Shellberg Leads Calusa Cup After Round One

NAPLES, Fla. – The Iowa men’s golf team opened play at the sixth annual Calusa Cup on Sunday at Calusa Pines Golf Club. The Hawkeyes fired a one-over-par 289 and sit in fifth place.

“I’m proud of the way we battled. We started slow, but the guys kept working and put together a great back nine. We have good momentum heading to into tomorrow,” said Head Coach Tyler Stith.

Iowa holds a five-stroke lead over No. 2 Virginia and a one-stroke lead over Big Ten foe No. 45 Purdue after 18 holes.

Sophomore Ryan Shellberg paced Iowa with a four-under-par 68, putting himself atop the individual leaderboard. His round featured four birdies on the back nine and six overall, and he played 16 of 18 holes at or under par.

“Ryan didn’t have his best ball striking but he was gritty all day. It was an impressive round. He just keeps learning how to get the job done,” Stith said.

Freshman Bennett Warren posted a one-over-par 73 and sits inside the top 20. He fired a two-under 34 on the back nine, highlighted by two birdies and an eagle.

Redshirt freshman Grant Gudgel and junior Max Tjoa each carded two-over-par 74s to contribute to Iowa’s team score. Gudgel went even on the back nine, while Tjoa was one-under.

Redshirt freshman Jack McCarty rounded out the lineup with an eight-over-par 80.

HAWKEYE SCORECARD

5/8	Team	289 (+1)
T1	Ryan Shellberg	72 (-4)
T20	Bennett Warren	78 (+1)
T23	Grant Gudgel	74 (+2)
T23	Max Tjoa	79 (+2)
T38	Jack McCarty	78 (+8)

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes return to action tomorrow for the second round of the Calusa Cup.