2018 Yearbook

12 As I reflect on the past 12 months of activity in the rules and com- petitions area of the IGA, I realize that we had quite a few peaks and valleys. As with all years, we had wonderful competition and saw terrific golf. It seemed as though we had more difficulties with weather than in the years I can re- member. We had record entry into our Iowa Senior Amateur and crowned very deserv- ing Players of the Year. In September, we experienced tragedy when all of a sudden a golf course didn’t seem so safe. Frankly, it was probably one of the most eventful years I have ever experienced. Unfortunately Iowa became the center of the golf world in mid-September when Iowa State’s Celia Barquin-Arozamena was murdered while playing a round of golf at Coldwater Golf Links in Ames. The details of the tragedy hit all of us especially hard. She was the reigning Big 12 individual champion, had won the European Ladies Amateur, had qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open and was ranked in the top 50 women amateurs in the world. She had a ter- rific career in front of her, which was taken away in a senseless act of violence that shook us all to our core. I did not know Celia personally, but as a golfer I felt a connection. I’ve spent countless rounds alone working on my game, trying to get better, as she was that morning. That fact alone makes it all the more personal. Seeing all of the players at the Ryder Cup wearing yellow ribbons in her honor helped solidify how connected all of us as golfers are. We share the same passion for the game, so I encourage all of you to think about Celia from time to time as you play golf this coming year. I think she and her family would greatly appreciate that. The tragedy of Celia’s death helps bring into focus how lucky we are to play and compete, so it makes it much easier to reflect (and maybe even smile at, now) on all the difficult weather we all had to deal with in 2018. While we did get a few events that were met with great conditions, it seemed like most were plagued with rain, hail, lightning and the like. We Rules & Competition Report Tom Christensen Committee Chair had to postpone our Junior Amateurs two months due to flooding, we had to cancel the final round of the Iowa Mid-Amateur Championship and most oth- ers had some sort of suspension or delay thrown into the mix. It made things difficult for our staff and vol- unteers who run these events, the players who play in them and for our host clubs and courses, in particular the superintendents. We appreciate the patience of the players and the hard work and dedication of our host course staffs. They were all wonderful to work with and always had the best interests of our cham- pionships and qualifiers in mind when making the tough weather-related decisions. Now on to some positive things. We added a few new events to our Sanctioned Point Event list this year. The first was The Classic, held at Elmwood Country Club in Marshalltown, which had a unique stableford format. The next was the Joe August Four-Ball Match Play at Ames G&CC. Again, this event carries a bit different format combining partner play and match play. Finally, the North Iowa Amateur at Mason City Country Club was staged at the end of the year, which carried a lot of weight in determining our final Player of the Year standings. Of course, weather was a factor in these events, but we still feel like they were successful in their first year as a point event and we look forward to seeing them grow in year two. I want to congratulate all the 2018 Players of the Year. J.D. Anderson, after breaking through and winning Hole signage at teeing grounds was a new addition in 2018