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THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa men’s golf team travels to Dallas, Texas, for the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate from Oct. 24-25. The two-day tournament begins Monday with 36 holes, and concludes Tuesday with one final round of 18 holes . The tournament will be held at Royal Oaks Country Club.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Monday, Oct. 24 — 36 holes, 8:30 a.m. (CT) shotgun start.
Tuesday, Oct. 25 — 18 holes, 8:15 a.m. (CT) tee times off 1 and 10.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Fans can follow this weekend’s action by visiting golfstat.com or visiting the live link on hawkeyesports.com men’s golf schedule page.
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
Iowa is joined by an elite field of 10 teams, including tournament host Baylor, Charlotte, Houston, Kent State, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pepperdine, SMU, and UT Arlington. Baylor is ranked 21st in the GCAA Coaches Poll. The field will consist of 72 players, with six players competing in each team’s lineup and six additional players competing as individuals.
THE COURSE
Built in 1969, Royal Oaks Country Club stretches 7,068 yards and is a par 71.Dean Larsson is the Head Golf Professional, assisted by Randy Smith, who serves as the Golf Professional Emeritus and Director of Instruction.
LAST TIME OUT
Iowa finished 10th at the Paintbrush Invitational hosted by the University of Colorado-Denver at the Colorado Golf Club last week. Freshman Alex Schaake climbed 23 spots during the final round to lead the Hawkeyes, and notched the first top-20 finish (18th) of his career. Iowa finished with a three-round total of 888 (+24).
THE LINEUP
At the top of the lineup is senior Raymond Knoll followed by sophomore Matthew Walker, freshman Alex Schaake, junior Sam Meuret, senior Carson Schaake, and freshman Ryoto Furuya. The tournament is a play six count five format.
QUOTING COACH STITH
“We are looking forward to the opportunity at Royal Oaks. It’s a different format, and I believe we have an advantage with our depth.”
CLIMBING THE LEADERBOARD
Senior Raymond Knoll leads the Hawkeye squad with a scoring average of 72.1 this season. Knoll has been the top finisher for Iowa at two tournaments this fall. Sophomore Matthew Walker follows with a 72.8 strokes per round and three top-10 finishes.
Iowa’s lowest 18-hole round of the season came on the last day of the Golfweek Conference Challenge when the Hawkeyes carded a 284 (-4). Matthew Walker led the Hawkeyes, firing a 66 (-6) — the lowest round of the entire tournament.
Freshman Alex Schaake posted a career best at the Paintbrush Invitational, posting a 54-hole total of 218 (+2). He climbed 23 spots during his final round, posting a 71 and finishing in a tie for 18th overall. The Paintbrush Invitational was Schaake’s second tournament as a Hawkeye.
WALKER POSTS CAREER BEST
Sophomore Matthew Walker carded the lowest 18-hole score of his career on the final day of the Golfweek Conference Challenge on Oct. 2. Walker posted a 66 (-6). The round was highlighted by 17 holes at par or better, including seven birdies. Walker climbed 22 spots on the leaderboard on the final day to finish tied for eighth with a 54-hole total of 214 (-2).
TOP-10 FINISHERS
Through three tournaments this fall, two Hawkeyes have recorded multiple top-10 finishes. Senior Raymond Knoll and sophomore Matthew Walker both registered top-10 finishes at the Golfweek Conference Challenge. Knoll finished third, while Walker finished in a tie for eighth. The duo also finished in the top-10 at the Gopher Invite with Knoll finishing in fourth and Walker in a tie for seventh. Walker also finished in a tie for eighth at the WIndon Memorial Classic, while Knoll tied for 18th.
3 HAWKEYES ON B1G PLAYERS TO WATCH LIST
Seniors Raymond Knoll and Carson Schaake, and sophomore Matthew Walker were named to the 2016 Big Ten Men’s Golf Preseason Watch List.
Knoll competed in every tournament for the Hawkeyes last year, averaging 73 strokes-per -round. He led Iowa with 10 rounds at par or better in the spring. Knoll finished in the top 20 in four events in the spring, including a fifth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships.
Schaake — the 2015 Big TenChampion averaged 72.97 strokes-per-round in his junior campaign. He finished at or below par in eight rounds and was Iowa’s top finisher in each of the last three 2016 spring events.
Walker competed in every tournament last season, becoming the first true freshman to do so since 1992 (Sean McCarty). Walker averaged 73.33 strokes-per-round in the spring and shot at or below par in eight rounds.
LEADING THE CHARGE
Carson Schaake and Raymond Knoll are the lone seniors leading the Hawkeyes this season. Knoll won the 2015 Golfweek Conference Challenge . He won the prestigious event with a 54-hole total of 205 (-11; 66, 67, 72) — the lowest three-round total in program history. Schaake won the individual Big Ten Championship title as a sophomore in 2015, becoming the third Hawkeye in program history to win a Big Ten Conference Title.
WALKER MAKES HISTORY
Sophomore Matthew Walker competed in every event for the Hawkeyes as a freshman. The Ottumwa, Iowa, native was the first true freshman to compete in every fall tournament for the Hawkeyes since Cole Peevler in 2005.
HAWKEYE NEWCOMERS
Iowa’s adds four freshmen to the its 2016-17 roster. Ryoto Furuya (Georgia), Alex Schaake (Nebraska), Jack Simpson (Ontario), and Benton Weinberg (Maryland).
8 STRAIGHT NCAA APPEARANCES
Iowa has advanced to NCAA competition in each of the last eight seasons, joining Illinois as the only Big Ten teams selected to NCAA Regional competition in each of the last eight seasons. Iowa has advanced to the NCAA Championship finals three times in the last seven years (2009, 2011, 2012).
CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDERS
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 the 2015 Big Ten Championships and Raymond Knoll who won last year’s GolfWeek Conference Challenge. The Hawkeyes have also had three All-Americans since 2008.
LOOKING AHEAD
Iowa will begin the 2017 spring campaign on Feb. 10-11 at the Big Ten Match Play Championship in Palm Coast, Florida.
