Iowa to Open Fall Season at Marquette Invitational

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa men’s golf team heads to Erin, Wisconsin, for the Marquette Invitational. The event is hosted annually by Marquette University at Erin Hills Golf Course.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Tee times are set for 9 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. (CT) on Sunday and Monday. Tuesday’s final round will have tee times between 8:30 a.m. and 10:50 a.m. (CT). Golfers will tee off from holes one and 10.

FOLLOW THE ACTION
Fans can follow the 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
Junior Mac McClear will lead the Hawkeyes in the No. 1 spot, followed by fifth-year senior Jake Rowe, freshman Ian Meyer, senior Gonzalo Leal-Montero, and junior Ronan Kleu.

THE FIELD
Iowa will compete with five Big Ten opponents in the field of 17 teams that includes Iowa, Marquette, ETSU, Houston, Kansas, Liberty, Minnesota, Northern Illinois, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Purdue, South Florida, USC, Texas A&M, UC Davis, and Wisconsin.

THE COURSE
Home of the 2017 U.S. Open, Erin Hills Golf Course is truly a championship caliber venue. The par 72 course spans 7,731 yards, and sediment deposits from 15,000 glaciers give the course its trademark rolling hills, dark soil, and naturalistic beauty. Known for narrow, slanted fairways, Erin Hills was rated the ninth-greatest public course in the United States by GolfDigest in 2019.

PRESEASON HONORS
McClear, Kleu, and sophomore Garrett Tighe were named to the Big Ten Men’s Golfers to Watch List this week. It was the first Big Ten preseason honor for each of the three, who had breakout seasons last spring.

• McClear was named an unanimous first-team All-Big Ten honoree following a pair of tournament victories, including an individual title at the Big Ten Championships.
• Kleu was a dominant force in the Peach Belt Conference at Columbus State, leading the conference with a 70.3 stroke average. He was named conference Player of the Year and earned Division II All-American recognition.
• Leal-Montero is another impactful returning Hawkeye. The senior from Seville, Spain was a second team All-Big Ten honoree in 2020 and led the team in rounds at or below par (four) while recording an 18-hole stroke average of 71.8. Last spring, Leal-Montero posted two top 10 finishes and twice posted a 209, tying for the eighth-lowest 54-hole score in program history (Kiawah Invitational; Hawkeye Invitational).

ON THE LINKS
The Hawkeyes had a successful 2021 spring season, winning a pair of team tournament championships and finishing in second place at Big Ten Match Play and the Big Ten Championships. This year’s Iowa team loses All-American Alex Schaake, the program’s career leader in stroke average. The Omaha native was Co-Big Ten Player of the Year earned first-team All-Big Ten honors. However, the Hawkeyes return a host of key contributors, including reigning Big Ten individual champion Mac McClear.

• McClear was the conference’s only unanimous first team All-Big Ten honoree. His 215 (-1) score at the Big Ten Championships was the only below-par individual finish at the event, hosted at the challenging Crooked Stick Golf Course. McClear is Iowa’s fourth Big Ten champion in program history.
• McClear was also the medalist at the Spartan Collegiate at Sea Island, finishing one-and-two with Schaake. The duo also finished in the top two at the Hawkeye Invitational, taking home team titles in both events. The Hawkeyes previously had not won multiple team tournament championships in the same season since 2014.
• Iowa separated itself as one of the conference’s strongest programs last season, finishing just one stroke behind Illinois at the Big Ten Championships, nearly ending the Illini’s dominant six-season conference title streak. The Hawkeyes had the Big Ten’s top individual finish at the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate (Schaake, tie for second), which featured 11 conference teams. Iowa received three Big Ten Player of the Week honors last season, which tied Illinois for a conference best.
• Iowa advanced to the NCAA Regional Championships in Cle Elum, Washington, their fifth Regionals appearance in six seasons (the event was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

HAWKEYE TEE SHOTS

• McClear returns the lowest 18-hole stroke average from last year’s squad (71.3), which was just a tenth of a stroke behind Schaake’s team-best average (71.2).
• Kleu joins the team with an impressive resume; the Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year finished in the top 10 in all four events last season, including two top five finishes. Kleu led the Peach Belt with a 70.3 season stroke average last year, shooting below par in 11 of 15 rounds.

HAWKEYE NEWCOMERS
Two freshmen — Ian Meyer (Deephaven, Minnesota) and Carlos Roldos (Palma de Mallorca, Spain) join the Hawkeye roster this spring. Iowa also welcomes Ronan Kleu (Zollikerberg, Switzerland) as a transfer from Columbus State.

LOOKING AHEAD
Iowa competes at the Gopher Invitational Sept. 12-13 at Windsong Farm Golf Club in Independence, Minnesota.