Iowa Set for Puerto Rico Classic

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa men’s golf team heads to the Grand Reserve Golf Club for the Puerto Rico Classic in Canóvanas, Puerto Rico. Hosted by Purdue University, the event features top ranked teams from around the country.

FOLLOW THE ACTION
You can follow this week’s action by visiting golfstat.com for live scoring. Links can be found on the men’s golf schedule page on hawkeyesports.com.

THE LINEUP
Junior Mac McClear heads the Iowa lineup, followed by junior Garrett Tighe, junior Ronan Kleu, senior Gonzalo Leal Montero, and sophomore Callum Macfie.

THE FIELD
Eight ranked teams are featured in the field of 13, which includes Iowa, College of Charleston, No. 26 East Tennessee State, No. 15 Georgia, Marquette, Maryland, No. 31 Michigan State, No. 16 Ole Miss, No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 24 Purdue, No. 47 South Carolina,  No. 10 Tennessee, and Wisconsin.

SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
No. 3 Oklahoma features a pair of top-15 ranked golfers in No. 3 Chris Gotterup and No. 13 Logan McAllister. Gotterup was the 2019-20 Big Ten Player of the Year at Rutgers before transferring to Oklahoma, while McAllister was named a third-team All-American last season. Both Sooners have been named to the Ben Hogan Award watchlist. Ole Miss senior Jackson Suber is ranked No. 1 in the nation; the field at the Puerto Rico Classic features 24 GolfStat top-250 golfers.

THE COURSE
The Puerto Rico Classic is hosted by Purdue University at the Grand Reserve Golf Club. The par 72 Championship Course spans 7,451 yards and is home to the PGA TOUR’s Puerto Rico Open.

AT STAKE
The individual medalist at the Puerto Rico Classic will earn an invitation to the professional event, which takes place March 3-6.

LAST WEEK AT BIG TEN MATCH PLAY
Iowa finished third last week at the Big Ten Match Play Championships, marking the program’s second straight top-three finish at the event. The Hawkeyes entered the field of 11 conference teams as the seven-seed, defeating 10-seed Minnesota (4-1), two-seed Northwestern (3-2), and one-seed Purdue on tie-breaking criteria (2.5-2.5). Juniors Mac McClear and Garrett Tighe marked team-best 3-1 individual records at the event, while all five Hawkeyes earned victories throughout the event.

HEAR FROM COACH STITH
“We have a great opportunity to measure ourselves against several top ranked teams.  The golf course is in good shape, soft, and getable. We played well last week at the Match Play and the guys gained confidence.  This week will be another good test.”

HEAR FROM GARRETT TIGHE
“When coming into an event like this with a strong field, I think its important to approach it just like any other tournament. Our focus is on doing the things we need to do to go out there and play free. I don’t think we should go out of our way to adjust our level of play or change the strategy. We have a solid strategy and a great group of talent. You can’t control what other teams are going to shoot, so we just need to focus on the things we can control.

I felt like we a had a great showing at Big Ten Match Play. Personally, I gained a lot of confidence and momentum going forward. As a team we all hit the ball really well and everyone should be very confident. Starting off strong in our first event has set us up for success in Puerto Rico and the rest of the spring season.”

LOOKING AHEAD
The Hawkeyes travel to Pinehurst, North Carolina, March 7-8 for the Wake Forest Invitational at Pinehurst #2.