Iowa City Today

The University of Iowa men's golf team finished the first two rounds of the Moraine Intercollegiate in fifth place at Moraine Country Club in Moraine, Ohio. Senior Gage Messingham and redshirt freshman Grant Gudgel led the Hawkeyes, both tied for fourth individually after strong performances.

Messingham began with a four-under-par 67, making six birdies, and followed with a two-under 69 in the second round. He played par or better on 17 of 18 holes in his second round.

Gudgel shot a one-under 70 in the opening round before posting a five-under 66 in the second. His performance included six birdies and par or better on 17 of 18 holes, which helped him climb 20 spots on the leaderboard.

Sophomore Chance Rinkol was also under par for the day at one-under overall. He recorded a two-under 69 in the first round, with three front-nine birdies, and followed with a one-over 72 in round two to sit at 32nd individually.

Freshman Bennett Warren recovered from a five-over 76 in his first round by shooting a five-under 66 in the afternoon session. This tied for Iowa’s best individual round of the day and allowed him to jump up to 37th place after gaining 29 spots.

Junior Max Tjoa completed team play for Iowa with a seven-over-par 78 in his first round before returning to even-par with a score of 71 in his second round.

Head coach Tyler Stith commented: "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. The guys who struggled in the morning responded in the afternoon. It’s great to see the character and determination of this group. We’re excited for the opportunity tomorrow."

Iowa will finish play at the Moraine Intercollegiate tomorrow.