May 13, 2013
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THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa men’s golf team will compete at the NCAA Regionals for the fifth consecutive season May 16-18. The Hawkeyes were selected as the No. 10 seed in the Tallahassee Regional. Competition will be held at the Golden Eagle Country Club. The top five teams and the top individual, not on a qualifying team, will advance to the NCAA Championships.
THE FIELD
Iowa is one of 13 teams in the Tallahassee Regional. In order of their respective seeding (Golfstat.com national ranking in parentheses), the region will consist of Washington (4), Georgia Tech (7), Florida State (14), North Florida (19), Oklahoma (30), North Carolina State (42), Oregon (43), Oregon State (56), Iowa (54), South Florida (66), San Diego (70) and Loyola Maryland (205).
TOP INDIVIDUALS
The field consists of 18 players nationally ranked within the top-100 of the Golfweek/Sagarin Individual Rankings, led by Florida State’s seventh-ranked Daniel Berger. Iowa’s Steven Ihm is the field’s 14th-highest ranked player, checking in at No. 67.
THE LINEUP
Steven Ihm, Joseph Winslow, Brian Bullington, Ian Vandersee and Nate Yankovich will be in action. Iowa has used the same lineup in every stroke play tournament this spring.
THE COURSE
The Golden Eagle Country Club is a 6,965 yard, par-72 track that lies just outside of Tallahassee, Fla. Built from the beautiful terrain of Kinhega Plantation in 1986, world renowned Course Architect Tom Fazio took full advantage of the natural topography surrounding the Golden Eagle Country Club. The course was rated “the most challenging course in Florida” by the United States Golf Association just six months after opening.
POSTSEASON NOTES
? The Hawkeyes have qualified for NCAA Regional competition in five consecutive seasons. Iowa will be looking for its fourth NCAA Championship berth in the past five years.
? Iowa is one of only 22 NCAA Division I men’s golf programs to qualify for the NCAA Championships in three of the past four years. Each of those 22 teams advanced to regional competition this season.
? Iowa is looking for its 15th appearance in the NCAA Championships. Before the current run of three appearances in the last four years, Iowa’s last NCAA Championship berth was in 1995.
? Under head coach Mark Hankins, Iowa has made three NCAA Championship appearances (2009, `11, `12) and five NCAA Regional appearances (2009, `10, `11, `12, `13).
? Iowa has tallied nine tournament victories since 2008. Iowa had nine total wins from 1995-2007 before Hankins arrived. Iowa has had nine individual medalists, three All-Americans, eight All-Big Ten selections and six Big Ten Golfers of the Week under Hankins. Eleven of the 14 lowest 18-hole scores in program history have been scored since Hankins’ arrival.
HAWKEYES TAKE BRONZE AT BIG TENS
The Hawkeyes placed third at the Big Ten Championships on the Pete Dye Course in French Lick, Ind., with a four-round score of 1,186 (+34). The Hawkeyes notched three top-25 finishes, led by sophomore Joseph Winslow.
Winslow tied for fifth in the 60-man field and was named to the All-Championships team. He carded rounds of 72, 74, 72 and 74 to finish with a 72-hole tally of 292 (+4).
Junior Steven Ihm and sophomore Brian Bullington also paced the Hawkeyes. Ihm tied for 13th with a four-round mark of 297 (+9). Bullington tied for 22nd with a 72-hole score of 301 (+13). Sophomore Ian Vandersee tied for 33rd and freshman Nate Yankovich placed 37th.
TWO HAWKEYES NAMED ALL-BIG TEN
Steven Ihm and Joseph Winslow were named first and second team All-Big Ten, respectively. Head coach Mark Hankins has now coached individuals to eight All-Big Ten honors at Iowa.
Ihm, a second-team all-conference selection a season ago, had the team’s highest individual finish in seven-of-nine stroke play tournaments this season. Ihm led the squad with 72.28 stroke average.
Winslow notched back-to-back top-five finishes and had the team’s second-lowest scoring average, a 73.48, to earn all-conference recognition.
POSTSEASON RESULTS UNDER HANKINS
? 2012 NCAA Championships
22nd/30 teams: 293-299-299 — 888 (+36)
? 2012 Regionals
5th/13 teams: 288-293-285 — 866 (+14)
? 2011 NCAA Championships
T10th/30 teams: 304-292-296 — 892 (+28)
? 2011 NCAA Regionals
T4th/14 teams: 285-289-291 — 865 (+8)
? 2010 NCAA Regionals
6th/14 teams: 288-279-281 — 848 (+8)
? 2009 NCAA Championships
17th/30 teams (301-296-290 — 887 (+35)
? 2009 NCAA Regionals
5th/12 teams (283-278-276 — 837 (-15)
IMMACULATE IHM
Steven Ihm carded the program’s third-lowest stroke average in school history with a 72.28 round average. His average round in the spring was under par, averaging a 71.46. He secured two event titles, four top-10 finishes and played 15 rounds at or below par. Ihm led the team in seven-of-nine stroke play tournaments and placed in the top-16 of every spring tournament.
He has two of the program’s top-13 best season stroke averages with a career average of 72.98 (56 rounds, 4,087 strokes). Ihm has tallied 12 top-20 finishes, seven top-10 finishes, two medalist honors, two All-Big Ten selections and two Big Ten Golfer of the Week honors in his Iowa career.
Ihm is currently the highest ranked amateur in the state of Iowa, according to ScratchPlayers.org. He is ranked 64th in the Golfstat Cup Standings and 67th in the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings.
WINSLOW FOR THE WIN
Sophomore Joseph Winslow’s 73.07 stroke average ranks ninth best in program history. The second-team All-Big Ten selection closed the season with back-to-back top-five finishes, tying for fourth at the Boilermaker Invitational (216/E) and fifth at the Big Ten Championships (292/+4). Winslow has five top-20 finishes on the season and played 11 rounds at or below par.
IHM REPEATS THE FEAT
Junior Steven Ihm became the first Hawkeye to win back-to-back medalist honors since 1970 after his title at the Boilermaker Invitational.
The Peosta, Iowa, native played all three of his rounds under par to close with a three-round score of 211 (-5), sharing medalist honors with Louisville’s Robin Sciot-Siegrist. Ihm also shot a five-under, 211, at the Hawkeye-Great River Entertainment Invitational.
Ihm is the first Hawkeye to win consecutive tournaments since Brad Schuchat won the Indiana Sesquicentennial Invitational and the Northern Intercollegiate in back-to-back tournaments in the 1970 spring season.
HAWKEYES CLAIM FIRST TITLE
Iowa claimed its first tournament team title of the season at the Boilermaker Invitational on the Kampen Course. The Hawkeyes shared the title with Louisville with a 54-hole score of 878 (+14) Iowa entered the final round in first place with opening rounds of 290 (+2) and 287 (-1). The Hawkeyes shot a final round 301 (+13) to prevail in a tightly contested battle.
IHM ADVANCES IN OPEN QUALIFYING
Steven Ihm carded a three-under, 69, on the Lake Panorama Golf Course in U.S. Open Local Qualifying, and advances to U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying on June 3.
2012 NCAA REGIONALS
Iowa placed fifth at the 2012 Athens Regional to advance to the NCAA Championships for the third time in the last four years. The Hawkeyes shot an 867 (+14) to advance by one stroke.
The Hawkeyes carded a final-round 285 (+1), led by sophomore Ian Vandersee, to make the cut. Vandersee played his final round five-under, the best round of the day by three strokes, to place eighth in the tournament and lead Iowa’s rally. Steven Ihm shot a three-round score of 219 (+6) to tie for 29th. Joseph Winslow tallied a 231 (+18) on the tournament.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
The Hawkeyes have the 19th-ranked strength of schedule in the nation, according to Golfweek.com.
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.
GETTING EXPERIENCE
Every player on the roster has seen action in at least two tournaments this season, while three golfers have played all 28 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 five 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 nine tournaments since 2008, had nine 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 five 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 four years. Hankins is a native of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, and a graduate of Iowa State.
LOOKING FORWARD
The NCAA Championships will be held May 28-June 2 in Atlanta, Ga., on the Capital City Club Crabapple Course. The top five teams and top individual, not on a qualifying team, in each region advance. The top eight teams at the NCAA Championships advance to match play competition.