Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2016-17 | Hawk Talk Monthly — April 2017
IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa men’s golf team has been selected to the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional, the NCAA golf committee announced Thursday morning. It marks Iowa’s ninth straight NCAA appearance. The NCAA Baton Rouge Regional, hosted by Louisiana State University, will be held at The University Club, in Baton Rouge on May 15-17.
“It’s always a privilege to qualify for the postseason,” said UI head coach Tyler Stith. “It represents a year-long effort. I’m just really proud of the guys; especially with how we finished the fall. We had a lot of work to do this spring. We couldn’t really have a bad tournament and we didn’t. We played well in each and every tournament this spring. We are excited.”
Teams were selected to one of six regional sites, with 13 or 14 teams competing at each location. The Hawkeyes are a No. 10 seed in the Baton Rouge region.
The Hawkeyes have qualified for NCAA Regional competition in nine consecutive seasons. Iowa will be seeking its fourth NCAA Championship Finals berth in the past nine years and its 16th appearance in program history.
Last year, Iowa placed 10th at the NCAA Albuquerque Regional, firing a three-day, 54-hole total of 925 (+61; 302, 314, 309). Senior Carson Schaake carded Iowa’s best finish with a 224 (+8; 74, 78, 72) to tie for 11th individually — falling just three strokes shy of qualifying as an individual for the NCAA Championships.
Iowa last qualified for the NCAA Finals in 2012 after placing fifth in the Athens Regional. The Hawkeyes went on to place 22nd in the NCAA Championships.
In order of respective seeding, the Baton Rouge Regional includes host LSU, Oregon, Virginia, Duke, Northwestern, Arkansas, Jacksonville, Kentucky, South Florida, Iowa, Georgia State, Jacksonville State, Loyola (MD), and Alabama State.
Iowa is one of eight Big Ten teams to advance to regional competition, joining Ohio State, Purdue, Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, and Northwestern.
The Hawkeyes are coming off a fourth-place (tie) finish at the Big Ten Championships. Freshman Jack Simpson was Iowa’s top finisher. The Ontario, Canada, native tied for 16th with a 54-hole total of 214 (+4). Illinois captured the team title for the second consecutive year, carding an 829 (-11).
“We are looking forward to going back to Baton Rouge,” said Stith. “We played there last year, so three of our guys have played there before. I think that will be a huge benefit for us.”
The Hawkeyes will tee off in Baton Rouge on Monday, May 15, at 8 a.m. (CT). The top five finishing teams will advance to the NCAA Tournament hosted by Northern Illinois in Sugar Grove, Illinois. The tournament will be played at Rich Harvest Farms on May 26-31.
