THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa men’s golf team heads to Charleston, South Carolina, for the inaugural Kiawah Invitational. Hosted by the College of Charleston, the event is held at the Oak Point course at the Kiawah Island Resort.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Golfers will play 18 holes each day, teeing off from holes No. 1 and No. 10 at the start of each round.
Sunday: 7:30 – 9:30 a.m. (CT)
Monday: 7:30 – 9:30 a.m. (CT)
Tuesday: 7- 9 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 access to exclusive coverage, “like” Hawkeye men’s golf on Facebook and follow @IowaHawkeyeGolf on Twitter and Instagram.
THE LINEUP
Iowa has not announced its lineup for the event and will qualify on site.
THE FIELD
The Hawkeyes will face off against both Big Ten and nonconference competition. The field of 14 includes Clemson, College of Charleston, East Carolina, ETSU, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue, Rutgers, UNCW, Wake Forest, and Wisconsin
THE COURSE
The Kiawah Invitational is held at the Oak Point golf course at the Kiawah Island Resort. Oak Point is often described as a “shot-maker’s course” because its challenging fairways and greens often reward strategy over power. The par 72 course spans 6,701 yards.
HAWKEYE NEWCOMERS
Two freshmen — Callum Macfie (Yorkshire, England) and Felipe Pedraza (Lima, Peru) join the Hawkeye roster this spring. Iowa also welcomes Charles Jahn (Sperry, Iowa) as a graduate transfer.
ON THE LINKS
Iowa started the 2021 season off “under par” last weekend with a strong showing at Big Ten Match Play. The fifth-seeded Hawkeyes finished second at the event, which saw Big Ten teams go head -to-head in the match play format. Iowa defeated Nebraska (3-2), Penn State (3-2), and Michigan State (3-2) on their way to the best program’s best finish at the tournament since it began in 2009.
- Fifth-year seniors Alex Schaake and Benton Weinberg led Iowa in wins, each finishing with 3-1 individual records. Schaake now leads Iowa in career wins at Big Ten Match Play (11), and Weinberg moved into third on that list (9).
- The Hawkeyes relied on late heroics in their first round match against Nebraska. Schaake stormed ahead of his opponent at the finish line, chipping in on the 15th hole and then sinking birdies on his final two holes to win. Sophomore Mac McClear also had to escape a greenside bunker on his final hole to secure the win, which would propel Iowa to its historic finish.
- The Hawkeyes came tantalizingly close to winning the tournament in a 3-2 narrow loss to Indiana in the championship round. The top three matches each came down to the final hole. Though junior Gonzalo Leal Montero drained a clutch birdie on 18 to win his match, it was not enough to secure the team win.
HAWKEYE TEE SHOTS
- Schaake led the Hawkeyes in rounds at or below par (11) and 18-hole stroke average (71.6) last season. Leal Montero finished second on the team in both categories with 10 rounds at or below par and a 71.9 stroke average.
- Schaake posted four top-20 finishes, while Leal Montero finished in the top-20 twice. Weinberg and Matthew Garside each recorded one top-20 finish.
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH TYLER STITH
“I would like to see us build off the momentum from the match play experience. As a team we need to play the par fives better to be competitive in stroke play.”
LOOKING AHEAD
Iowa travels to Sea Island, Georgia, to compete in the Spartan Collegiate on March 8-9.