ERIN, Wis. – The University of Iowa men’s golf team is in sixth place at the Marquette Invitational heading into Tuesday’s final round. The Hawkeyes are 12-under par through two rounds at 2017 US Open site Erin Hills Golf Course, and still lead four of their five Big Ten opponents (Northwestern, Ohio State, Minnesota, and Wisconsin).
Senior Gonzalo Leal Montero opened the day with a birdie on hole number one and never looked back. The Seville, Spain, native sank seven birdies on the bogey-free round for a seven-under par 65. Leal Montero’s 18-hole score matches the fourth best round in program history and positions the Hawkeye veteran just one stroke back of leader Walker Lee of Texas A&M heading into the third and final round.
Junior Ronan Kleu is also in the top 10 after round two. Kleu finished the day with an eagle on No. 18 to complete his round at 70 (-2) on the day and seven-under par overall on the week. The 2021 Peach Belt Player of the Year is tied for ninth on the leaderboard, just four strokes off the lead.
Senior Jake Rowe also finished below par on Sunday (71) while freshman Ian Meyer shot an even-par 72. Defending Big Ten Champion Mac McClear closed out the day with a one-over par 73.
IOWA SCORECARD
| 6 | Iowa | 286 | 278 | — | -12 | 564 |
| T-2 | Gonzalo Leal Montero | 69 | 65 | — | -10 | 134 |
| T-9 | Ronan Kleu | 67 | 70 | — | -7 | 137 |
| T-47 | Jake Rowe | 74 | 71 | — | +1 | 145 |
| T-76 | Mac McClear | 76 | 73 | — | +5 | 149 |
| T-81 | Ian Meyer | 78 | 72 | — | +6 | 150 |
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH TYLER STITH
“A very impressive round today from Gonzalo [Leal Montero]. He’s playing with a lot of confidence and commitment.
The scores were really good today. There wasn’t much wind, so the course was getable. We did a much better job on the par-fives and played better on the front nine.”
HAWKEYE NOTEABLES
- Iowa’s most recent 18-hole score of 65 came last season at the Spartan Collegiate at Sea Island. McClear shot 65 in the third round en route to an individual and team championship at the event.
- Leal Montero’s 3.75 stroke average (-5) on par fours ties for the best in the field, while Kleu’s 2.75 average on par threes (-2) ties for second best. Leal Montero’s 12 birdies tie for the third most among all competitors.
UP NEXT
The Marquette Invitational draws to a close Tuesday at Erin Hills Golf Course. The Hawkeyes are paired with Kansas and Liberty with tee times set between 8:50-9:30 a.m. (CT).