Hawkeyes Travel to Big Ten Championships

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa men's golf team is set compete in the Big Ten Championships in North Plains, Oregon, from May 1-3.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
The tournament is three days consisting of 54 holes of stroke play, teeing off on Friday, May 1 and concluding May 3, there will be 18 holes played each day. The tournament tees off at 11:30 a.m. (CT) each day with groups teeing off on holes one and 10. The final tee time of each round one will be at 1:50 p.m. (CT).

FOLLOW THE ACTION
You can follow the action by visiting scoreboard.clippd.com for live scoring. Links can be found on the men's golf schedule page at hawkeyesports.com. Three hours of live coverage from the final round will be televised on BTN.  TV coverage begins on May 3 at 4:30 p.m. (CT) anchored by Rick Pizzo and Eric Ciotti in the BTN studios, and Emma Carpenter on the course.

THE FIELD
All 18 Big Ten teams will be participating in the championships: #12 Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, #48 Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, #42 Purdue, Rutgers, #33 UCLA, #26 USC, Washington and Wisconsin.

TOURNAMENT HISTORY
2026 marks the 104th year of the Big Ten Championships and will be hosted by Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club for the first time. The Hawkeyes have earned one team Big Ten Championship in program history. The team title came in 1992 at Finkbine Golf Course. UCLA won the 2025 Big Ten Championship at two-over par (842), defeating Illinois by one stroke. Omar Morales of UCLA was the individual champion carding a 203.
- The Hawkeyes finished 14th in 2025 with Max Tjoa being the low finisher in a tie for 28th.
- Mac McClear was the co-medalist in 2023 where he became the first Hawkeye to win multiple conference championships after also winning the event in 2021. McClear became the 16th men’s golfer to win multiple Big Ten Championships in tournament history. McClear is one of four Hawkeyes to win the individual medalist at the Big Ten Championships, joining Carson Schaake (2015), Brad Klapprott (1992), and John Jacobs (1946).
- The Hawkeyes debuted at the Big Ten Championship in 1924 where they placed seventh. This year is Iowa’s 92nd appearance all-time in the Big Ten Championships.

THE COURSE
Considered among the nation's best classic-style courses, Bob Cupp designed the par-72, 7,017-yard Witch Hollow course to blend harmoniously with its natural surroundings in the shadows of the Cascade Mountains. Woven through a tapestry of fir, maple, oak and ash trees with dramatic views of the Tualatin Hills, the course's undulating fairways, wide manicured greens, numerous wetland areas and variety of ponds, lakes and streams add to the layout's mystical allure and beauty. Pumpkin Ridge was established in 1992, received the unprecedented honor of being named the host site for the United States Golf Association's (USGA) 1996 U.S. Amateur Championship.
- Witch Hollow was named by Golf Digest the "#2 Best New Private Course in the U.S." when it opened in 1992 and continues to garner national acclaim thanks to its imaginative design and superb conditioning. In 1996, Tiger Woods brought notoriety to Witch Hollow when he won his unprecedented third consecutive U.S. Amateur Championship in a dramatic come-from-behind finish over Steve Scott.
- In 2000, Pumpkin Ridge made history once again by hosting the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship and the U.S. Girls' Junior Championship, marking the first time in 22 years that these two events had been held simultaneously at the same location. Numerous other prestigious amateur and professional events have been held on the two courses since then, including the 2003 U.S. Women's Open Championship; 2006 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship; and the LPGA's 2009, 2010 and 2011 Safeway Classic, and the 2022 LIV Tour.

LAST TIME OUT
The Hawkeyes claimed the team title at the 32nd Hawkeye Invitational, finishing with a 13-under par (851) as a group. The score tied for the 20th-best 54-hole total in program history. Iowa won the tournament by six strokes, with Southern Illinois finishing second at 7-under par.
- The Hawkeyes posted rounds of one-under par in the opening round, followed by a tournament-best 10-under performance in the second round, and closed with a two-under par third round.

BIG TIME SHELLBERG
Ryan Shellberg was crowned the individual medalist at the Hawkeye Invitational on April 21 after shooting 10-under par (206). It marked the program's 17th Hawkeye Invitational individual champion and the first since Mac McClear in 2023. Shellberg’s round was highlighted by a 65 (-7) in round two that marked the 10th-lowest score in program history. His 54-hole score tied for the 11th-best in program history.
- Shellberg was named Big Ten Golfer of the Week (April 9) after a runner-up finish at the Calusa Cup. The Prosper, Texas, native has finished inside the top-25 in all four spring tournaments.
- At the Calusa Cup, he posted all three rounds under par with a 68 (-4), 71 (-1), and 69 (-3). He played 47 of 54 holes at par or better. His 208 total is the best 54-hole performance by a Hawkeye at the event and ties for 28th in program history.
- At the Duck Invitational, Shellberg led the team with an 18th-place finish, posting a three-over-par 217.
- At the Colleton River Collegiate, he opened the tournament with a four-under-par 68 in round one and followed with a three-under-par 69 in round two to hold the individual lead through 36 holes. Shellberg recorded par or better on 34 of his first 36 holes.

TJOA FILE
Junior Max Tjoa opened the 2025-26 season with three straight under-par finishes. He earned co-medalist honors at the Fighting Irish Classic at 6-under-par (204), highlighted by a hole-in-one and a career-low 65 (-5). His 54-hole total ranks second in program history.
- At the Hawkeye Invitational, Tjoa finished 25th, climbing nine spots on the leaderboard during the final round after shooting an even-par 72.
- This spring, Tjoa placed fifth at the Puerto Rico Classic, marking his third top-10 finish of the season. He shot 11-under-par (202), the third-best 54-hole score in program history.
- He also tied for 10th at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate in the fall, recording 14 birdies and finishing two-under on par 4s.
- Tjoa has placed in the top-10 three times this season.

GUDGEL FILE
Redshirt freshman Grant Gudgel made an strong debut season as a Hawkeye, highlighted by a seventh-place finish at the Moraine Intercollegiate at six-under-par (207), earning his first career top-10 finish. He shot par or better in all three rounds, including a second-round 66 with six birdies and 17 holes at par or better, and his scores counted for Iowa in every fall event.
- At the Hawkeye Invitational, Gudgel recorded a career-best finish, placing sixth at one-under par for the tournament. He fired back-to-back rounds of three-under 69 over the final two rounds.
- In his spring debut at the Puerto Rico Classic, Gudgel finished ninth, posting a 54-hole total of 206. This was his best tournament as a Hawkeye and tied for the 10th-best 54-hole score in program history.
- Gudgel has placed in the top-25 six times and in the top-10 three times this season.

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

STRONG SPRING OPENER
Iowa opened the spring season with a strong performance at the Puerto Rico Classic, finishing at 24-under-par 840. This ties for the ninth-lowest 54-hole total in program history.
- Max Tjoa led the way with an 11-under-par 202, tying for the third-best 54-hole score in school history and finishing fifth individually. Grant Gudgel added a ninth-place finish at 10-under par (206), while Ryan Shellberg posted a career-low seven-under-par tournament to earn a top-25 finish.

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.

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.

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.