The Iowa men’s golf team finished in sixth place in the Moraine Collegiate, held from Oct. 13-14 at Moraine Country Club in Kettering, Ohio. 

The first round of the tournament saw three Hawkeyes finish under par. Fourth-year Gage Messingham led the way with a 67 and a team-high six birdies. Second-year Chance Rinkol followed with a 69, and first-year Grant Gudgel was one stroke behind at 70. 

First-year Bennett Warren shot a 76 and the hot-handed Max Tjoa carded an out of character 78. First-year Jack Mccarty made his Iowa debut as an individual and finished the first round with a 76. 

The second round of the tournament saw an improved performance for the Hawkeyes. Gudgel and Warren both recorded a five-under par 66 with six birdies each to lead the group, while Messingham followed close behind with a two-under par of 69.

Tjoa carded an even 71, and Rinkol followed just one stroke behind at 72 to end day one for the starting five. Mccarty had his best effort as an individual in the second round and slotted in a 68. 

After the conclusion of the first two rounds, Iowa stood at fifth place in the leaderboard with Messingham and Gudgel both tied for fourth in the player standings. 

“Complete team effort today. You’re going to have a few tough stretches over 36 holes but if one guy was struggling somebody else stepped up to keep our momentum,” Head coach Tyler Stith told HawkeyeSports. “The guys who struggled in the morning responded in the afternoon. It’s great to see the character and determination of this group.” 

Final round 

The final round of the tournament was led by Gudgel and Tjoa, who both shot an even 71. Messingham followed with a 73, and Rinkol carded a 75. Warren closed out Iowa’s starting five by shooting a 77, highlighted by an eagle on hole 13. Mccarty ended his individual campaign with a 74 and finished 46th on the player leaderboard.  

Gudgel finished the Moraine Collegiate at six-under par which put him at 7th on the leaderboard, marking his first top-10 career finish in his collegiate career. Messingham also finished under par at four-under and placed 13th on the leaderboard. 

The Hawkeyes fell one spot after day one and ended up placing sixth while shooting eight-under par as a team. Xavier University won the Moraine Collegiate in their home state by finishing 20-under par as a team. 

“We just weren’t as sharp today. I don’t feel like putts were dropping out there and we had a few more big numbers,” Stith said. “It is another step in the right direction and a great experience that we will benefit from.”

Up Next

The Hawkeyes will travel to Biloxi, Mississippi this weekend to compete in the Fallen Oak Collegiate from Oct. 18-20 at Fallen Oak Golf Course. The event will be hosted by Ole Miss, Southern Mississippi, and Mississippi State. 

Iowa finished 11th in the Fallen Oak Collegiate last season and looks to improve after this solid team performance at the Moraine Collegiate.