Iowa Set for Williams Cup

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa men’s golf team travels to Wilmington, North Carolina, on Oct. 21-23 for the Williams Cup at Eagle Point Golf Club.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
The 54-hole tournament will span three days, with one 18-hole round taking place each day. Players will tee off from holes No. 1 and No. 10 from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. (CT) each day. Iowa will tee off with first group on Friday, starting at 7:30 a.m. alongside Houston and NC State. 

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 at hawkeyesports.com.

THE LINEUP
Seniors Mac McClear, Ronan Kleu, and Garrett Tighe lead off the Iowa lineup. Junior Callum Macfie and sophomore Ian Meyer round out the Hawkeyes, while freshman Hogan Hansen will compete as an individual.

THE FIELD
No. 8 North Carolina welcomes a field of 10 teams, including three Big Ten Conference programs. The field includes Charlotte, Houston, Indiana, Iowa, Kent State, No. 37 Louisville, Michigan State, NC State, and UNC-Wilmington.

THE COURSE
Spanning 7,417 yards, Eagle Point Golf Club is one of the premier courses in North Carolina. Designed by Tom Fazio, the par 72 course extends along the Atlantic coastline and is ranked a top-100 American golf course by Golf Digest magazine. Eagle Point played host to the 2017 Wells Fargo Championship, a PGA TOUR event.

EXEMPTION ON THE LINE
The individual medalist at the Williams Cup will receive exemption into the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour event in Raleigh, N.C. The UNC Health Championship, previously known as the Rex Hospital Open, takes place June 1-4, 2023, at the Raleigh Country Club. Georgia’s Trent Phillips was the medalist at last season’s inaugural edition of the Williams Cup.

ON THE LINKS
The Hawkeyes took home the team championship at the Iowa Fall Classic last week, and McClear won the individual crown.

• McClear led the tournament wire-to-wire, finishing two-under par (214) through 54 holes to claim the third medalist honors of his collegiate career; McClear’s three individual titles are the most for an Iowa golfer since current volunteer assistant Steven Ihm (’14) won four tournaments in his career.
• McClear won the Spartan Collegiate and Big Ten Championships in 2021; he also was medalist at the Joliet Amateur and co-medalist a local US Open qualifier this summer.
• At the Iowa Fall Classic, McClear was the only competitor to finish below par through 54 holes under adverse weather conditions; his 12 birdies matched the most at the event as he outpaced the field by three strokes.
• Four total Hawkeyes finished inside the top four on the leaderboard; Macfie tied for fourth, competing as an individual, along with Tighe and Kleu. The trio shot 220 (+4) on the week, with Tighe leaping up the board in the third round with an 18-hole score of 68 (-4).
• All seven Hawkeyes that competed at the Iowa Fall Classic placed inside the top 25; junior Felipe Pedraza (individual) tied Meyer for 17th, while Hansen tied for 24th in his first collegiate start.

MCCLEAR EARNS WEEKLY HONORS
McClear was named Co-Big Ten Golfer of the Week on Oct. 19 for his performance at the Iowa Fall Classic. The Big Ten weekly honor is the second of McClear’s career. McClear is the first Hawkeye to earn Big Ten Golfer of the Week since Alex Schaake on April 28, 2021.

McClear was named a Big Ten Player to Watch on Aug. 31 and earned second team All-Big Ten honors last season. In 2021, McClear was the only unanimous All-Big Ten First Team selection and was named to the All-Big Ten Championships team after winning the fourth individual conference title in program history.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Hawkeyes conclude the fall slate this week. Iowa has not yet announced a spring schedule.