To achieve the team’s goal of reaching the postseason in 2023, Iowa men’s golf head coach Tyler Stith knew he needed another veteran in the locker room. So, he dug into the transfer portal and pulled out Cornell graduate transfer Josh Lundmark.

In 2022, the Hawkeyes saw two first-place finishes and a fifth-place finish at the Big Ten Tournament, but those successes were not enough to place the team in an NCAA Regional in the spring season.

One offseason later, the team feels it now has the returning talent to compete for a spot in an NCAA Regional when May rolls around, and Lundmark is a massive reason.

The Hinsdale, Illinois, native led the Big Red in scoring during his last two seasons at Cornell, including a 73.57 average over 23 rounds and eight of these rounds at even or under par.

After making the leap to Iowa City, Lundmark hopes to have the same impact for the Hawkeyes, a program he called “much more competitive and serious.”

But a 2023 NCAA Regional is not unfamiliar territory to the Hawkeyes. Under Stith, the Iowa men’s golf program has appeared in five regionals, and Lundmark acknowledged the success and tradition of the Iowa program.

“Iowa has a history of producing high-quality players,” Lundmark said. “The coaches do everything in their best interest to get all of us ready to play at a really high level.”

Off the links, Lundmark’s family and friends have been supportive of him throughout the transfer process. He said they were “all for it” when he made the jump to the Black and Gold.

One such friend is fellow Hawkeye and fifth-year senior Mac McClear, who was Lundmark’s high school golf teammate at Hinsdale Central High School.

McClear was the 2023 Co-Big Ten Champion, so he and Lundmark will reunite to join three other returning seniors and fill a lineup that Lundmark said already has a bond.

“I think it’s been very quick,” he said. “I’ve become very good friends with all of them already. These guys are all super nice [and] very welcoming.”

The flat terrain and acres of farmland around Iowa City pose a big adjustment from mountain ranges and waterfalls around Cornell University, located in Ithaca, New York. But Lundmark believes he has adjusted well to his new environment.

“[It’s] pretty easy to get to and from class,” Lundmark said. “[I’m] starting to figure out where the good spots to eat are and everything like that.”

Still, Lundmark found the preparation for the upcoming Iowa season with a brand-new coaching staff is entirely different from his preparation at Cornell.

“We never did anything like this [in terms of] a long-term plan for success,” he said. “This is all something that we tried to do at Cornell but didn’t really have as much success [at].”

To perform his best individually on the golf course this season, Lundmark stressed the fundamentals.

“[I’ve] been really working hard on driving the ball,” Lundmark said. “Then my wedges have been a little lackluster lately, so the coaches have me working on my wedges just as hard as my driver.”

The 2023 season tees off on Sept. 5-6 with the Hawkeye-hosted Iowa Fall Classic at Blue Top Ridge Golf Course in Riverside, Iowa.