Year: 2017

Iowa represented by five at U.S. Mid-Amateur

October 6, 20170 commentsUSGA

A total of five Iowans will be in the field at this year’s U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship being held at Capital City Club (Crabapple Course – pictured above), Atlanta, Ga. Serving as the stroke play co-host venue will be Atlanta National Golf Club, Milton, Ga.

Those representing Iowa, along with their stroke play tee times, are:
Dusty Drenth – 12:53 pm (AN) & 8:07 am (CC)
Qualified at Davenport Country Club as co-medalist with 72.

Gene Elliott – 2:20 pm (CC) & 9:35 am (AN)
Qualified at White Deer Run Golf Course (Vernon Hill, Ill.) with 69.

Jay Gregory – 1:14 pm (AN) & 8:29 am (CC)
Qualified at Oakwood Country Club (Kansas City, MO.) as co-medalist with 69.

Mike McCoy – 1:58 pm (CC) & 9:13 am (AN)
Exempt into championship from 2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur victory.

Luke Miller – 1:25 pm (AN) & 8:40 am (CC)
1st Alternate from Davenport Country Club qualifier with 74, gained entry when co-medalist J.D. Anderson withdrew.

The schedule of play is as follows:
Saturday, Oct. 7 (Stroke Play, Round 1, 18 holes)
Sunday, Oct. 8 (Stroke Play, Round 2, 18 holes)
Monday, Oct.. 9 (Round of 64, match play)
Tuesday, Oct.. 10 (Round of 32/Round of 16, match play)
Wednesday, Oct. 11 (Quarterfinals/Semifinals, match play)
Thursday, Oct. 12 (Championship Match, 36 holes)

The low 64 scorers following stroke play will qualify for match play. If necessary, a playoff will be conducted to determine the last qualifiers for the draw.

The U.S. Mid-Amateur will be the last event counting towards the IGA Player of the Year and Senior Player of the Year points race. This event, as in past years, will have a big impact on who wins the award(s).

Click here to follow the championship and for more information.

Des Moines Golf & CC wins IGA Club Team, Prairie Links GC takes Net Division

October 2, 20170 commentsChampionships, IGA Club Team

From left – Ben Herrera, Alex Bair, Luke Miller and Patrick Breitbach.

Conditions were tough at the 12th IGA Club Team Championship at Blue Top Ridge at Riverside.

Des Moines Golf & CC (2) edged their fellow club members by a single shot 218-219. The team of Luke Miller, Ben Herrera, Patrick Breitbach and Alex Bair formed the winning team from DMG. Ottumwa Country Club finished in third place at 219 (+3). In the Gross Division, won my DMG (2), is scored by counting the low three scores of the four on each team.

In the Net Division, Prairie Links Golf Course shot 209 (-7) to win by three over Dyersville Country Club (2). Prairie Links GC’s team consisted of Chris Wagner, Patrick Sexton, Tony Wagner and William Buss. In the Net Division, the three low scores (net) on each hole are counted towards the team total.

Just Pansegrau, of St. Andrews Golf Course, was the low individual with a 69 (-3), including a sizzling 31 on the back nine.

Click here to see a full recap of scoring.

Team Iowa finishes 19th at USGA Women’s State Team

September 26, 20170 commentsUSGA

From left – Leanne Smith, Britta Snyder, Jenny Heinz and Team Iowa Captain Katelynn Hogenson.

Round 3 Recap

Team Iowa concluded the final USGA Women’s State Team at The Club at Las Campanas, Santa Fe, N.M., in 19th place.

Britta Snyder led the way for Iowa in the final round with 71 (-1). Her round included five birdies. Snyder was the low score for Iowa all three rounds of the event and finished T19th individually.

Leanne Smith posted 80 (+8) in the final round and Jenny Heinz rounded out the scoring with an 84 (+12). Iowa was quite consistent with their team totals each day, shooting 155-151-151 for a 457 total (+25). The best two scores from each team count towards the team total each day.

Tennessee won the event with a total of 431 (-1).

Click here to see a full recap of scoring.

 

Round 2 Recap

It was moving day for Team Iowa at the 2017 USGA Women’s State Team at The Club at Las Campanas, Santa Fe, N.M.

Leading the effort for Iowa was Britta Snyder, who posted 72 (E) in the second round. Leanne Smith added to the total with her 79 (+7), to give Iowa a team score of 151 (+7). Jenny Heinz shot 80 (+8). The best two scores from each team count towards the team total each day. Team Iowa is at 306 (+18) after two days of play.

Iowa was one of the first teams out on the course today, leaving several teams left still to finish this afternoon. After 36 holes, the field will be cut to the low 21 teams and ties, plus any individual whose team missed the cut but is within five strokes of the individual lead.

Click here to follow scoring from the championship and to see if Iowa makes the cut.

 

Round 1 Recap

Thanks to some solid golf on the back nine holes, Team Iowa sits in T19th place (155, +11 total) after the first round of the 2017 USGA Women’s State Team at The Club at Las Campanas, Santa Fe, N.M.

The event is being conducted over 54 holes of stroke play with two of the best three scores counting for each team.

Jenny Heinz posted a back nine score of 35 (-1) to record a 76 (+4, T31st overall) after the first round. Meanwhile, Britta Snyder put together a 36 (E) of her own on the back nine to finish with 79 (+7, T53rd overall). Leanne Smith shot 86 (+14, T105th overall).

New York leads with a team score of 142 (-2).

Click here to see a recap of scoring.

Click here to read more about Team Iowa.

Two sides move on from U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Sectional

September 25, 20170 commentsUSGA

From left – Scott Gustafson (Chaska, MN), Jordan Ryan (Minneapolis, MN), Andrew Price (Lake Bluff, IL) and Dennis Bull (Norwalk).

Dennis Bull, of Norwalk, and Andrew Price, of Lake Bluff, IL, have known each other for some time now.

“We’ve known each other since junior golf,’ Bull said.

The pair teamed up for an impressive 64 (-7) at today’s U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Sectional at Echo Valley Country Club – good enough for medalist honors.

The pair combined made a total of 9 birdies (two of them on the same hole) and never had to count a bogey in route to advancing to the championship proper to be played at Jupiter Hills Club, in Tequesta, Fla., May 19-23, 2018.

Securing the second and final spot from today’s qualifier were Scott Gustafson (Chaska) and Jordan Ryan (Minneapolis) from Minnesota, firing 65 (-6), two shots clear of Bret Taylor / JD Anderson. A total of 15 teams broke par in the four-ball format.

Click here to view a recap of the day’s scores.

Iowa set to go at USGA Women’s State Team

September 21, 20170 commentsUSGA

Jenny Heinz, Leanne Smith and Britta Snyder head south to represent the state of Iowa at the final USGA Women’s State Team Championship.

These talented women will represent Iowa at the final U.S. Women’s State Team Championship next week at The Club at Las Campanas in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The biennial Championship will be conducted over 54 holes of stroke play with two of the best three scores counting. The Championship will be held September 26-28. Heinz, Smith and Snyder are excited to represent the state at such a high level and do their best to bring home a championship.

Jenny Heinz (Cedar Falls)
University of Northern Iowa Women’s Golf Team Letterwinner
3 Time Iowa Women’s Amateur Champion (2003, 2009, 2015)
Runner-up IGA Women’s Match Play (2016)
2 Time Iowa Junior Girl’s Amateur Champion (1998, 2000)
4 Time IGA Women’s Four-Ball Champion (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)
3 Time IGA Woman Player of the Year (2014, 2015, 2016)
5 Time USGA Women’s State Team Member (2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015)
U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship (2001)
U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship (2015)

 

 

Leanne Smith (Indianola)
Iowa State Women’s Golf Team Letterwinner
Drake University Women’s Golf Coach (ast. 2006-2010) (Head 2010-2015)
Pioneer Highlands Medalist (2002)
2 Time US Women’s Amateur Contestant (2001, 2004)
U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship (2004)
Des Moines Women’s City Champion (2002. 2004)
Runner up in the 2009 Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship
Turned Professional in 2005 and played on the Futures Tour for 2 seasons.

 

 

Britta Snyder (Ames)
IGA Women’s Amateur Champion 2017
U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Participant (2017)
2 time AJGA Champion
Ranked #46 on Rolex/AJGA Rankings
Player of the Year Honors on the Plantation Tour (2015)
Won the Hurricane Tour Junior Girl’s National Championship (2015)
Won over 100 Junior Golf Tournaments


 

The Championship is open to players from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. State associations may use any criteria of their choosing in selecting their teams, which comprise three amateur, non-college golfers. The Championship format consists of the best two scores of each state’s three players over the course of 54 holes.

The Club at Las Campanas’  has two Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Courses, both consistently rated among the very top courses in New Mexico by Golf Digest magazine. Be sure to check out live scoring at www.USGA.org once the Championship begins.

 

Iowa gives a valiant effort, comes up 1/2 point short of Nebraska

September 19, 20170 commentsDirector's Cup

Trailing by 4.5 points heading into Sunday’s Singles Matches in the 2017 Director’s Cup, Team Iowa (pictured above) gave it a valiant effort but came up just short of capturing the cup. Nebraska’s 20 total points was good enough to capture the victory over Iowa 20-19.5.

Kansas (17.5 points) and Missouri (15 points) finished third and fourth respectively.

Winning three points each on Sunday to help the Iowa cause were Dusty Drenth and Scot Cook. In total Drenth won 7.5 points (Four-Ball, Foursome and Singles).

Representing this year’s team from Iowa were:

  • Jon Brown
  • J.D. Anderson
  • Dennis Bull
  • Dusty Drenth
  • Scot Cook
  • Sam Zoske

Click here to view a recap of all matches.

Team Nebraska – 2017 Director’s Cup Champions

Burkholders win Wife-Husband title by eight shots

September 18, 20170 commentsChampionships, Wife-Husband

Forest City’s Julianna and Reed Burkholder (pictured above) played 36 holes of fantastic golf to win the 57th Iowa Wife-Husband Championship contested at Lake Panorama National Golf Club. The Burkholders posted back-to-back rounds of 69 to win by eight strokes over Jeff and Molly Cleven of Cumming (+2 overall). Chris and Peggy Garrett and Aaron and Julie Stevens tied for third place at 149 (+5)

Following their opening round 69 (-3), which included six birdies, the Burkholders got off to a quick start in round two, going birdie-eagle on the first two holes. From there the couple cruised to their eventual six-shot victory. This marks the first outright victory in the event for the Burkholders as they shared the title in 2015.

In the Super Senior Division, Jeanette and Raymond Fredericksen (pictured above) defeated Char and Steve Maaske on the first hole of a playoff for the title. The Fredericksens posted consistent rounds of 79-80 (+15). Opening co-round leaders, Carroll and John Dethrow finished third at +18.

Click here to see a full recap of scores from the event.

Elliott wins 2017 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship

September 14, 20170 commentsNews

(Photo by Golf Canada/ Bernard Brault)

– Iowa native cards even-par 70 to claim the John Rankin Memorial Trophy and earn an exemption into the 2018 U.S. Men’s Senior Amateur –

KAHNAWAKE, Que. – Iowa’s Gene Elliott carded an even-par 70 during the final round to claim the 2017 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship at Kanawaki Golf Club and hoist the John Rankin Memorial Trophy.

The native of West Des Moines,, finished at 3-over (283) for the championship, which was good enough for a 2-shot win over third-round leader Doug Hanzel of Savannah, GA.

“I am so thrilled – this is tough competition,” said Elliott, who recently competed in the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship where he fell in the round of 32. “Senior golf is tough; these guys are good. You win very little in golf at all and when you do it’s very special. To win in Canada, I couldn’t be more thrilled.”

(Photo by Golf Canada/ Bernard Brault)

Elliott may be new to the senior circuit having just turned 55 in February, but he’s enjoyed a stellar competitive golf career throughout the years. Among his many accomplishments, he’s amassed more than 20 titles in his home state of Iowa and also won the prestigious Porter Cup in 1998.

The veteran had high praises for the host club of Kanawaki.

“I hit the ball well today. I hit a lot of greens this week. I didn’t have many 3-putts,” he added. “But this Kanawaki, it’s a tough little bugger. It looks like you can get after it, but it gets after you. It’s a wonderful place to host a championship.”

With the win, Eliott earns an exemption into the 2018 U.S. Men’s Senior Amateur Championship at Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore., from August 25th to 30th.

He’s also committed to returning to Canada to defend his title at next year’s Canadian Men’s Senior Championship, which will take place September 4-7 at Gowan Brae Golf & Country Club in Bathurst, N.B.

“I can’t wait to get to New Brunswick,” he laughed. “I have no idea where it is or how to get there, but I’ll be there.”

Hanzel, who finished runner-up, never could get things on the right track during Thursday. His 5-over round of 75 included four bogeys, a double bogey and just a single birdie.

A trio of Americans tied for third. Allen Barber of Yorktown, VA, Paul Simson of Raleigh, NC and Jack Hall of Savannah, GA, all finished at 7-over (287).

Doug Roxburgh, an honored member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, was the top Canadian finisher. The Vancouver native finished tied for 6th at 8-over (288). Roxburgh won the Canadian Junior Boy’s Championship in 1970 and Canadian Amateur titles in 1972, 1974, 1982 and 1988. He also claimed the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship in 2014.

Additional information, including complete scoring info for the 2017 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship can be found here.

Gene’s wife, DaLena, served as his caddie during the event. (Photo by Golf Canada/ Bernard Brault)

 

Listen to Elliott’s post-round interview below

IGA Director’s Cup Team announced

September 12, 20170 commentsDirector's Cup

 

2017 DIRECTOR’S CUP WEBSITE (see results, pairings, team rosters, etc)

The 2017 IGA Director’s Cup Team has been finalized. The Director’s Cup Matches are goodwill matches that began in 2000. Originally they were called the Tri-State Director’s Cup Matches and featured teams from Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska. In 2015 Missouri was added, thus dropping “Tri” from the name of the event. They are held on the years opposite the USGA Men’s State Team Championship.

Teams are made up of six individuals. The top four players in the standings ​ automatically are invited. The remaining two players are chosen as “Director’s picks” by the IGA Executive Director. Points are calculated using 50 percent of the prior year’s Player of the Year point totals and 100 percent of the current year point total. Points were accumulated through August 13 (end of Herman Sani Tournament).

Representing this year’s team from Iowa are:
Jon Brown
Brown won the 2017 Carroll Amateur, qualified for the 2017 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship and was runner-up at the 2017 Iowa Masters. He also finished in the top 5 of this year’s IGA Match Play and Briarwood Amateur.

J.D. Anderson
Anderson has had a very successful 2017 campaign including wins at the 32nd Iowa Mid-Amateur and 2017 Briarwood Amateur. Most recently Anderson qualified as co-medalist for the U.S. Mid-Amateur. Other top finishes for Anderson this year were Southeast Iowa Amateur (2nd), 115th Iowa Amateur (T8th) and a pair of T4th finishes at the Herman Sani Tournament and Northwest Amateur.

Dennis Bull
Bull put together a trio of top 5 finishes this summer including 115th Iowa Amateur (T2nd), Herman Sani Tournament (3rd) and 32nd Iowa Mid-Amateur (T3rd). Bull was also in the top 10 of the Briarwood Amateur, finishing T8th place.

Dusty Drenth
Drenth played very consistent​ly​ in 2017, finishing 2nd in the 32nd Iowa Mid-Amateur, T4th at the Waterloo Open and T10th at the 115th Iowa Amateur. Most recently, Drenth shared medalist honors with Anderson and qualified for the U.S. Mid-Amateur.

Scot Cook
Cook found himself in the top 10 of many events this year including Southeast Iowa Amateur (T2nd), 22nd IGA Four-Ball (T4th) with partner Scott Hart and at the Carroll Amateur (T9th).

Sam Zoske
Zoske was a quarterfinalist in this year’s IGA Match Play Championship and notched top 15 finishes in the 32nd Iowa Mid-Amateur and Iowa Masters.

The 2017 Director’s Cup Matches will be hosted by the IGA at the Tournament Club of Iowa in Polk City on September 1​8​-19. Due to NCAA rules, college players are not eligible to compete.

​Click here to view Iowa Director’s Cup Standings.​

Click here to view results from the 2015 matches.

Kubesheski plays U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, misses cut into match play

September 11, 20170 commentsUSGA

Rosalie Kubesheski (pictured above), of Dubuque, participated in the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur over the weekend. Kubesheski posted rounds of 84-83 (+23) at Waverly Country Club, Portland, Ore., which was four strokes off a playoff for the last remaining spots into the match play portion of the event. Kubesheski qualified at Greenbriar Hills Country Club in St. Louis, MO, on August 7th.

Click here to read more about the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur.

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