April 18, 2013
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THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa men’s golf team concludes its regular season April 20-21 with the 54-hole Boilermaker Invitational in West Lafayette, Ind. The tournament will be played on the Kampen Course at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex. The field consists of 18 teams. The tournament opens with 36 holes with a 7:45 a.m. (CT) shotgun start on Saturday, and will conclude with 18 holes on Sunday with the same starting time and procedure.
THE FIELD
The 18-team field consists of Akron, Chicago State, Cleveland State, Creighton, Drake, Eastern Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kent State, Louisville, Loyola (Ill.), Miami (OH), Michigan State, Northern Illinois, Purdue, Toledo and Wichita State. Eight teams in the field rank in the top-100 of the Golfstat Rankings. This will be the largest field Iowa has played in this season.
TOP INDIVIDUALS
The field consists of 10 golfers nationally ranked in the top 150 of the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankins. Kent State’s Corey Connors is the highest ranked player (25) in the field. For the second consecutive week, junior Steven Ihm checks in as the second-highest ranked player in Iowa’s tournament (73).
THE LINEUP
Iowa will use the same lineup for the second consecutive tournament. Steven Ihm, Joseph Winslow, Brian Bullington, Ian Vandersee and Nate Yankovich will be in action.
THE COURSE
Competition will be played on the Kampen Course at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex. Playing to 7,465 yards from the championship tees, the course consists of bent-grass greens, fairways and tees for a difficult par 72. Kampen Course is regarded as one of the top collegiate golf courses in the nation, as well as one of the most difficult in Indiana.
IHM WINS FIRST TITLE
Junior Steven Ihm won his first career tournament at Iowa last week at the Hawkeye-Great River Entertainment Invitational. Ihm carded a three-round tally of 211 (-5) to earn co-medalist honors.
Ihm opened with two rounds of two-under, 70, before carding a one-under, 71, on Sunday. He made 16 birdies on the tournament – more than anybody else in the 65-man field.
HAWKEYES RALLY AT HOME INVITE
The Hawkeyes made a furious final round comeback to place runner-up by a stroke at the Hawkeye-Great River Entertainment Invitational last week. Iowa carded a three-round tally of 868 (+4), just one shy of Kansas.
Iowa trailed the Jayhawks by eight strokes through two rounds, and by as many as 12 early in the third, before making a massive comeback.
All five Hawkeyes placed in the top-21, led by Ihm’s championship. Vandersee tied for 11th (220/+4), Yankovich tied for 18th (222/+6) and Bullington and Winslow each tied for 21st (223/+7).
It marks Iowa’s fourth top-five finish of the season. The Hawkeyes improved their round average to 293.33.
MATCH PLAY DOMINANCE
The Hawkeyes opened spring competition with two match play events, posting a 4-1 team record. Iowa was dominant in those matches, with a 21.5-5.5 record in individual matches.
IHM LEADING THE WAY
Ihm has played five of his last six rounds below par, and is a combined five strokes under par in the spring. He has a team-high four top-20 finishes and 11 rounds under par this season. The Peosta, Iowa, native improved his team-best stroke average to 72.19. Ihm ranks 70th in the Golfstat Cup standings.
VANDERSEE CLOSES FALL WITH TITLE
Sophomore Ian Vandersee provided fireworks for Iowa in the final fall event, winning the individual title at the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate. Vandersee shot a seven-under, 206, which is tied for the lowest three-round score in program history. His opening round 65 (-6) is tied for the third lowest 18-hole score in program history. Vandersee became the 50th Hawkeye to win medalist honors, and was named Big Ten Golfer of the Week for his efforts.
2012 BOILERMAKER INVITE
Iowa placed second in the 18-team field at the Boilermaker Invitational last year with a 54-hole score of 879 (+15). Iowa came up two strokes short of Indiana, who won the title at 13-over par.
Iowa’s Barrett Kelpin was tournament runner-up with a three-round tally of 214 (-2). The Hawkeyes will have three players return to the Kampen Course with experience in last year’s tournament. Ian Vandersee placed seventh as a freshman, playing the tournament at two-over par. Steven Ihm tied for 18th (223/+7) and Joseph Winslow tied for 78th (243/+27).
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
The Hawkeyes have the 19th-ranked strength of schedule in the nation, according to Golfweek.com.
GETTING EXPERIENCE
Every player on the roster has seen action in at least two tournaments this season, while three golfers have played all 21 rounds (Ihm, Bullington, Vandersee).
A PROGRAM ON THE RISE
Under head coach Mark Hankins, the Hawkeyes are a program heading in the right direction. Iowa has advanced to NCAA postseason play in four consecutive seasons. The Hawkeyes have also reached the NCAA Championships three of the past four seasons — one of just 22 teams in the nation to do so. Iowa has won eight tournaments since 2008, had seven individual medalists since 2009 and has had three All-Americans since 2008.
HEAD COACH Mark Hankins
Head coach Mark Hankins is in 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 — 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-50 for the past three years. Hankins is a native of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, and a graduate of Iowa State.
LOOKING FORWARD
Iowa enters the postseason April 26-28 with the Big Ten Championships in French Lick, Ind. The tournament is held on the nationally recognized Pete Dye Course.