McClear Named Big Ten Men’s Golfer Of The Week

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa sophomore Mac McClear was named Big Ten Men’s Golfer of the Week, it was announced Thursday by the league office. McClear was honored following his historic performance at the Spartan Collegiate.

The Hinsdale, Illinois, native claimed the tournament title, topping a field of 80 competitors and leading the charge for the Hawkeyes en route to a team victory at the event. His final round of 65 is the fourth-lowest 18-hole score in program history, and his total of 206 strokes is the fifth-best 54-hole performance in the Hawkeye record books.

McClear jumped out to a hot start Monday, setting a new personal best with a 6-under par in the first round. That record was short-lived, as McClear finished with a dominant 7-under par final round of 65 that featured four birdies on each nine.

The conference honor marks McClear’s first as a Hawkeye.

MAC MCCLEAR ON WINNING THE SPARTAN COLLEGIATE
“It felt good to get both the team and individual title. Golf can be hard, and you don’t win often, so it’s always nice to get a win. It validates all the hard work I’ve done and what we do as a team. It gives me and the team a lot of confidence moving forward, knowing that what we’re doing works and can produce results.

“This week, in particular, we did a lot of things well, but most importantly, we stayed patient and fought until the end. I’m not sure what the exact number was, but we were down by a lot of shots with around seven holes left, and we came back to win. We stayed in the moment and focused on playing the best golf we could. Personally, I was spot on with my process this week. I was specific and clear with myself before each shot about what I was trying to do.”

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes will return to action in a match against Florida on March 29, in Naples, Florida.