It’s all about being relaxed and staying in the present.
That is what the Iowa men’s golf team will try to do today as the Hawkeyes tee off in their final tournament of the fall season at the Baylor Intercollegiate.
After stumbling in the final three holes at the Fighting Irish Gridiron Classic on Oct. 6, the Hawkeyes dropped two places to finish sixth, ending a three-tournament streak of top-five finishes.
Head coach Mark Hankins said the team, which has not competed since the South Bend, Ind., tournament, has had tough intrasquad competition in the past two weeks.
“After that tournament, I decided every team member had to compete to fight his way onto the team for this final tournament,” he said. “It’s important for us to have intrasquad competition because it makes us compete in practice, which translates to the tournaments.”
Hankins said one thing he made one thing clear to the team after the bad finish: Every shot counts.
“You know that same scenario ended up working in our favor in Virginia,” Hankins said about the Hawkeyes’ move from seventh to fourth place on the final day of the VCU Shootout on Sept. 29.
“You have to stay focused at all times, because just one bad hole can ending up costing you a few places.”
After the intense team competition, junior Brad Hopfinger, junior Vince India, sophomore Barrett Kelpin, sophomore Chris Brant, and sophomore Brad George made the trip to Dallas for the Baylor tournament.
The quintet played in the Golden Gopher Classic, in which the Hawkeyes finished in fifth place and the VCU Shootout, in which they finished in fourth.
India, who finished in 10th place individually at the Fighting Irish Classic, said staying in the present is key to Iowa’s success the week.
“We have always had trouble with that,” he said. “We have to make sure we don’t get ahead of ourselves or think about the outcome before we are actually there.”
Hankins said getting off to a good start will be important for another top-five finish.
“In general, when you play a good field like the one this week, we just want to at least be in the hunt with 18 holes left to play,” he said. “As long as we are in decent position after day one, our experience in other close tournaments will help us finish in a good spot.”
The tournament field at the Royal Oaks Country Club features a variety of tough competition, including fourth-ranked Texas and ninth-ranked Texas A&M.
Hankins is confident with the high level of play the team has competed with in its fall tournaments, he said, and another solid finish will be a great boost heading into the spring.
“We will be going 100 percent, and as long as we continue to stay consistent, we will be in good shape to end the season,” he said.