IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa seniors Raymond Knoll and Carson Schaake and sophomore Matthew Walker were named to the 2016 Big Ten Men’s Golf Preseason Watch List, the conference office announced Wednesday.
Knoll was named to the Division I PING All-Midwest Regional Team for the second straight year following a 22nd-place finish at the 2016 NCAA Regionals. The Naperville, Illinois, native averaged a team-best 72.11 strokes per round and led the Hawkeyes with 10 rounds of at-or-below par golf in the spring. Knoll claimed co-medalist honors at the Golfweek Conference Challenge 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.
Schaake competed in every event for the Hawkeyes last season. He averaged 72.97 strokes per round and led the team with four top-10 finishes, including a fourth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships. Schaake, the 2015 Big Ten Individual Champion, posted Iowa’s best finish at the 2016 NCAA Regionals. The Omaha, Nebraska, carded a 224 (+8, 74, 78, 72) to tie for 11th place an earn Division I PING All-Midwest Regional honors.
Walker competed in every event for the Hawkeyes last season, and was the first true freshman to do so since 1992 (Sean McCarty). The Ottumwa, Iowa, native averaged 73.33 strokes per round in the spring and shot at or below par in eight rounds. Walker notched three top-25 finishes last season. He posted his best finish of the year at the 2016 Big Ten Championships, carding a three-under-par 213 to tie for sixth place.
The Hawkeyes open the 2016 season at the Gopher Invitational in Minneapolis on Sept. 10-11.