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Hawkeyes Set to Compete at Fighting Irish ClassicHawkeyes Set to Compete at Fighting Irish Classic
Stephen Mally
Men's Golf

Hawkeyes Set to Compete at Fighting Irish Classic

The University of Iowa men’s golf team is set to travel to South Bend, Indiana to compete in the Fighting Irish Classic October 6-7 at Warren Golf Course.

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa men’s golf team is set to travel to South Bend, Indiana to compete in the Fighting Irish Classic October 6-7 at Warren Golf Course.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
The 54-hole tournament tees off on Monday with two rounds scheduled, and continues Tuesday with the final round. The start time for the tournament is yet to be announced.

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
14 schools will be competing in this year’s Fighting Irish Classic: Arkansas–Little Rock, Kent State, Oklahoma State, Miami (Ohio), UCLA, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana Tech, North Carolina, Georgia Southern, Tennessee, Purdue, Santa Clara, and Louisville.
- Notre Dame won the 2024 Fighting Irish Classic.

TOURNAMENT HISTORY
This season marks Iowa’s seventh consecutive appearance at the Fighting Irish Classic (excluding 2020 due to COVID-19).
- Messingham recorded a top-30 finish at the tournament last season.
- Tjoa was Iowa’s top finisher as a freshman at the 2023 Fighting Irish Classic.
- In 2018, the Hawkeyes recorded its second-lowest 54-hole team score in program history of 833. Former Iowa golfer, Alex Schaake posted UI’s fourth-best score of 203 and Benton Weinberg recorded 205 strokes which is eighth-best in school history.

THE COURSE
One of the premier collegiate courses, Warren Golf Course was rated the No. 70 public golf course in North America by GOLF in 2021. Spanning 7,020 yards, the par 70 course has hosted numerous prominent tournaments including the 2005 NCAA Men’s Central Regional, two U.S. Men’s Amateur Championship qualifiers, two Western Men’s Amateur qualifiers, five BIG EAST Conference Golf Championships, 2010 NCAA Men’s Regional, 2010 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship.

TJOA'S SEASON DEBUT
Max Tjoa made a strong showing at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate:
- Tied for 10th overall
- Carded 14 birdies (third-most in the field)
- Finished two-under on par 4s (Eighth best in the field)

STRONG SHOWING IN KNOXVILLE
The Hawkeyes made their season debut at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate.
- In the second round, Iowa shot 276, the 14th-best round in school history.
- Gage Messingham tied his career-low round with a 67 in round two.
- Max Tjoa tied his career-low 54-hole score with 208 and carded his second-lowest career round, a 67, in the second round.
- Bennett Warren and Grant Gudgel made their Hawkeye debuts, with their scores counting for all three rounds.
A hawk in a tree during the second annual Horse Race at Finkbine Golf Course
FINKBINE GOLF COURSE RENOVATION
Finkbine, home of Iowa men’s and women’s golf, will undergo a major renovation starting after the 2025 season. Led by architect Scott Hoffman and managed by Troon, the project will modernize the layout, enhance playability for all skill levels, and incorporate sustainable turf practices. Privately funded by Fritz and Mary Lee Duda, the renovation aims to position Finkbine as one of the premier collegiate golf courses in the Midwest.

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 Moraine Intercollegiate on Oct. 13-14  in Dayton, Ohio.