Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2018-19 | Gopher Invitational Notes
THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa men’s golf team travels to Independence, Minnesota, for the Gopher Invitational on Sept. 9 and 10.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Sunday, Sept. 9 — 36 holes, tee times starting at 7:30 a.m. (CT)
Monday, Sept. 10 — 18 holes, tee times starting at 7:30 a.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 on 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 a field that includes seven teams that competed in last season’s NCAA Division 1 Championships. The 14-team field includes: No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 13 Texas, No. 18 Arkansas, Coastal Carolina, Michigan State, No. 40 Purdue, San Diego State, Charlotte, Minnesota, New Mexico, N.C. State, Utah, and Washington. (Golfstat Relative Rankings)
THE LINEUP
The lineup for the season opening tournament includes one senior (Matthew Walker), three juniors (Alex Moorman, Alex Schaake, and Benton Weinberg), and one freshman (Gonzalo Leal Montero).
QUOTING COACH STITH
“We have had two good weeks of practice. The guys performed well in qualifying and posted some low scores. They are playing with confidence and motivated to start the season.”
THE COURSE
Set up for the Gopher Invitational, playing as a par-71, stretching 7,368 yards, Windsong Farms Golf Course is located in Independence, Minnesota. The course was designed by John Fought.
HISTORICALLY AT THE GOPHER INVITATIONAL
This will be Iowa’s eighth time competing in the Gopher Invitational in the last 10 seasons. Last year, the Hawkeyes finished 14th with a three-round score of 893 (+41). Junior Alex Schaake posted a 54-hole score of 221 (+8), tying 43rd. Senior Matthew Walker tied 53rd after carding a three-round score of 223 (+10).
BACK TO WHERE IT STARTED
Iowa head coach Tyler Stith will be returning to Minnesota where he was an assistant coach from 2011-14. Stith helped lead the Gophers to a 2014 Big Ten title and a climb in the national rankings of 34 spots.
SCHAAKE’S ACTIVE SUMMER
Junior Alex Schaake won the Nebraska Match Play Championship and his third-straight win at the Nebraska Amateur Championship, winning by nine strokes (-13). He competed in the Pinnacle Bank Championship, a Web Dot Com Tour event. The Omaha, Nebraska, native won the Nebraska sectional qualifying for the U.S. Amateur Championship, where he played at historic Pebble Beach.
3 HAWKEYES EARN B1G PRESEASON HONORS
Schaake competed in 13 events for the Hawkeyes last season. He finished 24th at NCAA Regionals with a three-round score of 220 (+7). The Omaha, Nebraska, native was named to the Division 1 Ping All-Midwest Regional Team and All-Big Ten Second Team as a sophomore.
Walker competed in all 13 tournaments for the Hawkeyes as a junior. He earned the Iowa Men’s Golf Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. Walker recorded four top-25 finishes and 10 rounds at or below par.
Alex Moorman competed in seven tournaments for Iowa last season. He posted a career best finish (third) at the Hawkeye Invitational with a three-round score of 141 (-3). Moorman posted an 18-hole career low and Hawkeye best 66 in the second round of the Big Ten Championships, tying 15th.
HAWKEYE NEWCOMERS
Iowa added two freshmen to the its 2018-19 roster. Tyler Bussert (Port Byron, Ill.) and Gonzalo Leal Montero (Seville, Spain).
VETERAN LEADERSHIP
The Hawkeyes are led by seniors Aaron DeNucci and Matthew Walker, along with four juniors. DeNucci competed at the Schenkel Invitational as an individual where he carded a 222 (+6) three-round score to tie for 59th. Walker finished 2017 with an 18-hole scoring average of 73.69, third best on the team. He finished with a 54-hole score of 220 (+10) at the Big Ten Championships to tie for 31st.
2017-18 RECAP
The Hawkeyes posted their best finishes at the Golfweek Conference Challenge (2nd, 849, -15) and the Hawkeye Invitational (2nd, 584, +8).
Iowa finished third at Big Ten Championships with a 54-hole score of 859 (+19), marking the sixth consecutive top-four finish. Benton Weinberg was Iowa’s top finisher with a three-round score of 213 (+3) to tie for eighth.
Junior Alex Schaake competed at NCAA Regionals where he finished tied 24th with a 54-hole score of 220 (+7).
NCAA APPEARANCES
Iowa has advanced to NCAA competition in nine of the last 10 seasons. Iowa has advanced to the NCAA Championship finals three times in the last 10 years (2009, 2011, 2012). Schaake qualified as an individual for NCAA Regionals last season, tying 24th with a 54-score of 220 (+7).
A PROGRAM ON THE RISE
Iowa has won 15 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 the 2015 GolfWeek Conference Challenge. The Hawkeyes have also had three All-Americans since 2008.
LOOKING AHEAD
Following the Gopher Invitational, the Hawkeyes will host the Golfweek Conference Challenge in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Sept. 16-18.
