Oct. 23, 2015
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THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa men’s golf team wraps up fall competition at the eighth annual Royal Oaks Intercollegiate on Monday and Tuesday. The event, hosted by Baylor University, will be held at the Royal Oaks Country Club in Dallas. The two-day tournament begins on Oct. 26, with two rounds of 18 holes. The first round begins at 8:15 a.m. (CT) via a shotgun start with the second round following. Tuesday’s final round of 18 begins at 8:15 a.m. This year’s Royal Oaks Intercollegiate is a play-five-count-four event.
LINK UP WITH THE HAWKEYES
For an inside look at the Iowa men’s golf program and to access exclusive coverage, “like” Hawkeye men’s golf on Facebook and follow @IowaHawkeyeGolf on Twitter and Instagram.THE FIELD
Twelve teams are set to compete at the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate. In addition to Iowa, two other Big Ten schools, Michigan and Minnesota, join Auburn, tournament host Baylor, Houston, Kennesaw State, New Mexico, SMU, Texas, Tulsa, and UT Arlington to make up the field.THE COURSE
The Royal Oaks Intercollegiate will be played at The Royal Oaks Country Club, a 7,068-yard, par-71. The Royal Oaks Country Club was founded in 1969, and is in its eighth year of hosting the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate.TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Iowa has competed at the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate for the past six seasons. Two Hawkeyes have been crowned individual champions at the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate, including Ian Vandersee who won the event in 2012, carding a three-round score of 206 (-7) to propel the Hawkeyes to a fifth-place finish. Iowa won the tournament in 2010, fueled by Vince India’s two-round 132 (-10) and first place finish. The Hawkeyes tied for third in 2009 and finished sixth in last year’s outing.THE LINEUP
At the top of the Hawkeye line-up in the number one spot is junior Carson Schaake followed by senior Nate Yankovich. Junior Raymond Knoll, freshman Matthew Walker and senior Voramate Aussarassakorn round out the Iowa lineup.A TEAM WITH DEPTH
Through four events this season, four Hawkeyes have combined for five top-10 individual finishes. Junior Carson Schaake leads the team with two after tying for seventh at the GolfWeek Conference Challenge (Sept. 14-16) and finishing fourth at the David Toms Intercollegiate (Oct. 10-11). Senior Nate Yankovich, junior Raymond Knoll — the GolfWeek Conference Challenge co-medalist — and sophomore Sam Meuret each have one top-10 finish this season.A HISTORIC WEEKEND
The Hawkeyes claimed the team title at the 2015 GolfWeek Conference Challenge (Sept. 25-27), carding a 54-hole total of 842 (-22) — the fifth-best 54-hole score in program history. The title was the first for Iowa under the guidance of second-year head coach Tyler Stith, and first since winning the Hawkeye-GRE Invitational on April 13, 2014.Junior Raymond Knoll claimed co-medalist honors with a 54-hole total of 205 (-11; 66, 67, 72) — the lowest three-round total in program history. The title was the first of Knoll’s collegiate career. Knoll’s performance at the GolfWeek Conference Challenge earned him Big Ten Co-Golfer of the Week honors on Sept. 30.
Senior Nate Yankovich and junior Carson Schaake each finished within the top 10. Yankovich tied for fifth place with a three-round 209 (-7; 73, 66, 70). His second-round 66 was the best 18-hole performance of his career. Schaake tied for seventh, finishing the weekend with a three-round 210 (-6; 73, 66, 71).
3 HAWKEYES ON B1G PLAYERS TO WATCH LIST
Seniors Nate Yankovich and sophomores Raymond Knoll and Carson Schaake have been selected to the 2015-16 Big Ten Men’s Golfers to Watch List.Yankovich, a senior, competed in seven tournaments last year, averaging 75.29 strokes per round. The Blacklick, Ohio, native was second on the team with four top-20 finishes last season, including a season-best 10th place finish at the Hawkeye-Great River Entertainment Invitational.
Knoll, a junior from Naperville, Illinois, earned second team All-Big Ten and Division I PING All-Midwest Regional team honors in 2015. He was Iowa’s top finisher in two events last year.
A Division I PING All-Midwest Regional Team selection, Schaake carried a team-best stroke average of 71.17 — the second-best total in program history. He provided Iowa’s top individual finish in 7-of-10 stroke play tournaments, while recording four top-10 finishes and 18 rounds at or below par. The Omaha, Nebraska, native was a first-team All-Big Ten honoree, and was co-champion at last year’s Big Ten Tournament.
7 STRAIGHT NCAA APPEARANCES
Iowa has advanced to NCAA competition in each of the last seven seasons, joining Illinois as the only Big Ten teams selected to NCAA Regional competition in each of the last seven seasons. Iowa has advanced to the NCAA Championship finals three times in the last seven years (2009, 2011, 2012).A PROGRAM ON THE RISE
Iowa has won 12 tournaments since 2008 and has had 15 individual medalists since 2009, including Carson Schaake, who was crowned individual co-champion at last year’s Big Ten Championships and Raymond Knoll who won this year’s GolfWeek Conference Challenge. The Hawkeyes have also had three All-Americans since 2008. Nineteen Iowa players have been named to the all-region team since 2009. Last season, Brian Bullington, Knoll, and Schaake each earned Division I PING All-Midwest Regional honors.