Completed Event: Men's Golf versus Git R Done Invitational on September 22, 2025 , , 3rd/12
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Men's Golf
Git R Done Invitational
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Iowa State University Athletics
Cyclones Set For Big 12 Championship
04.26.2016 | Men's Golf
AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State men's golf team will enter the 2016 Big 12 Championships (April 29-May 1) on a hot streak.
The Cyclones have regrouped in the last two months, winning a pair of tournaments (Desert Shootout and ASU Thunderbird Invite) and tying for second at the Hawkeye Invitational.
ISU's improved play has head coach Andrew Tank optimistic as the Cyclones prepare for the conference meet.
“We have a lot of momentum right now and we really finished up the second half of the spring season strong,” Tank said. “The guys have been putting in really good work. The potential has been there all season. We added a player in Denzel (Ieremia) midway through the year, so that gave us a boost. Everyone else has elevated their games and are really working together, which is great to see.”
Whispering Pines (Trinity, Texas) is hosting its sixth Big 12 Championship. The 7,473-yard, par-72 course was designed by Chet Williams of the Nicklaus Design Group. The last time the event was held at Whispering Pines, the Cyclones finished fourth as a team in 2014.
Two current members of the Cyclone team, Nick Voke and Ruben Sondjaja, had stellar performances at the 2014 Big 12 Championships, each earning all-tournament honors by tying for ninth as true freshmen.
Tank is hoping both Voke and Sondjaja will carry their initial success at Whispering Pines into their junior seasons.
“The Big 12 Championship is unique in the fact that it's 72 holes,” Tank said. “You got four rounds over three days and that is really going to separate teams. The best team is going to come out on top. It also means you have to play consistently well over those four rounds. Whispering Pines is a great golf course. Some of our guys have played there before, so there is some familiarity with the layout and I think the guys know what they need to do to prepare.”
Voke is having another fantastic year. The junior is currently ranked No. 76 nationally by Golfweek and leads the team in stroke average (71.07) and top-10 finishes (5). Voke's recent play is staggering, carrying a 70.67 stroke average in the spring and posting scores in the 60s in nine of his last 15 rounds played.
A native of Auckland, New Zealand, Voke recently broke ISU's 54-hole school record by posting a 201 (68-68-65) at the ASU Thunderbird Invite.
Voke has finished in the top-10 in both of his first two appearances at the Big 12 meet and is aiming for his third all-tournament team performance this weekend.
Sondjaja has elevated his game this spring as well, averaging 71.33 strokes per round in seven spring events. In his last three tournaments, Sondjaja has been under par in seven of nine rounds and finished in the top-11 in all three outings, including his first career tournament title at the Hawkeye Invite.
“That win for Ruben was huge,” Tank said. “Ruben has been really working hard and it's been fun to see that pay off. It's been a long time coming for him to break through and have that kind of success.”
Perhaps the biggest reason for ISU's recent success is the play of sophomore Denzel Ieremia. Ieremia, who arrived on campus at second semester, has finished in the top-10 twice, averaging 72.43 strokes per round in the spring.
Ieremia tied the school-record for 18-hole score with a first-round 64 at the ASU Thunderbird Invite.
“Our guys are playing some great golf and that's what it will take to compete at Whispering Pines,” Tank added. “We've had some success at the Big 12 Championship the last couple of years. We have been able to play in the final group. I think the guys know what they are capable of and hopefully we can go down there and have a great weekend.”
To follow all of the live scoring at the Big 12 Championships, go to golfstat.com.
Players Mentioned
Lachlan Barker feature
Friday, April 22
Cyclone Club Update: Jan 2022
Friday, January 28
Stark Performance Center
Tuesday, January 25
Iowa State Campus Tour
Tuesday, January 18
