The University of Iowa men’s golf team moved up seven spots to sixth place after posting a four-under par 276 in the second round at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate, held at Tennessee National Golf Course in Loudon, Tennessee. The Hawkeyes are tied with Kentucky at two-over par after 36 holes of play in the 16-team event.
Senior Gage Messingham led Iowa on Saturday with a three-under par 70, playing 17 of 18 holes at or below par. His round included an eagle and two birdies, placing him tied for 58th overall.
Freshman Bennett Warren is tied for 31st following his one-under par 69 in the second round. He recorded birdies on the 11th and 14th holes. Junior Max Tjoa and redshirt freshman Grant Gudgel both shot even-par rounds of 70. Tjoa made four birdies during his round and is now tied for tenth place at three-under par through two rounds. Gudgel sits one-over par and shares the tie for 31st position.
Sophomore Chance Rinkol finished with a four-over par 74 and is currently tied for 81st.
Head coach Tyler Stith commented on the team’s performance: “Much better team performance today. We played through rain all day and the guys showed a lot of toughness. We need to build off of today and finish with another good one tomorrow. I’m proud of how Gage responded. He didn’t have his typical ball striking in round one but he competed. He proved he can play and score without hitting it great.”
Iowa will conclude its participation in the Visit Knoxville Collegiate on Sunday, finishing out the final round of competition.
