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The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan
The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

Iowa men’s golf concludes fall season with 13th-place showing at Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational

Despite solid scores all around, Hawkeyes fell to 13th in an SEC-stacked invitational.
Jackson Mendoza, Sports Reporter
October 20, 2025
Emma Gutzman
The Iowa men’s golf team playing in the Hawkeye Invitational at Finkbine Golf Course on Sunday April, 14, 2024. The Hawkeyes finished in sixth place out of 16 teams.

The Iowa men’s golf team concluded the fall season with a 13th-place finish at the Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational in Biloxi, Mississippi. 

The tournament featured nine teams from the SEC and much like college football, they overtook this tournament. The only other representative from the Big Ten was Wisconsin, who finished 12th. 

All five Hawkeye starters – First-year Grant Gudgel, third-year Max Tjoa, second-year Chance Rinkol, fourth-year Gage Messingham, and first-year Bennett Warren – all shot a one-over par 73 to open up the first round of the tournament. 

Tjoa, Messingham, and Warren all shared the lead in birdies for the day with four each, while also recording three consecutive birdies in their front nine to vault Iowa in a tie for 11th place after one round. 

The second round of play was led by Tjoa and Rinkol who both a two-under par 70 with four birdies each. Warren also carded four birdies and finished his second round with an even 72. Gudgel shot a 75 and Messingham slotted in a 78 to end day two of the tournament and put the Hawkeyes in 12th place.

“It’s great to see the team respond with a solid under par round,” Head coach Tyler Stith told Hawkeye Sports. “The wind was completely opposite from yesterday so the course played much different. The team adjusted well and made good decisions.”

Gudgel highlighted the third round for Iowa by slotting in an even 72. Messingham followed just one stroke behind at 73 and tied Gudgel with five birdies on the day. Tjoa slotted in a 78, while Rinkol and Warren shot a 79, with Warren recording an eagle on the first hole. 

The Hawkeyes dropped one spot in the leaderboard and finished The Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational at 13th place with a team stroke score of 881. Gudgel was Iowa’s highest finishing player at 50th while Tjoa was not far behind at 54th. 

SEC powerhouses Alabama and LSU both finished 32-under par to share the number one spot. 

This was the final tournament of the fall season for the Iowa men’s golf team which saw plenty of highlights throughout. From Tjoa’s hole-in-one and second place finish at the Fighting Irish Classic to Gudgel’s career best performance in the Moraine Intercollegiate, the men’s golf program at Iowa could have the potential to continue to get better and compete in the Big Ten this spring.