Resurgent Cyclones Prepare For Big 12 Championship

AMES, Iowa - A resurgent Iowa State men's golf team is prepping for the 2018 Big 12 Championships (April 23-25) at the Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.

The Cyclones have built momentum by winning two of their last three tournaments and climbing nearly 30 spots in the national rankings (No. 61 according to Golfweek).

ISU's torrid play has allowed themselves to be in contention for an NCAA Regional berth, where the Cyclones have qualified four of the last six years.

"We feel good on where we are heading into the Big 12 Championship," Iowa State head coach Andrew Tank said. "It's very rewarding to see the progress we've made from where we were after our first tournament in the spring. The guys have come so far. In the last three events we beat around 10 teams ranked in the top-50. It's really an exciting time and I am really proud of the work the guys have put in."

Southern Hills is one of the most famous golf courses in the nation. It was ranked as one of America's top 100 golf courses by Golf Digest in 2016 and played host to seven major championships: U.S. Open (1958, 1977, 2001) and PGA Championship (1970, 1982, 1994, 2007). The course has hosted three Big 12 Championships (2003, 2006, 2015) and will feature a par-71, 7,184-yard layout in 2018.

"Southern Hills has hosted seven major championships," Tank said. "It really tests your game, especially off the tee. Around the greens you really have to put the ball in the right spots. If you get in the wrong spot, like above the hole, you could have some really slippery fast putts."

With five teams ranked in the Golfweek top-15, the Big 12 is the King of collegiate golf. Oklahoma State has been ranked No. 1 all season and is the prohibitive favorite. Oklahoma (#4), Baylor (#10), Texas Tech (#13) and Texas (#18) are top-20 teams, and No. 31 TCU and No. 43 Kansas appear in the top-50.

"The Big 12 Championship is always an event we set our sights on at the beginning of the year," Tank added. "I told the guys I think it's one of the hardest college golf events to win. It's the only 72-hole championship and we have got five of the top-20 teams competing in the country. All of the teams are ranked in the top-100, so it's a great test of golf on a championship-caliber golf course."

Senior Denzel Ieremia has been involved ISU's last two runs at the Big 12 Championships and will be the team leader for his third and final conference tournament.

Ieremia, who is ranked No. 131 nationally in the most recent Golfweek rankings, will end his collegiate career as one of the most established golfers in school history. His career stroke average (72.63) is currently third best in school history and his 12 career top-10 finishes ties for seventh all time in the Cyclone record book.

Ieremia leads the team in top-10 finishes (6), birdies (99) and eagles (9), and is second on the team in stroke average (72.14). He fired a career-low 202 (70-64-68) at the NIT earlier this season to tie for the third-best score in ISU history. His second-round 64 featured 11 birdies and is tied for the second-lowest score in the history of Iowa State golf.

"I've seen him grow as a leader a lot throughout the year," Tank said. "He's taking that responsibility seriously and he's accepted it with open arms. He's helped the younger guys and wants to make sure the team is doing the right things. I am really proud of his leadership and ownership he's taken toward the program."

True freshman Lachlan Barker has had a phenomenal rookie campaign. Barker, ranked 119^th nationally by Golfweek, leads the team in stroke average at 71.68 and is second on the team in top-10 finishes (5) and eagles (5).

His stroke average is on pace to break ISU's rookie scoring record and currently ranks sixth all-time on the season list. Over his last three tournaments, Barker has finished in the top-10 each time: Colleton River Collegiate (T4th), Hootie Intercollegiate (T6th), Hawkeye Invitational (T6th).

"He's adjusted to college as well as any freshman that I've had," said Tank. "He's got off to a great start and hasn't looked back. It's been fun to watch him play and he's continued to mature and is doing some great things on the golf course."

You can follow the live scoring of the Big 12 Championships here.

For more information on Southern Hills Country Club, click here.