot 78 (+6) in the final round, and also tied for 71st with a three-round total of 236 (+20). Vandersee made birdie on holes 1, 9 and 10 in his final round.
Sophomore Joseph Winslow also shot a 78 (+6) in the closing round. Winslow tied for 74th after carding a 237 (+21) for the tournament. Winslow made 11 pars, and made birdie on hole 17, a 236-yard par-three.
“It’s tough in college golf each week and we have to be willing to focus on taking care of our individual goals and not let a golf tournament or a golf course be such a big deal,” said Hankins. “Every week matters when you want to reach the NCAA’s and you can’t place more or less emphasis on any one tournament or you get what we got here today. We can play much better than how we did this weekend.”
The Hawkeyes will close out the fall season at the Baylor Intercollegiate in Dallas, Texas. 36 holes will be played on Oct. 29, and the final round will be played on Oct. 30.