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FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Through the first round of the Mason Rudolph Invitational at the Vanderbilt Legends Golf Club, the University of Iowa men’s golf team is tied for fifth-place among a 14-team field with an opening round score of 282 (-2).
“I thought we played well today,” said UI head coach Tyler Stith. “We’re in a good position heading into the second round.”
Florida leads tournament after carding a first round 276 (-8), while Vanderbilt sits in second at 277 (-7). Iowa sits ahead of two teams ranked in the top-50 in the Golfstat rankings, including Missouri (26), and Liberty (43).
Senior Carson Shaake led the Hawkeyes, posting a three-under-par 68 on day one. After carding even-par 35 on the front nine, he posted five birdies on the back nine to put himself in a tie for third heading into Saturday’s second round.
“I’m happy to see Carson open with a good round,” added Stith. “He’s been really close for a few weeks now.”
Sophomore Matthew Walker followed behind Shaake, carding a one-under-par 70 on Friday. With a birdie on hole four, Walker made the turn at par. He finished the day with eight holes at par and a birdie on hole 18 to finish the round tied for 17th.
Senior Raymond Knoll and freshman Alex Schaake finished the first round tied for 32nd, as both posted a one-over-par 72 in the first round. Knoll made par or better on 14 holes, while Schaake registered 15 holes at par or better.
“We’re playing with confidence and excited for the weekend,” said Stith.
Freshman Ryoto Furuya rounded out Iowa’s play on Friday, carding a six-over-par 77. He heads into the second round tied for 63rd.
The Mason Rudolph Invitational will resume on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. (CT). Play will conclude on Sunday with a shotgun start at 8:00 a.m. (CT). Live scoring is available on GolfStat.com.
