Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | Hawk Talk Monthly — March 2018 | Southern Intercollegiate Notes
THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa men’s golf team returns to action on Monday after having a month off at the Southern Intercollegiate in Athens, Georgia. The University of Georgia will host the one-day, 36-hole tournament.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Round 1: Monday, March 12 — 18 holes, shotgun start at 8 a.m. (CT)
Round 2: Monday, March 12 — 18 holes, shotgun start at apporixmately 1 p.m. (CT)
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Fans can follow this weekend’s action by visiting golfstat.com for live scoring. Links can be found on the men’s golf schedule page at hawkeyesports.com.
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 17 other teams: Georgia (A and B), Arkansas, Charleston Southern, Chattanooga, Florida State, Francis Marion, Gardner Webb, High Point, Kennesaw State, Lipscomb, Nicholls State, Savannah State, Stetson, USC Upstate, Western Carolina, Wofford and Youngstown State. Arkansas (18) and Florida State (19) are ranked in Golfstat’s top-25 rankings.
THE COURSE
Founded in 1926, the Athens Country Club is a par-72 Donald Ross design that stretches 6,917 yards. The 18-hole course grew in popularity so nine extra holes were added and the course is regarded as the finest private Club in Northeast Georgia.
THE LINEUP
Sophomore Alex Schaake will man the one spot, followed by Matthew Walker, Benton Weinberg, Sam Meuret, and Jack Simpson.
LAST TIME OUT
In Iowa’s first spring event, the Hawkeyes went 2-2 in the Big Ten Match Play Championships to place ninth. On day one, Iowa was edged by Purdue and Minnesota, but rebounding nicely with wins over Ohio State (6-0) and Maryland (4-2). Matthew Walker and Alex Moorman both secured three individual victories, while four other Hawkeyes had at least one win. Walker extended his career match play record to 10-2.
WALKER THRIVES IN MATCH PLAY
In this year’s Big Ten Match Play Championships, junior Matthew Walker won three out of four individual matches to improve his career match play record to 10-2. He went 4-0 as a freshman, making him one of only six golfers to do so for the tournament. In back-to-back years, Walker finished 3-1 to have only two career losses on his career resume.
ON THIS DATE LAST YEAR
Last season on March 12, Iowa competed in a dual meet against Michigan State at the Chechessee Creek Club where they posted a team total of 363 (+13) to beat the Spartans by six strokes. Alex Schaake, Mathew Walker, Ryoto Furuya, and Jack Simpson all competed in the event. Schaake posted a 71 (+1), while Walker carded a 72 (+2).
SCHAAKE’S SECOND TOP-10 FINISH
Sophomore Alex Schaake finished with two top-10 finishes in the fall. His first top-five finish came in a runner-up performance at the Golfweek Conference Challenge at the Cedar Rapids Country Club. At the Windon Memorial Classic, he posted three consecutive rounds at or below par at the Evanston Golf Club to tie for fifth place. Schaake used career-best 54-hole scores of 208 in both of his top-five finishes.
FALL RECAP
The Hawkeyes competed in five fall tournaments, averaging 73.63 strokes per round as a team. Iowa’s best finish came at the Golfweek Conference Challenge in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where they finished second out of 15 teams with four Hawkeye golfers finishing in the top 20 . Sophomore Alex Schaake, who finished second in the Golfweek Conference Challenge, had the lowest Hawkeye scoring average of 71.47. For the fall, seven Hawkeyes had top-20 finishes, while the team recorded 27 rounds at or below par.
CLIMBING THE LEADERBOARD
- Three Hawkeyes — Ryoto Furuya, Alex Schaake, and Matthew Walker — competed in every fall event. The trio combined for 17 rounds at or below par.
- Iowa’s low 18-hole score of the season came in the first round of the Windon Memorial Classic when they fired a 276 (-4). Schaake, Walker, and Alex Moorman carded below par rounds, while Moorman’s 67 tied for the lowest 18-hole round of the season.
- Benton Weinberg’s best performance of the season happened at Iowa’s last fall tournament in the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate when he used a career-best 54-hole score of 212 (-1) to finish a season-best tied for 17th. Weinberg’s 18-hole average of 72 was second on the team to Schaake (71.47).
WALKER IS A WORK HORSE
Junior Matthew Walker was the first true freshman to compete in every fall tournament for the Hawkeyes since Cole Peevler in 2015. In two and a half years as a Hawkeye, Walker has competed in every event dating back to his freshman year.
HAWKEYE NEWCOMERS
Iowa added two freshmen to its 2017-18 roster. Jaewook Lee (Langley, British Columbia) and Jake Rowe (Portadown, Northern Ireland). The freshmen competed in their first collegiate tournaments as individuals in the Zach Johnson Invitational, Oct. 2-3.
9 STRAIGHT NCAA APPEARANCES
Iowa has advanced to NCAA competition in each of the last nine seasons, joining Illinois as the only Big Ten teams selected to NCAA Regional competition in each of the last nine seasons. Iowa has advanced to the NCAA Championship finals three times in the last eight years (2009, 2011, 2012).
LOOKING AHEAD
The Hawkeyes remain in Georgia to play in the Schenkel Invitational, March 16-18, for the fifth straight year. Last year Iowa finished sixth and Matthew Walker tied for 24th with an even-par 216.
