University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Sit in Fifth Place at the Hawkeye Classic
4/14/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
April 14, 2012
Leaders (After Two Rounds) | Final Round Tee Times 
Minnesota sits in fifth place at the Hawkeye Classic in Iowa City, Iowa. The Gophers posted a score of 286 (-2) in the afternoon session. This is the team's best round since March 17 in Georgia. In the morning, Minnesota carded a 293 (+5). On the day, the Gophers are three over par, just one stroke behind fourth-place Washington State.
Minnesota was led by junior Erik Van Rooyen Saturday. He is in fifth place at six-under among individuals at the Classic. Van Rooyen followed a morning round of 70 (-2), by shooting a 68 (-4) in his second round.
"The teams are pretty bunched up after 36 holes, at least three through six, and we certainly have a chance to move up tomorrow in a very strong field," said head coach John Carlson. "Eric Van Rooyen continues his strong play and is once again in the hunt for an individual title."
Across the entire tournament, scores were down in the second round. Robert Bell sits at two-under after day one. His second-session score of 71 (-1) was his best round since the Schenkel Invitational. Bell is tied for 23rd among individuals. David Haley Jr. sits in a tie for 37th after shooting a two-round total of 148 (+4).
Sophomore Alex Gaugert made his first appearance since the Gopher Invitational back in September. He shot a very respectable 73 (+1) and 74 (+2) to put himself in a tie for 31st. Tyler Lowenstein improved on his first round score by three strokes after carding a 74 (+2) in round two.
The Iowa Hawkeyes lead the 11-team tournament. The host Hawkeyes shot a 556 (-20) over the two rounds, which puts them six shots clear of second place Iowa State. Nate McCoy paced the Cyclones and leads the tournament at 11-under par. He shot a tournament-best round of 65 (-7) in the afternoon session and is two shots clear of Iowa's Chris Brant (-9).
Among the six Big Ten teams competing at the classic, Minnesota is in third. The tournament will conclude tomorrow and can be followed live at golfstat.com.
The Gophers will then turn their attention to the Big Ten Championships April 27-29 in French Lick, Ind.
Players Mentioned
