Fresh off a third-place finish at the Big Ten Match Play Championship, the Iowa men’s golf team will begin stroke-play action at the Puerto Rico Classic at Grand Reserve Golf Course in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.

Iowa assistant coach Charlie Hoyle expects the weather conditions in Puerto Rico to mirror those the Hawkeyes faced at the Big Ten Match Play Championships in Florida Feb. 4-5.

“I think the last couple of weeks have been really good preparation for us because we were down in South Florida for our alumni match and then obviously playing in Florida again in windy conditions.” Hoyle said. “Puerto Rico is an island. It’s gonna be windy. We’re on bermuda grass, again. So, that’s been really good preparation and just kind of getting guys used to hitting some different shots in the wind. The preparation for the last couple weeks is really good.”

The Hawkeyes, along with 12 other schools, will likely have to contend with the wind — something that Iowa junior Mac McClear says he welcomes.

“I’m guessing it’s gonna be windy down there as it usually is,” McClear said.  “I like the wind. I usually play well in the wind if I’m hitting it well, which I am. Putting can use a little work, but I’ve been doing some good work and changing some things. So, if I get the flatstick rolling, I’ll have a good chance.” 

McClear said that his goal is to get in contention for the individual medalist title down the stretch on the final day of the event. 

McClear won three of his four matches last week at the Big Ten Match Play Championship. 

“Anything, you know, kind of top-five, top-10, with a chance to get in contention [would be a good week],” McClear said. “You know, obviously I want to win every tournament. But that’s kind of unrealistic, I guess. So, really, just being in contention, giving yourself a chance, that’s the most important thing.”

The winning individual medalist at the end of the event will earn a spot in the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open from March 3-6.

The Puerto Rico Classic features one of the toughest fields that Iowa will face all spring. Eight teams in the field rank inside of the GolfStat top 50: No. 26 East Tennessee State, No. 15 Georgia, No. 31 Michigan State, No. 16 Ole Miss, No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 24 Purdue, No. 47 South Carolina, and No. 10 Tennessee.

The Hawkeyes will also compete against College of Charleston, Wisconsin, Marquette, and Maryland.

Among Iowa’s competitors will be 24 individuals who rank inside the top 250 in the nation, including No. 1 Jackson Suber of Ole Miss and No. 3 Chris Gotterup of Oklahoma.

Iowa junior Ronan Kleu checks in 108th on the GolfStat top 250.

Kleu will represent Iowa along with McClear, sophomore Callum Macfie, junior Garrett Tighe, and senior Gonzalo Leal-Montero.  

Tighe — who also won all but one of his matches last week — said that, despite the star-studded field, he and his team should feel confident about both their game plan and their talent. 

“When coming into an event like this with a strong field, I think it’s important to approach it just like any other tournament,” Tighe said in a release. “Our focus is on doing the things we need to do to go out there and play free. I don’t think we should go out of our way to adjust our level of play or change the strategy. We have a solid strategy and a great group of talent. You can’t control what other teams are going to shoot, so we just need to focus on the things we can control.”

You can track the action at golfstat.com.