The men’s golf team put together three solid rounds to finish fifth at the April 2-Sunday ASU Thunderbird Invitational.
The Hawkeyes carded a team score of 839 (minus-13) for the tournament, with their best play coming in the final round — a surprise, given that they’ve struggled in final rounds in past tournaments.
Iowa State claimed the team title after firing an 832, and No. 13 California took second, trailing Iowa State by 1 stroke. No. 22 San Diego State finished third with a score of 835.
Jon Rahm of Arizona State took home medalist honors, finishing with a tournament score of 198 (minus-15).
Nick Voke of Iowa State finished second, and K.K. Limbhasut of California took third.
Individually, the Hawkeyes recorded three top-20 finishes during the final round. Freshman Matthew Walker led the way for the Hawks, finishing seventh.
The Ottumwa native finished with an under-par score in all three rounds of the tournament, posting a score of 206. Walker’s impressive consistency throughout the tournament led to a final round 70 (minus-1).
Although one underclassman stole the show, Hawkeye upperclassmen Nate Yankovich and Raymond Knoll both finished in the top 20. They finished 1 stroke under par for the weekend to tie for 14th.
Yankovich’s top-20 finish was his fifth of the season, and he leads the team in that category. The Blacklick, Ohio, native has been one of the more consistent Hawkeyes this season.
Knoll was also solid during his final round. He jumped 22 spots on the leaderboard after firing a 70. Knoll made par or better on 17 holes.
Knoll, Yankovich, and Walker completed the top-20 finishes for the Hawkeyes.
Junior Carson Schaake and sophomore Sam Meuret finished just outside the top 25.
Schaake finished 29th at 217. Schaake’s best score came in the final round, making par or better on 13 holes. He also included four birdies on the back nine.
Meuret also finished 29th. His final round (78) was a struggle, the only Hawkeye who regressed on the final day.
But Meuret will remember one particular moment in his third round for the rest of his life: The Brunswick,
Nebraska, native had an ace on hole No. 7.
Meuret’s and Schaake’s 29th place finishes wrapped up the Hawkeye lineup.
Competing as an individual, freshman Aaron DeNucci tied for 66th at 232. He finished sixth among the six golfers competing in the individual section.
The Hawkeyes will try to continue their consistent play on April 16-17, hosting the 23rd-annual Hawkeye-GRE Invitational at Finkbine.