Sept. 16, 2014
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BURLINGTON, Iowa — The University of Iowa men’s golf team finished third in the 12-team field at the sixth annual Golfweek Conference Challenge. The Hawkeyes posted a 287 on Tuesday on the final 18 holes at Spirit Hollow Golf Course in Burlington, Iowa, posting an 874 (+10; 286, 301, 287) during their opening 54-hole tournament of the 2014-15 season.
LSU won the team race (849, -15), followed by SMU (860, -4). Stewart Jolly of LSU was the tournament medalist at nine-under-par (67, 66, 74: 207).
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“This is a comfortable place for us,” said UI head coach Tyler Stith. “We have played a lot of golf here and we have a number of Hawkeye supporters in the area. Overall, I am pleased with how the guys performed. We didn’t play great yesterday, but they responded well today and put together a solid round of golf.”
Sophomore Carson Schaake and junior Nate Yankovich led the Hawkeyes during the final round and throughout the three-day tournament, each posting a 71 (one-under) on Tuesday.
Schaake was consistent throughout, posting rounds of 71, 73, and 71. He finished with a total of 215 (-1) to finish tied for fifth, marking his second-best finish as a Hawkeye. He tied for fourth at the Hawkeye-GRE Invitational last spring.
“This is a great field, and Carson proved that he can play with anyone in the country,” said Stith. “He put together three really good rounds.”
“I had a solid week and showed that I can put three solid rounds together,” said Schaake. “I didn’t make very many putts, but it shows when I do make some putts I will be in contention. I gained some good confidence this week heading into next.”
Yankovich posted a career-best round during the opening 18 holes on Sunday (70), before finishing with a 79 and 71. He finished with a total of 220 (+4) to tie for 11th.
“There were a lot of positives,” said Yankovich. “I made a few mistakes in the middle of the tournament, but overall was pretty satisfied with my play. I struggled a little bit during qualifying, but two under-par rounds will help my confidence.”
Senior Brian Bullington finished tied for 13th at five-over-par (221), posting rounds of 73, 76, and 72. Sophomore Raymond Knoll joined Bullington in a tie for 13th, carding rounds of 74, 74, and 73.
Senior Ian Vandersee finished in a tie for 43rd. He recorded rounds of 72, 78, and 79 for a 229 (+13).
Iowa returns to action Sept. 21-22 at the Windon Memorial in Chicago.
