After nearly a month off from the links, the Iowa men’s golf team returned to action over the weekend in the Calusa Cup in Naples, Florida — mustering a seventh-place finish.
The Hawkeyes served as the host school for the eight-team event, which featured some of the top programs in the nation.
Despite a respectable performance in the first round, Iowa was unable to duplicate it the rest of the way, resulting in that seventh-place finish ahead of only Nebraska. The Hawkeyes recorded a final scorecard of 892 — 28 strokes over par.
First-year Noah Kent led the way for Iowa with a total score of 218, placing him in a tie for ninth place on the leaderboard. Kent was one of 10 golfers in the entire tournament to record an eagle, doing so in the third round. He also led the field with 39 pars.
Defending national champion Florida claimed the team title with a final score of 861 — three strokes under par. The Gators have now won two out of their last three tournaments and were the only team in the Calusa Cup to record a score below par.
Wake Forest third-year Scotty Kennon took home the individual title by a single stroke over Georgia fifth-year Ben van Wyk.
How it happened
Iowa ended round one in fifth place behind nice days from Kent and third-year Ian Meyer. Both golfers recorded a 71, placing them in a tie for eighth place. Kent finished with three birdies while Meyer led the team with six.
The Hawkeyes concluded the first round in a tie for fifth place with No. 15 Georgia Tech, but things would only go down from there.
Iowa dropped down to sixth place after day two but still led No. 22 Georgia by one stroke. Kent and Meyer continued their strong outings with finishes just over par while fifth-year Mac McClear slid up to a tie for 22nd place.
The Hawkeyes posted their worst score of the event in the third round, leaving them in seventh place. McClear kept his position at 22nd with a 74 while Meyer finished in a disappointing tie for 26th.
Home sweet home
Iowa returns to action this weekend for the Hawkeye Invitational from April 13-14. It marks the second and final home event for the team as it previously hosted the ANF Fall Classic back from Sept. 5-6.
The event will be held at Finkbine Golf Course on Iowa’s campus, which is known for its many trees and signature 13th hole with a unique double green.
The Hawkeyes enter the tournament as the defending champions after scoring a whopping 29 under par in last season’s event.
McClear also claimed the individual title with a season-best score of 206.
This year, the event welcomes the likes of Nebraska, Missouri State, Drake, South Dakota State, Kansas City-Missouri, Creighton, and others to Iowa City. Both South Dakota State and Drake competed in last season’s event, finishing in seventh and ninth place, respectively.
Creighton enters the invitational fresh off of a ninth-place finish at the GCU Invitational from March 12-13. The Bluejays have struggled so far this season but do have a tournament championship on their resume. That victory came on Oct. 11 at the Throwdown Up Top at Landman event in Homer, Nebraska.
It has been a rough season for Big Ten conference rival Nebraska. The Huskers finished dead last at the Calusa Cup last weekend and have only one top-five finish this year.
Kansas-City Missouri has had a respectable season in the Summit League, highlighted by a strong fourth-place finish at the Wildcat Invitational from Sept. 17-18. For live updates and stats throughout the weekend, check out Golfstat.
