Jayhawks close regular season in Iowa City

LAWRENCE, Kan. – No. 33 Kansas men’s golf travels to Iowa City, Iowa to participate in the Hawkeye Invitational for the team’s final regular season tournament of the 2018-19 season.

Kansas enters the tournament hoping to continue its strong spring play. In their four spring tournaments, the Jayhawks have placed third or better every event. Having participated in the Hawkeye Invitational each of the last six years, the Jayhawks have the experience to help them continue their streak.

Over the past six seasons, Kansas has finished top two in the Hawkeye Invitational in three of the six events and KU won the 2013 and 2016 events. Last season, the Jayhawks finished tied for fourth place overall despite only playing two of the three rounds due to a weather cancelation on the final round.

Kansas has plenty of experience at Finkbine Golf Course, coming in with four Jayhawks that have competed at least once on this Par 71, 6,884-yard course.

Senior Charlie Hillier will be coming in with the most experience after competing in the invitational each of the last three seasons. His freshman year was his best finish in the tournament thus far after shooting 3-under (213), placing eighth. During his sophomore season, Charlie Hillier took a step back finishing 8-over (224) and tying for 46th place. He responded last season with 5-over (149) performance that placed him 14th, which was the second highest on the Kansas roster.

Big 12 Championship 2015

Junior Andy Spencer has the second most experience on the team after competing the last two seasons in Iowa. His first season he was able to compile an even-par 216 thru 54-holes which tied him for 11th in the field. He followed that performance by shooting 3-over (147) last season, placing him in a tie for eighth. Spencer’s eighth-place finish was the Jayhawks’ best finish at the 2018 Hawkeye invite.

Sophomores Harry Hillier and Ben Sigel are the others with experience competing in Iowa City, with both having competed there in last season’s event. In Harry Hillier’s first appearance at the Hawkeye Invitational, he finished tied for 50th place shooting 12-over (156). Sigel competed as the team’s individual in 2018 and was able to put together two rounds of 77 to finish 11-over (154) to be tied for 40th.

The tournament field will consist of 12 teams and 60 competitors. With this being a two-day event, teams will be playing the first two rounds (36-holes) on Saturday and will conclude with the final round on Sunday. Teams will begin at 9 a.m. (Central) on Saturday followed by 8:30 a.m. (Central) on Sunday with an awards ceremony following the final round.

Starting Lineup:
1. Charlie Hillier
2. Harry Hillier
3. Andy Spencer
4. Jeff Doty
5. Ben Sigel
Ind. Shaun Campbell

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