Iowa Set to Host Hawkeye Invitational at Finkbine

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa men’s golf team hosts the Hawkeye Invitational from April 15-16 at Finkbine Golf Course in Iowa City, Iowa. 

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
The 54-hole tournament tees off with 36 holes of continuous play on Saturday starting at 8:30 a.m. (CT). The final round tees off at 8:30 a.m. (CT) on Sunday. Play will begin with a shotgun start each day.

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
Senior Mac McClear heads the Iowa lineup, followed by senior Ronan Kleu, sophomore Ian Meyer, junior Callum Macfie and freshman Hogan Hansen. Junior Felipe Pedraza will also compete as an individual.

THE FIELD
Iowa hosts a field of 13 programs from around the Midwest. The group includes Central Arkansas, Creighton, Drake, Iowa State, Kansas, Northern Illinois, South Dakota State, St. Thomas, Tarleton State, Kansas City, Western Illinois and Wichita State.

THE COURSE
Conveniently located right on campus, Finkbine Golf Course is the full-time practice and competition home of Iowa men’s and women’s golf.

In 2022, the Des Moines Register ranked Finkbine the No. 5 public access course in the state of Iowa. Finkbine was the site of the 2002 Big Ten Men’s Golf Championships, as well as the1993 and 2003 women’s league championship.

HAWKEYES HOST
The Hawkeye Invitational is Iowa’s third and final home event of the season. The Hawkeyes previously hosted the Iowa Fall Classic  from Oct. 16-17 at Blue Top Ridge Golf Course in Riverside, Iowa. Last week, Iowa hosted one of the top fields of the year at Calusa Pines Golf Club in Naples, Florida, a Golf Digest top-100 venue in the United States.

HAWKEYE INVITATIONAL HISTORY
2023 marks the 29th edition of the Hawkeye Invitational. Iowa seeks its 17th championship in the event’s history. The Hawkeyes have won two of the last three team titles dating back to 2019 (event was canceled in 2020). Iowa had three top-six finishers at the event last season, placing second as team.

The Hawkeyes claimed the inaugural team title in 1970, as well as the next seven in a string lasting through 1981. Other champions include Kansas, Kent State, Western Illinois and Wisconsin. Iowa has won 16 Hawkeye Invitational titles and has crowned 15 individual champions in the tournament’s histor.

The Hawkeye Invitational has hosted a number of different teams and has been played in a number of different formats, but two things have remained the same: Finkbine Golf Course has always been home to the event and many of the Midwest’s best teams have been showcased.

ON THE LINKS
Iowa finished ninth at the Calusa Cup on April 4. The Hawkeyes hosted four of the top-five ranked teams in the country as part of a loaded field at Calusa Pines Golf Club.

• Kleu was Iowa’s top finisher at the event, tying for 30th at 11-over par (227) for the week.
• Iowa’s top team finish this spring is a tie for fourth place at the Wake Forest Invitational on March 7; the Hawkeyes previously won the Iowa Fall Classic on Oct. 17 at Blue Top Ridge Golf Course.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Big Ten Championships will take place April 28-30 at Galloway National Golf Club in Galloway, New Jersey.