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Hawkeyes Head to Knoxville Collegiate for Season OpenerHawkeyes Head to Knoxville Collegiate for Season Opener
Stephen Mally
Men's Golf

Hawkeyes Head to Knoxville Collegiate for Season Opener

The University of Iowa men’s golf team is set to travel to Knoxville, Tennessee to compete in the Visit Knoxville Collegiate Sept. 5-7 at Tennessee National Golf Course.

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa men’s golf team is set to travel to Knoxville, Tennessee to compete in the Visit Knoxville Collegiate Sept. 5-7 at Tennessee National Golf Course.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
The 54-hole tournament tees off on Friday and concludes Sunday, with 18 holes to be played each day.

FOLLOW THE ACTION
You can follow this week's action by visiting scoreboard.clippd.com for live scoring. Links can be found on the men's golf schedule page at hawkeyesports.com.

THE FIELD
Seventeen schools will be competing in this year’s Visit Knoxville Collegiate: Ole Miss, LSU, ETSU, Toledo, Virginia Tech, College of Charleston, Chattanooga, Iowa, North Florida, LMU, Kentucky, Tennessee, Augusta, Florida State, UNC Charlotte, NC State, and Georgia Tech.
- Five participating schools finished last season ranked in the top 25: Ole Miss (#4), LSU (#8), Florida State (#10), Georgia Tech (#23), and Tennessee (#25).
- The first rankings of the 2025-26 season will be published in October.

TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Visit Knoxville Collegiate is in its third year and is played at Tennessee National Golf Club.
- LSU captured the 2024 title at 23-under and returns this year to defend its crown.
- Tennessee won the inaugural 2023 event with a 25-under team score, placing five players inside the top 25.

THE COURSE
Tennessee National Golf Club, a Greg Norman Signature Design, stretches 7,393 yards from the back tees and sits on a scenic peninsula along the Tennessee River.
- Unveiled in 2006, this easily walkable course features revetted pot bunkers – reminiscent of an Irish or Scottish links design – with five sets of tees on every hole. Generously wide fairways ensure the course is playable for players of all abilities, from novices to accomplished golfers.

THE LINEUP
1. Grant Gudgel
2. Gage Messingham
3. Bennett Warren
4. Max Tjoa
5. Chance Rinkol
20250405_IOWA_MENS_GOLF_CALUSA_CUP_PRACTICE_073The Iowa Hawkeyes during the practice round for the Calusa Cup at Calusa Pines Golf Club in Naples, Florida on Saturday, April 5, 2025. (Stephen Mally/hawkeyesports.com)
2024-25 SEASON RECAP
In the 2025 season, Stith guided the Hawkeyes through 11 tournaments across eight states and an international trip, earning three top-five finishes, including third at the Purdue Fall Invitational and the Hawkeye Invitational. Iowa set program records with a 275 second-round team score and an 857 54-hole total at the Hawkeye Invitational. Individually, Max Tjoa and Gage Messingham posted career-best scores, with Tjoa’s 66 placing him 20th on Iowa’s all-time 18-hole leaderboard. The team also finished fourth at the Gopher Invitational and eighth at the Fighting Irish Classic. The Hawkeyes also posted the highest GPA among all Iowa men’s athletic programs.

HAWKEYE NEWCOMERS
Iowa adds two to the 2025-26 season.
- Grant Gudgel redshirted the 2024–25 season at Oklahoma State. In high school, he was an honorable mention Rolex Junior All-American, won the Oklahoma Class 6A individual state title, and helped Team USA to a third-place finish at the 2023 Toyota Junior Golf World Cup.
- The Hawkeyes also welcome true freshmen Bennet Warren who was the top ranked junior in the state of Kansas and was the No. 60 recruit nationally per the Junior Golf Scoreboard rankings.

HAWKEYE RETURNERS
Iowa returns four letter winners to the 2025-26 season.
- Max Toja recorded his best finish of the season at The Hawkeye Invite, placing 7th, highlighted by a career-low round of 66 in the second round. He also earned top-25 finishes at the Hootie (9th), the Gopher Invite (17th), the Colleton River Collegiate (17th),the Boilermaker  Invite (23rd) and  the Purdue Invite (24th). Tjoa carded an average 73.06 to put him 26th on the all-time season average.
- Gage Messingham opened the season strong with a ninth-place finish at the Gopher Invite and followed up with top-25 performances at the Purdue Invite, Colleton River Collegiate, and the Calusa Cup. He recorded a season-low 67 in the opening round of the Hawkeye Invitational, earning his top finish of the season with a tie for seventh place and closed out the season with another top-10 finish placing ninth at the Boilermaker  Invite. Messingham was 11th all-time with a season average of 72.21
- Chance Rinkol was named Iowa’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree and earned a letter in 2024-25. He recorded a 74.7 stroke average with six rounds at par or better and carded a career-best 68 at the Hawkeye Invitational, where he tied for 13th.
- Ryan Shellberg started in six tournaments. He recorded a 75.7 stroke average with three rounds at par or better and tied his career-low in the opening round of the Calusa Cup, where he placed 24th.
- Jack McCarty redshirted last season.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Hawkeyes will compete in the Highlands Invitational Invite on Sept. 15-16, at Chicago Highlands Club.