The Iowa men’s golf team opened its spring season with a sixth-place finish at the Big Ten Match Play Championship this past weekend in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Northwestern won the title for the second-straight year with a 4-2 victory over Indiana.

The Hawkeye lost their quarterfinal matchup with Indiana on Feb. 11, 4-2. On Feb. 12, they faced Purdue, where Iowa juniors Jed Dirksen, Barrett Kelpin, Chris Brant, and Brad George each won their matches, resulting in a 4-2 victory.

Iowa ended its trip with a 3.5-2.5 loss to Michigan later that day.

One bright spot for the Hawkeyes was Dirksen, who went 3-0 in his matches.

“[Jed] seemed to handled the pressure of his first collegiate tournament for us,” head coach Mark Hankins said in a release. “We anticipate he will continue to help us develop our overall team depth.”

The team will travel to Dallas for the Black and Gold Challenge on March 5. The annual event allows current Hawkeyes to take on Iowa alumni.

— by Ben Wolfson