The Iowa men’s golf team will hosting the Golfweek Conference Challenge in Cedar Rapids on Sept. 17 through Sept. 19.
The Hawkeyes will compete against 15 teams from 15 conferences, including solid Power-5 conference schools and some promising mid-major programs.
“It should be a lot of fun,” sophomore Ryoto Furuya said. “A few of our guys played, including me this summer in Cedar Rapids, and we all finished top 10, so we’re very excited. We’re hoping for the big stuff.”
At the Gopher Invitational last week, Furuya tied for 28th and shot 6-over to pace the Hawkeyes, who finished in 14th.
Although the first tournament of the year didn’t go as planned, the golfers know it’s a long season, and they can’t dwell on the past.
“We just have to keep our heads up,” Furuya said. “Minnesota was a tough course; it was very windy. We came back here, we’re not happy, coach isn’t too happy. Things happen, we just have to keep our heads up [and] think positively.”
This week’s tournament will be played at the Donald Ross Course at the Cedar Rapids Country Club.
The course is 7,112 yards and has a par of 72.
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“[The] treeline [and] greens are small,” head coach Tyler Stith said. “Slow front to back. It’s a golf course that’s very scoreable. But, you have to respect it because of the severity and the speed of the greens. If you’re in a position, you can score, but if you’re out of position, you have to take your medicine and try to make a par or bogey, because if you get greedy, you can make a big number around the greens.”
According to Golf Digest, Donald Ross is the best in eastern Iowa.
With a new week ahead, the Hawkeyes will have a clean slate, and they are ready to show they can compete with anyone.
“We’re way too talented to have days like [the Gopher Invitational],” Stith said. “If we’re going to be a championship team or postseason team, we can’t have three guys have days like that on the same day. You see what can happen when three guys have days like that, and you drop a lot of spots during the final round. We just have to invest in the things we have all year and get things right at home.”
The teams will tee off on Sept. 17 and Sept. 18 at 9:30 a.m. and Sept. 19 at 8:30 a.m.
The Hawkeyes are still figuring out their five-man lineup for the tournament; it will be announced on Sept. 17.