Tyler Stith Head Coach | University of Iowa Athletics
Tyler Stith Head Coach | University of Iowa Athletics
The University of Iowa men's golf team will compete in the Fighting Irish Classic at Warren Golf Course in South Bend, Indiana, from October 6-7. The tournament will feature 14 teams, including Arkansas–Little Rock, Kent State, Oklahoma State, Miami (Ohio), UCLA, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana Tech, North Carolina, Georgia Southern, Tennessee, Purdue, Santa Clara, and Louisville. Notre Dame won the event last year.
This marks Iowa's seventh straight appearance at the Fighting Irish Classic since 2018. Last season at this tournament, Messingham finished in the top 30 and Tjoa was Iowa’s leading finisher as a freshman. In 2018, Iowa posted its second-lowest team score over 54 holes in program history with an 833 total.
Warren Golf Course is recognized as one of North America's top public courses and has hosted several major collegiate and amateur tournaments.
Max Tjoa began his season strongly at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate by tying for tenth place overall and making 14 birdies. The Hawkeyes' season debut included a notable second-round team score of 276—one of the best rounds in school history—and strong performances from Gage Messingham and newcomers Bennett Warren and Grant Gudgel.
After this season concludes, Finkbine Golf Course—the home course for Iowa's men’s and women’s golf teams—will undergo significant renovations led by architect Scott Hoffman and managed by Troon. The privately funded project aims to modernize the layout and promote sustainable turf practices to establish Finkbine as a leading collegiate course in the Midwest.
During the current season under coach Stith’s leadership, Iowa participated in tournaments across eight states plus an international trip. The team achieved three top-five finishes and set program records at the Hawkeye Invitational for both single-round (275) and total (857) scores over 54 holes. Individual players Max Tjoa and Gage Messingham reached career-best results during these events.
Looking ahead to next year, two new athletes join the roster: Grant Gudgel—who redshirted last season after transferring from Oklahoma State—and freshman Bennett Warren—a highly ranked junior player from Kansas.
Four letter winners return for the upcoming season: Max Tjoa recorded multiple top-25 finishes; Gage Messingham had several strong showings including two top-ten placements; Chance Rinkol earned recognition for sportsmanship along with six rounds at par or better; Ryan Shellberg competed in six tournaments with three rounds at par or better.
Following their participation in South Bend, Iowa will play next at the Moraine Intercollegiate on October 13-14 in Dayton, Ohio.
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