HAWK TALK

June 2016

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155 W hen it comes to University of Iowa golf, success is oen followed by the last name Ihm. But for UI senior Amy Ihm, it took a push five years ago from her brother, Ste- ven, to lead her to the sport. "I grew up playing a lot of different sports," said Ihm. "In high school I was attached to volleyball, so initially that's what I wanted to do in college. When I got the opportunity to play golf, I thought it was a better fit." Entering the women's golf program as a walk-on her freshman year, Ihm had big shoes to fill, com- pliments of her older brother. "I jumped at the opportunity to play golf at Iowa, especially with my brother playing there at the time," said Amy. "Because I entered the program as a walk-on, I knew I had catching up to do." Steven, a three-time PING All-Region honoree, was the first Hawkeye to earn three All-Big Ten Conference honors. In his senior campaign, Ihm won the third and fourth individual tournament titles (Hawkeye-GRE Invitational, Boilermaker In- vitational) of his career, tying for the second-most tournament victories in program history. Steven concluded his Hawkeye career at NCAA Regionals in Columbia, Missouri, posting a 221 (+5) to tie for 34th. Steven was tabbed Big Ten Golfer of the Week five times and was named Golfweek National Player of the Week on April 21, 2014, following a victory at the Boilermaker Invitational. In his career, Ihm registered two of the top four single-season scor- ing averages in program history, and three of the top 16. His 2013-14 average of 71.45 is second-best all-time. "Steven had such a great career at Iowa and it inspired me," said Amy. "He had so many people that got behind him. Seeing that support, I always wanted to work to be in the same position as he was. He was a leader of the team and I think I grew into that role this year. at was exciting for me." is season, Amy led the Hawkeyes with seven top-10 finishes in 10 tournaments. She became the first Hawkeye since Lauren English (2013) to earn Big Ten Golfer of the Week for her performance at the Johnie Imes Invitational on Sept. 28-29, and added another weekly honor following a fourth- place finish at the Entrada Classic on March 14-15. Her efforts cumulated in being named second- team All-Big Ten —— Iowa's first all-conference selection since Stacey Bergman (1998) and eighth in program history. Ihm, a native of Peosta, Iowa, holds program records for individual 54-hole (-5; 211), 36-hole (-6; 138), and 18-hole performances (-4; 68). As a senior, Ihm registered a 73.1 stroke average — the lowest in program history by 3.2 strokes. Steven and Amy Ihm are arguably the most ac- complished golfers in Iowa program history. "It has been an incredible journey," said their fa- ther Jim. "ey both worked so hard. e Univer- sity of Iowa has given them the coaches and facili- ties to be successful and to pursue their dreams of playing professional golf. I couldn't be more proud of them. "Amy has exceeded our expectations. is year she bought into the team mantra and took on that leadership role. She has done a fantastic job and has collected the accomplishments to show it." Amy concluded her record-breaking Hawkeye career much like her brother — in NCAA Region- al competition. Amy earned a bid to the NCAA

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