SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The University of Iowa men’s golf team concluded play at the Puerto Rico Classic at Grand Reserve Golf Club on Tuesday. The Hawkeyes placed eighth as a team finishing 25-under par (274/284/281 = 839).
Freshman Noah Kent was the Hawkeye low finisher as he finished tied for third place. Kent needed a birdie on hole 18 to tie for first place but was unable to do so. Kent carded a final round 69 (-3). The freshman was under-par every round highlighted by his record setting opening round of 9-under par. Kent led the tournament in total birdies with 20.
Kent’s 63 in the first round, marked the fourth-best 18-hole score in tournament history.
Sophomore Hogan Hansen finished tied for 37th. After consecutive rounds at 3-under par Hansen shot one-over par on Tuesday. Graduate student Josh Lundmark shot 2-under par to get to 5-under par for the tournament. Lundmark finished tied for 37th.
Senior Mac McClear tied Kent as the low scorer on Tuesday. McClear matched Kent with a final round 3-under par. McClear led the tournament in total pars with 43.
Georgia was the team champion, edging out No. 15 Virginia by three strokes. Georgia finished the tournament at 42-under par. Bryan Lee of Virginia shot 9-under par on Tuesday to get to 15-under par for the tournament. Lee tied Nels Surtani of Purdue for the individual medalist.
The Hawkeyes finished above three Big Ten opponents: No. 25 Ohio State, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
HAWKEYE SCORECARD
| 8 | Team | 274 | 284 | 281 | -25 | 839 |
| T3 | Noah Kent | 63 | 70 | 69 | -14 | 202 |
| T37 | Hogan Hansen | 69 | 69 | 73 | -5 | 211 |
| T37 | Josh Lundmark | 70 | 71 | 70 | -5 | 211 |
| 60 | Mac McClear | 72 | 74 | 69 | -1 | 215 |
| 86 | Max Tjoa | 75 | 76 | 75 | +10 | 226 |
| T49 | *Ian Meyer | 73 | 68 | 72 | -3 | 213 |
*Competing Individually
HEAR FROM COACH TYLER STITH
“Better performance today from the guys. We got it to -10 under with four or five holes remaining but dropped a few coming in. We’re happy to beat two top-25 teams (No. 9 ETSU, No. 25 Ohio State) but we missed a chance to beat a few more. Overall, it was a solid performance to begin the spring.
“Noah played some exceptional golf the last few days. He’s improved and grown up so much since the start of the season. He proved that he can play with anyone and execute shots in pressure situations. We’re all proud of him and know he will have many more opportunities to win.”
HAWKEYE NOTABLES
- Iowa’s par four average of 4.03 tied for third best in the tournament.
- Kent’s par four average of 3.83 (-5) tied for first best in the tournament.
- Max Tjoa and Hogan Hansen matched each other with 37 pars; 15th overall for the tournament.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes will travel to Pinehurst, N.C. to compete in the Wake Forest Invitational at Pinehurst No. 2 on March 4-5.