The Iowa men’s and women’s golf teams were out on the course last weekend but struggled to gain any momentum, both finishing toward the bottom of their respective leaderboards.
The men competed in Ohio State’s annual Robert Kepler Intercollegiate while the women closed out their season at the Big Ten Championships in Havre de Grace, Maryland.
The women couldn’t find any momentum and finished in 13th place out of 13 teams while the men ended in 10th place out of 18 teams.
Difficult end, promising future
As a team, the women’s squad fired a total score of 902, 38 strokes over par and 30 shots out of first place.
Second-year Madison Dabagia led the way with a 221, positioning her in a tie for 31st place with four other golfers. Dabagia has had an impressive sophomore season, including a record-setting round at the UNF Collegiate on March 5.
Fellow second-year Kaitlyn Hanna turned in a final scorecard of 223, leaving her in a tie for 37th place. Hanna finished her season on a high note with three birdies in the final round.
Indiana claimed the team title with an eight-under par 856, only one stroke ahead of second-place Michigan State. Minnesota’s Isabella McCauley, Michigan’s Monet Chun, and Indiana’s Caroline Craig shared the individual crown.
Barring any transfers, the Hawkeyes will return everyone on the roster, which should raise plenty of optimism inside the program. Top-performer Dabagia will only be a junior, and stalwart Paula Miranda will be the lone senior on the team next year.
Men fall short
It was a discouraging outing for the men’s team as well, as the Hawkeyes couldn’t recover from a slow start and finished in a measly 10th place. Despite the tough weekend, the Hawkeyes fired 36 birdies – good enough for third place in the tournament.
“Our course management and short game execution weren’t good enough,” head coach Tyler Stith told HawkeyeSports. “We took a step forward today and then a step back.”
Fifth-year Mac McClear led the squad in scoring with a 219 – six strokes over par to earn him a tie for 12th place. It marks McClear’s fourth top-25 finish this season.
Right behind McClear was first-year Noah Kent who turned in a solid score of 220 – seven strokes over par, placing him in a tie for 18th place. It was Kent’s fifth top-25 finish of the year, which leads the team. Kent’s 10 birdies over the weekend ranked second in the entire field.
Indiana claimed the team championship by three strokes over Ohio State while Nevada’s Enrique Dimayuga won the individual title by a single stroke over Jackson Chandler of Ohio State.
Up next
While the women begin to turn their attention to the 2024-25 season, the men will make a return trip to Columbus, Ohio, from April 26-28 for the Big Ten Championships. The event will be held at Scioto Golf Club.
