The Iowa men’s golf team will open its spring season today in Bradenton, Fla., at 6the Concession Golf Club for the Big Ten Match Play Championships.

The Hawkeyes enter the outing as the third seed in the tournament, earning them a first round bye. No. 18 Illinois is slotted at No. 1, followed by Northwestern.

The tournament at the Jack Nicklaus-designed course features 11 individuals ranked in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, including Hawkeye Steven Ihm at No. 96.

The Iowa golfers look to continue where they left off in the fall, in which the squad had its best finish of the season, fifth place at the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate.

The Hawkeyes also had a strong performance from Ian Vandersee, who won the individual title at the Royal Oaks, recording a score of 206 — that was good enough for 7 under over three rounds. The score is the third lowest three-round score in Iowa history.