WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Seniors Mac McClear and Ronan Kleu each posted top-15 finishes at Purdue Fall Invitational on Tuesday. The team finished ninth in the tournament at Kampen Golf Course.
McClear tied for fifth at one-under par (215) through 54 holes, shooting even-par (72) in the third round to move up one spot on the leaderboard. He fired a pair of eagles and a birdie on Tuesday, making him the only golfer in the field to notch multiple eagles this week.
The top five-finish is McClear’s best through three events this season. He previously tied for 21st at the Fighting Irish Classic on Sept. 5 and tied for 20th at the Inverness Intercollegiate on Sept. 27th.
Kleu wrapped play with a 73 (+1) in the third round, bringing his total to 220 (+4) for the week. The Zollikerberg, Switzerland, native tied for 14th, marking his best finish through two tournaments this fall.
No. 7 Tennessee brought home the team title, outpacing the field by 12 strokes with an eight-under par (856) team total.
IOWA SCORECARD
| 9 | TEAM | 293 | 297 | 301 | +27 | 891 |
| T-5 | Mac McClear | 70 | 73 | 72 | -1 | 215 |
| T-14 | Ronan Kleu | 76 | 71 | 73 | +4 | 220 |
| T-48 | Garrett Tighe | 74 | 78 | 78 | +14 | 230 |
| T-57 | Ian Meyer | 77 | 75 | 81 | +17 | 233 |
| T-61 | Gonzalo Leal Montero | 73 | 83 | 78 | +18 | 234 |
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH TYLER STITH
“Scoring was more difficult for sure. The wind was 10 miles per hour stronger, and I thought the setup was harder. What a finish from Mac [McClear]. He chipped in for eagle on the par-five fourth hole, then drove the green on hole seven and drained the putt.
Ronan struggled with his driver in the first round but brought it back. He hit the ball nice today but just didn’t get many putts to drop. Still a nice finish for him to build on. Those two stepped up and showed great leadership today in tough conditions.”
HAWKEYE NOTABLES
- Kleu’s even-par 3.00 stroke average on par threes tied for fourth in the field of competitors; his 10 birdies through three rounds were a team high at the Purdue Fall Invitational.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes will host the Iowa Fall Classic on Oct. 16-17 at Blue Top Ridge Golf Course in Riverside, Iowa.