The Iowa men’s golf team played in Tempe, Arizona, over this past weekend and took fifth place at Arizona State’s Thunderbird Invitational.
Action began at Karsten Golf Course on April 3, and the 42nd-ranked Hawkeyes opened the weekend with a performance on par with where they projected in the standings. As the fourth-highest ranked team at the tournament — behind No. 10 Arizona State, No. 14 Baylor, and No. 33 San Diego State — Iowa recovered from a slow morning to finish in sixth place after the first day.
Sophomore Raymond Knoll battled windy conditions early in the day to turn in a 72 (2-over) in the opening round but followed with a 68 in the afternoon to finish even on the day and 10th in the tournament.
Sophomore Carson Schaake finished the first day tied for 26th (3-over), while Voramate Aussarassakorn came in at 40th at 5-over par.
The sophomores continued to be the driving force for the Hawkeyes on April 4, though a stronger collective team effort led to a minimal increase on the final scoreboard.
Knoll shot another 72 in the final round to finish 2-over par for the tournament, which was good enough for 14th. Schaake followed with an even 70 on April 4 and finished in 19th place at 3-over.
Aussarassakorn’s performance fell slightly on the second day; his 77 in the final round dropped his individual score to 8-over and placed him 59th.
Seniors Brian Bullington and Ian Vandersee played neither horribly or incredibly, and after each posted a 76 in the second round, both turned in stabilizing rounds on Saturday. Bullington posted a 70 in the final round to finish in 34th at 6-over, while Vandersee turned in a 71 to finish in 43rd place.
Iowa, which was runner-up at the tournament last season, finished in fifth place. The 42nd-ranked Hawkeyes tied with No. 33 San Diego State.
Iowa’s next event will be the Hawkeye-Great River Entertainment Invitational, hosted by the Hawkeyes and scheduled to take place on April 18.
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