Hawkeyes head south for the second time this season.

The Hawkeye men’s golf team will compete in the U.S. Collegiate Championship Atlanta, Georgia this weekend.

Iowa will send junior Carson Schaake in the No. 1 spot followed by senior Nate Yankovich, junior Raymond Knoll, senior Voramate Aussarassakorn, and freshman Matthew Walker. All five also competed at the David Toms Intercollegiate on Oct. 10-11.

“I’m excited; we played well in Baton Rouge, and we finished fourth in a good field,” said head coach Tyler Stith. “I thought the guys managed themselves and handled the golf course really well, but it would have been nice to catch a couple teams on the last round.”

The David Toms Intercollegiate was the first time that any of the Hawkeyes played the course, and it proved very difficult for them.

Despite that, however, the Hawks were still able to grab a fourth-place finish among 14 teams

However, the U.S. Collegiate Championship will be different.

“We’re taking guys down there who have played this golf course two or three times, and that really helps,” Stith said. “Going to somewhere that’s familiar makes a big difference. I think it makes it easier to commit to decisions and to commit to shots when you’ve been around a course a few times.”

Juniors Raymond Knoll and Carson Schaake both played very well last year at the U.S. Collegiate Championship, with Schaake placing in the top 10.

With the additional experience and knowledge of the course, the Hawkeyes are ready to improve on their fourth-place finish at the David Toms Intercollegiate.

“I think the biggest thing that we have going for us right now is that all five guys have contributed at some point in every tournament,” Stith said. This gives everyone confidence because they don’t feel like they have to do anything special to carry the team.”

— by Rod Engblom