SEA ISLAND, Georgia — The University of Iowa men’s golf team won the 2021 Spartan Collegiate Championship on Tuesday at the Plantation Golf Course at Sea Island following a dominant final-round performance.
The Hawkeyes surged into first place with a third-round 11-under par 277 to rally and win 16-team event at 13-under par (851). Today’s 277 was the lowest 18-hole team score of the 54-hole tournament.
The victory marks Iowa’s first tournament win since the 2019 Hawkeye Invitational in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes beat 34th-ranked Indiana, No. 39 Notre Dame, No. 47 Georgia Southern, Iowa State, and five other Big Ten teams (Northwestern, Michigan State, Ohio State, Rutgers, and Minnesota).
Iowa finished 1-2 in the individual leaderboard. Sophomore Mac McClear secured his first individual championship as a Hawkeye, placing first out of 80 competitors with a 10-under par 206. McClear’s historic 7-under par performance in Tuesday’s final round marks the fourth lowest 18-hole score in program history (65). McClear carded four birdies on both the front and back nine on Tuesday. His total of 10-under par 206 is also good for the program’s fifth lowest 54-hole score (206).
Fifth-year senior Alex Schaake took home runner-up honors with a 7-under par 209 thanks to his third-lowest score of his career (6-under par 66) on Tuesday. Schaake birdied six holes on the back nine, including five consecutive birdies on holes 14 through 18.
Fifth-year senior Benton Weinberg also placed in the top 15, posting a 2-under par 214 to tie for 12th place.
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH TYLER STITH
“Today was an amazing performance all around. The guys showed so much resiliency today. I’ve never seen a finish like that to win a college tournament, to be honest. I’m so grateful to have been part of it. We talked this morning about the finishing stretch. We knew our last seven holes were getable. [Assistant Coach Charlie Hoyle] and I kept encouraging them to stay patient. We made a couple of birdies on #14 then we just went off. I couldn’t be happier for Mac [McClear]. He turns up for practice and training every day ready to work. He’s improved so much over the last year. Today validated all of his hard work.”
IOWA SCORECARD
| 1 | Iowa | 285 | 289 | 277 | -13 | 851 |
| 1 | Mac McClear | 66 | 75 | 65 | -10 | 206 |
| 2 | Alex Schaake | 74 | 69 | 66 | -7 | 209 |
| T-12 | Benton Weinberg | 70 | 70 | 74 | -2 | 214 |
| T-51 | Gonzalo Leal Montero | 75 | 75 | 72 | +6 | 222 |
| T-66 | Jake Rowe | 75 | 78 | 75 | +12 | 228 |
HAWKEYE NOTABLES
- The Hawkeyes drained 25 birdies in today’s final round. Iowa also carded an eagle; Weinberg eagled the par-5 eighth hole.
UP NEXT
Iowa is set to face off the University of Florida on March 29 in Naples, Florida.