Iowa City Today

The University of Iowa men's golf team finished its participation at the Highlands Invitational in Chicago, securing eighth place out of 13 teams. The tournament concluded Tuesday at Chicago Highlands Golf Club, where the Hawkeyes posted an even-par final round.

Sophomore Chance Rinkol led Iowa with a season-low score of 70. Rinkol achieved three birdies and recorded only one bogey on his last hole, finishing tied for 35th overall. He also had the sixth-most pars in the event, totaling 35.

Junior Max Tjoa started his final round strong by making four birdies within his first five holes and managed to shoot under par for another top-30 finish. Tjoa has shot under par in half of his six rounds so far this season.

Redshirt freshman Grant Gudgel was Iowa’s best finisher this week, placing 22nd. Gudgel completed the last day at just one-over par after an even-par second round, which was also a team-best for that round.

Senior Gage Messingham tied with Rinkol for 35th place after shooting two-over par in the final round. Bennett Warren closed out Iowa’s lineup with a score of 75 that included four birdies. Warren finished tied for eighth among all competitors on par-three holes by playing them at even-par.

As a team, Iowa made 20 birdies during the third round, including five on the par-four third hole measuring 389 yards. Across three rounds, Iowa ranked third among all teams in scoring on par-four holes.

Head coach Tyler Stith commented on the team's performance: “We showed a lot of improvement today. The course wasn’t playing any easier, we just managed ourselves much better. We had multiple guys under par for most of the round and that’s what we need to see more consistently.

We are very proud of Chance. He stepped up with a big round and the team needed it. He struck it well out there, hitting 16 greens. It was a stress free 70.”

The Hawkeyes’ next competition will be at the Fighting Irish Classic in South Bend, Indiana, scheduled for October 6-7.