RIVERSIDE, Iowa – The University of Iowa men’s golf team is in second place after two rounds at the Iowa Fall Classic. Three Hawkeyes rank inside the top four on the leaderboard heading into the final round of the tournament at Blue Top Ridge Golf Course.
Iowa is one stroke back from Valparaiso at 596 (+20) through 36 holes of play. The Hawkeyes have an 11-stroke advantage on the rest of the field, as gusty wind conditions made for an even tougher test at one of the top courses in the state of Iowa.
Senior Mac McClear sits atop of the leaderboard with a two-stroke lead at two-under par (142). McClear is hunting for his third individual crown as a Hawkeye after previously earning medalist honors at the Spartan Collegiate and Big Ten Championships in 2021.
McClear fired rounds of 70 (-2) and 72 (E) on Sunday, drilling eight birdies to match teammate Callum Macfie for the most in the field through two rounds.
Macfie, who is competing individually, is in third place at the event at two-over par (146). The junior from Yorkshire, England, shot a career-best 18-hole round of 68 (-4) to open the day, which is also the low single round score so far at the tournament.
Senior Ronan Kleu is one stroke behind in fourth place at 147 (+3).
Senior Garrett Tighe tied for 16th at 152 (+8) and sophomore Ian Meyer tied for 24th at 155 (+11). Freshman Hogan Hansen rounds out the Iowa lineup in his collegiate debut, currently tied for 34th at 158 (+14).
Hawkeye junior Felipe Pedraza is also putting in a strong individual performance, shooting nine-over par (153) through two rounds to tie for 19th.
IOWA SCORECARD
| 2 | TEAM | 294 | 302 | — | +14 | 596 |
| 1 | Mac McClear | 70 | 72 | — | -2 | 142 |
| 4 | Ronan Kleu | 73 | 74 | — | +3 | 147 |
| T-16 | Garrett Tighe | 76 | 76 | — | +8 | 152 |
| T-24 | Ian Meyer | 75 | 80 | — | +11 | 155 |
| T-34 | Hogan Hansen | 77 | 81 | — | +14 | 158 |
| 3 | Callum Macfie* | 68 | 78 | — | +2 | 146 |
| T-19 | Felipe Pedraza* | 75 | 78 | — | +9 | 153 |
*Competing individually
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH TYLER STITH
“Great performance and leadership from Mac [McClear]. He is always ready to compete, regardless of conditions. He has put himself and the team in a great position for the final round. I’m really happy for Callum [Macfie]. His morning round was very impressive. It should give him a lot of confidence moving forward.”
HAWKEYE NOTABLES
- Iowa leads the field in par-three stroke average (3.18) and par-five stroke average (4.95); the Hawkeyes also tie for the most birdies through two rounds (25) and second in pars (106), just one par behind Valparaiso.
- Individually, McClear ties for first in par-three stroke average (2.88) and par-five stroke average (4.75); Tighe ties McClear in par-five stroke average (4.75), while Callum Macfie is tied with Valparaiso’s Yianni Kosotouros for par-four stroke average (4.00).
- Pedraza’s first round 75 (+3) marks a career-best 18-hole score.
UP NEXT
The final round of the Iowa Fall Classic tees off tomorrow morning at 10:30 a.m. (CT) at Blue Top Ridge Golf Course in Riverside.