The IU men’s golf team placed eighth at the Hawkeye Invitational this weekend in Iowa City, Iowa.
Junior Brock Ochsenreiter and freshman Mitch Davis led the way for the Hoosiers. Ochsenreiter, who shot even and three-over par in the first two rounds, respectively, five-under par in the third round and moved up 22 spots to the top 15 in the overall leaderboard.
“I'm not surprised by Brock’s final round,” IU Head Coach Mike Mayer said. "He has the talent and ability to shoot a very low number in any given round.”
Davis finished in the top 25 after a rough third round. The underclassmen finished the first day with a score of even par, followed by a three-over par day two. Davis has not been in the starting lineup for the Hoosiers over recent events, his last start was at the Big Ten Match Play Championship in February. He played last week at the Boilermaker Invitational as an individual, placing in the top 20.
“He has matured tremendously this season and is blossoming into one of our best competitors,” Mayer said.
Senior Jake Brown and sophomore Ethan Shepherd were the next best finishers for the Hoosiers. Both placed in the top 50, with Brown tied for 39th and Shepherd tied for 43rd.
Brown shot a consistent 72, 73 and 72 in his three respective rounds on the par-70 course with Shepherd shooting 73, 72 and 73 in his rounds.
Bringing up the rear of the lineup was junior Evan Gaesser. Gaesser placed tied for 60th, shooting 75, 74 and 74 in his three rounds.
The Hoosiers' next event will be the Big Ten Championship beginning Friday in Philadelphia. Mayer said the team’s performance at the Hawkeye Invitational was promising, but it will need more from his players to compete for a Big Ten title.
“We have to get everyone on the same page at the same time,” said Mayer. “ We are getting closer, and hopefully we can put everything together next week."
