The Iowa men’s golf team placed third out of 13 teams in the Hawkeye Invitational, hosted by the Hawkeyes at Finkbine Golf Course in Iowa City, on Monday.

Played over April 13-14, Iowa kept itself in third place across both days of play, beating out 10 visiting competitors that included Minnesota and Drake. The Hawkeyes scored an 857, good for seven under par, behind Illinois State’s 856 and Kansas’ 837.

“Today was a complete team effort,” head coach Tyler Stith told HawkeyeSports after Sunday’s portion of the competition. “I’m proud of how the guys responded.”

Iowa started strong with third-year Gage Messingham tied for third and second-year Maxwell Tjoa and fourth-year Ian Meyer tied for 14th after the first day. In particular, Messingham shot a 136 in the first two rounds, good for eight under par, while Meyer nabbed six birdies and two eagles on the day.

“Gage was very solid all day,” Stith said. “He dropped a few shots on the back nine with three putts, but I know he will be ready to compete tomorrow. He’s hitting it well. He just needs to stay patient and trust his game.”

Looking to come from behind, the Hawkeyes faced rougher weather conditions in the third round with both Tjoa and Messingham ultimately leaving the course tied for seventh with a score of 213, three under par. 

The course conditions in particular proved a challenge for competitors, which Stith acknowledged the Hawkeyes couldn’t fully capitalize on.

“The north wind makes this pace a lot more difficult,” Stith said. “That’s exactly what you want when you’re trying to come from behind. Unfortunately, we didn’t take advantage of the conditions or our course knowledge. We got off to a poor start and never put any pressure on Kansas.”

Iowa returns to action April 19-20 at the Purdue-hosted Boilermaker Intercollegiate, set to be played in West Lafayette, Indiana — a prelude to the Big Ten championships, played April 25-27 in Baltimore, Maryland.