Hawkeyes Set for Wake Forest Invite at Pinehurst No. 2

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa men’s golf team heads to Pinehurst, North Carolina, for the Wake Forest Invitational on March 6-7 at Pinehurst No. 2.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
The first two rounds of the 54-hole tournament tee off on Monday, with the final 18 holes to be played on Tuesday.

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
Iowa will announce a lineup on site.

THE FIELD
Seven Golfstat top-50 ranked teams will compete at Pinehurst, including No. 15 Virginia, No. 29 Northwestern, No. 31 Duke, No. 33 Wake Forest, No. 41 East Tennessee State, No. 43 Clemson and No. 49 UNCG. College of Charleston, NC State and SMU round out the field of 11 teams.

Charleston’s Kieron van Wyk is the highest-ranked individual in the field at No. 13 in the nation.

THE COURSE
The site of more single golf championships than any other course in the United States, Pinehurst No. 2 serves as the anchor site for the U.S. Open. The major championship is set to return for the fourth time in 2024; Pinehurst has also played host to the U.S. Women’s Open, the PGA Championship, three U.S. Amateur Championships and the Ryder Cup.

THE EVENT
Entering its third year, the Wake Forest Invitational is hosted annually at Pinehurst No. 2. Iowa placed seventh out of 12 teams at last year’s event. The Hawkeyes were led by current-senior Mac McClear, who shot 216 (+6) for a seventh-place showing. McClear tied for third in the field in par five scoring (-3) and seventh in par four scoring (+6) to finish ahead of numerous nationally ranked opponents.

ON THE LINKS
The Hawkeyes placed ninth at the Puerto Rico Classic, last time out. Iowa finished ahead of No. 28 Purdue and No. 45 Marquette in a loaded field at Grand Reserve Golf Club, a PGA TOUR venue.

• Senior Ronan Kleu and junior Callum Macfie led the Hawkeyes, tying for 28th place shooting 213 (-3) through 54 holes. Kleu shot 68 (-4) in the second round, a team best for the week, while posting a Hawkeye-best 12 birdies at the event.
• Iowa posted 10 18-hole rounds of par or better out of a possible 15 at the Puerto Rico Classic.
• Previously, the Hawkeyes took home the team championship at the Iowa Fall Classic on Oct. 17 at Blue Top Ridge Golf Course in Riverside, Iowa.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH TYLER STITH
“Our performance at the Puerto Rico Classic gave everybody a lot of confidence. We are trying to practice outside as much as we can to get ready for Pinehurst. We know that it is going to be a different challenge. The guys are feeling good and feeling confident, and they should…

The team knows going in what to expect. It is as much a mental test as a physical test, because the golf course never really lets up. It is a major championship venue, and you think about the type of player that it takes to win a major.

You have got to be on your game, and you have got to recognize that you are going to hit good shots that may not end up in great spots. You have to be willing to adapt and overcome that. You have to be mentally strong and ready to grind for 54 holes.”

LOOKING AHEAD
Iowa travels to St. Simons Island, Georgia, for the Johnnie-O at Sea Island from March 13-14 at the Seaside Course.