2017 Yearbook (2)

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Capital City Club - Atlanta, Georgia
Five Represent Iowa in U.S.
Mid-Amateur Championship
Dusty Drenth Takes Down
Defending Champion Hagestad
Elliott Secures POY
Dusty Drenth reacting to a missed putt
on the eighth hole against Stewart
Hagestad. (USGA)
When the smoke cleared and qualifying was finished for the 2017 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, five Iowans had
earned their way into the field. Only 16 states had more representatives than Iowa at Capital City Club in Atlanta, all
of which had significantly higher populations.
Mike McCoy, Des Moines, by virtue of his 2013 win at the U.S. Mid-Am, was exempt. Dusty Drenth of Davenport
and Luke Miller of Des Moines made it through qualifying held at Davenport Country Club. Gene Elliott, West Des
Moines, earned his spot through qualifying held just outside of Chicago. Jay Gregory of Lineville was the final Iowan
in the field. He captured medalist honors at a qualifier held in Kansas City.
Of all the players at the 2017 U.S. Mid-Am, McCoy had the most appearances. He was making his 19th in 2017.
Elliott was making his 13th trip.
Elliott and Drenth would both make the 64-person match play draw following stroke play rounds. Miller came quite
close as he posted +6 147 (72-75) leaving him one shot out of a playoff for the final spots in the draw. McCoy put
together rounds of 78-77—155 while Gregory posted two rounds of 80.
Both Elliott and Drenth would go on to win their first round match and bow out in the round of 32 (read more about
Elliott and Drenth below and right).
In order to pass Joe Palmer for the Senior Player of the Year award, Gene
Elliott needed to finish the season strong at the U.S. Mid-Amateur. Specifically,
he need to make the match play bracket to earn enough ‘bonus points’ to pass
Palmer. He did just that at Capital City Club in Atlanta, Georgia.
Elliott shot 72-73—145 over the Capital City and Atlanta National courses -
Atlanta National was the stroke play co-host - to finish in a tie for 28th and
earn the 39th seed in the draw.
He played terrifically in his opening match, defeating Daniel MacDonald of New
Jersey 7 and 6. He birdied the first two holes to get a 2 up advantage and never looked
back. Elliott birdied five of the 12 holes they played and MacDonald simply couldn’t keep up.
Elliott was unable to keep his play quite to the level of round one during his second round match. He would
manage just one birdie as he succumbed to Michael Muehr of Virginia, 3 and 2.
Elliott, who is 55 years old, was making his 13th trip to the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship. He has now reached
match play in 12 of those visits.
Dusty Drenth pulled off a remarkable win during the first round of
match play at the 2017 U.S. Mid-Amateur, staged at Capital City Club
and Atlanta National Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia. But before he
could accomplish that, there were some anxious moments.
Drenth, making his first appearance at the U.S. Mid-Am, posted
an opening 71 over the Atlanta National course during stroke play
qualifying. The 29-year old from Davenport then slipped a bit to a 75
over the Capital City layout on day two. This left him at
+5 (146) and smack in the middle of an enormous 25-for-
16 playoff. One he would have to wait until the next morning
to participate in.
He survived the first playoff hole with a par and then a simple
bogey on the second playoff hole - a 486 yard par-4 - meant that he
had the 61st seed in the match play draw. That also meant that he
would face the defending champion, California’s Stewart Hagestad,
in the first round.
Drenth was up to the challenge. He got off to a great start, making
birdie on the first hole and taking an early 1 up advantage. But
Hagestad would come back to win three of the next five to take a 2 up
lead through six. Drenth fired back with a birdie at seven then reeled
off three straight wins at 9, 10, and 11 to take a 2 up lead himself.
He would then match the defending champion shot for shot
before winning the 17th hole to close it out 3 and 1.
He moved on to face Dan Sullivan, also of California, in
round two. Drenth once again gave himself a 2 up lead after
12 holes, but Sullivan would answer with birdies at 13 and 15
to square the match. Drenth then made an untimely bogey at
16 to fall behind. The two then matched pars on 17 and 18 as
Drenth fell, 1 up.
“I was grooving early and I just
kept pulling it [the driver from
his bag] and kept ripping it right
down the middle of the fairway,”
Gene Elliott (USGA)
Links : October 7-13, 2017
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