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Hawkeyes Travel to Puerto Rico for Spring OpenerHawkeyes Travel to Puerto Rico for Spring Opener
Stephen Mally
Men's Golf

Hawkeyes Travel to Puerto Rico for Spring Opener

The men's golf team opens its spring season at the Puerto Rico Classic at Grand Reserve Golf Club, hosted by Purdue.

Meet Notes (PDF) Live Scoring
THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa men's golf team opens its spring season at the Puerto Rico Classic in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Feb. 9th-11th at Grand Reserve Golf Club, hosted by Purdue.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
The 54-hole tournament will feature 18 holes each day, with one round played Saturday through Monday.

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
15 schools will be competing in this year’s Puerto Rico Classic: #1 Virginia, #2 LSU, #14 Oklahoma, #18 Tennessee, #29 Louisville, Georgia, Iowa, Marquette, Minnesota, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Ohio State, North Florida, Purdue, and College of Charleston.

THE COURSE
The event will be played at the Grand Reserve Country Club in Rio Grande. Designed by PGA Tour professional, Tom Kite, the unique 18-hole course brings  a dynamic golfing experience like no other. The immaculate course features seashore paspalum grass, white silica sand bunkers and challenging water hazards for truly world-class play.

THE EVENT
The Puerto Rico Classic is hosted annually by Purdue Universty; 2026 marks the 33rd year of the event and its fifth year at Grand Reserve Golf Club.

HAWKEYES IN PUERTO RICO
This marks the seventh appearance for the Hawkeyes at the Puerto Rico Classic, dating back to their debut in 2019, where they placed seventh out of 15 teams. It is also their fourth consecutive year opening the spring season in this event.

Last season, Iowa finished ahead of Big Ten opponents RV Ohio State and Wisconsin. Alumnus Josh Lundmark recorded four birdies and one eagle in the third round, tying his season-low round with a three-under-par (69) and finished the tournament at four-under-par (212). Junior Max Tjoa added four birdies in the final round, shooting three-under-par on the back nine, closing with a one-under-par (71).

In 2024, the Hawkeyes defeated two top-25 teams, No. 9 ETSU and No. 25 Ohio State. In 2023, Iowa finished ahead of No. 28 Purdue and No. 45 Marquette. In 2022, alumnus Mac McClear shot an 8-under-par (64 )in the final round to tie for ninth - the third-lowest round in program history.
Maxwell Tjoa follows through on his golf shot with trees in the background.
FALL RECAP
The Hawkeyes turned in a strong fall season, highlighted by sixth-place finishes at the Moraine Intercollegiate and Fighting Irish Classic. Iowa outperformed several Big Ten opponents during the fall, including Indiana, Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan.

Redshirt freshman Grant Gudgel led the Hawkeyes at Moraine with a seventh-place finish at six-under-par (207), earning his first career top-10 finish. Junior Max Tjoa led the team throughout the fall, opening the season with three straight under-par finishes and leading Iowa with a tie for first at the Fighting Irish Classic.

TJOA FILE
Junior Max Tjoa opened the season with three straight under-par finishes and delivered one of the best performances in program history at the Fighting Irish Classic, finishing as a co-medalist at six-under-par (204). His performance included a hole-in-one and a career-low 65 (-5) in the opening round, and his 54-hole score ranks as the second-best in program history.

Earlier in the fall, Tjoa tied for 10th at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate, recording 14 birdies (third-most in the field) and finishing two-under on par 4s (eighth-best). The Cedar Falls, Iowa, native has finished under par in each of his first three events this season.

GUDGEL FILE
Redshirt freshman Grant Gudgel made a strong debut season as a Hawkeye, highlighted by a seventh-place finish at the Moraine Intercollegiate at six-under-par (207), securing his first career top-10 finish. He shot par or better in all three rounds at the event, including a second-round 66 that featured six birdies and 17 holes at par or better. Gudgel’s scores counted for the Hawkeyes in every round this fall.

MESSINGHAM FILE
Senior Gage Messingham sustained a season-ending injury this off season and will not be competing in the spring.

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.

SIGNING DAY RECAP
The Hawkeyes welcomed three student-athletes to the program as part of the 2025 signing class: Andrew Johannsen (Johnston, Iowa), Joey Scott (Lemont, Illinois), and Cody Weaver (Gilman, Iowa).
- Scott is a two-time IHSA All-State selection and first golfer in Lemont history to earn the honor twice. Scott is a 2025 PGA Jr. League National Champion, owns a career-low round of 63.
- Johannsen is the 2025 Iowa High School Individual State Champion and a three-time First Team All-State selection. Johannsen posted a 69.60 scoring average as a senior.
- Weaver is a  three-time all-state honoree and Iowa Junior Open Champion with strong multi-sport credentials. Weaver was also the runner-up at the Iowa Junior PGA Championship.

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes will travel to Bluffton, S.C. where they will compete in the Colleton River Collegiate hosted by Michigan State University. The 54-hole tournament will tee of on March 1st and conclude on the 2nd.