Month: July 2019

Hoffman leads 95th Iowa Women’s Amateur, several give chase

July 23, 20190 commentsChampionships, Iowa Women's Amateur

Paige Hoffman had never played in the Iowa Women’s Amateur prior to this year. It didn’t take long for the rookie to in a groove – One she didn’t even expect.

Hoffman, following consecutive rounds of 71, leads the way at Otter Creek Golf Course in the 95th playing of the event.

“It was definitely a different of a 71 today,” Hoffman said compared to her round yesterday. “There was no wind practically through the whole round. I didn’t hit my irons as well today, so it was more of a scramble. I made a lot of longer putts. It was nice to have the wind die down.”

Hoffman said a win tomorrow would be mean a lot.

“I am just going to stay focused,” Hoffman said. “It would mean a lot (to win). I would be surprised as I wasn’t expecting to play this well. It would be an experience I would never forget.”

Sitting just a shot back of Hoffman’s lead is defending champion Sierra Hargens. Hargens, who shot 72 (+1) in the second round, said she is ready to go out and defend her title tomorrow in the final round. Ames’ Joy Chou is tied with Hargens and trails by just one stroke heading into the final round.

“I hit my irons really close yesterday and today I didn’t hit them as close,” Hargens said. “I had a lot more 15-footers. I managed to two-putt those and went on with my game. I knew it was playing hard out there. It was hard to club today, you didn’t know which way the wind was going at time, but I was able to manage (it). I am going to just keep chipping away and not put any results in my head. I know I can do this.”

In the Open Division, Kelly Nelson of Waterloo leads Janece Schwartzkopf of Stuart by four shots. Nelson posted a round of 73 (+2) on Tuesday, which included an eagle 2 on her opening hole.

Final round action will conclude tomorrow.

Click here for a full recap of 36-hole scores.

Hargens, Hoffman lead 95th Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship

July 22, 20190 commentsChampionships, Iowa Women's Amateur

A pair of even par rounds lead the 95th Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship being held at Ankeny’s Otter Creek Golf Course.

Cedar Rapids’ Sierra Hargens and West Des Moines’ Paige Hoffman posted 71 to take an early lead in this year’s championship. Both players admitted the wind was tough to handle during their round.

“I started off bogey-bogey,” Hargens said. “I hit a couple bad iron shots. I was tense and winning this event last year I felt (early on) like I had to play perfect. I settled down after a little bit. I tried to pay good attention to the wind. I actually clubbed down (on some holes). I just played my game.”

Hoffman also commented that wind was a factor in today’s play.

“You definitely had to think about (the wind) it on every shot,” Hoffman said. “The course played completely different that it normally does. It played longer today I thought. It seemed the holes that were already short, were downwind. I made some long putts and my lag putting was good.”

Ames’ Joy Chou sits just a shot off the lead, shooting 72 (+1) today.

Waterloo’s Kelly Nelson leads the Open Division following a round of 78 (+7). Janece Schwartzkopf, of Stuart, gives chase, just a shot back of Nelson in the three-day event.

Click here for a full recap of scoring.

Feldick, McCoy qualify for U.S. Amateur at Wakonda Club

July 16, 20190 commentsUSGA, USGA Qualifiers

When the dust had settled at Wakonda Club after 36 holes of golf, Cedar Falls’ Jonathan Feldick (69-72) and Ankeny’s Nate McCoy (71-71) grabbed the two spots available into the U.S. Amateur on Monday.

Each player took different roads to earn their spot to Pinehurst however.

Feldick (pictured above), who was medalist, rode a rollercoaster for most of the afternoon finishing with 11 birdies over his 36 holes. Meanwhile, McCoy settled for a bushel basket of pars, making 32 on the day. McCoy then survived a playoff against Sam Vincent, of Ames, to secure his spot into the U.S. Amateur.

“I just tried to keep it in play off the tee,” Feldick said. “I struggled with that though, but I putted well today and I finished strong. I birdied the last two holes (this afternoon). It has been a life-long dream of mine to qualify for the U.S. Amateur. Wakonda Club has been good to me, I qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur when I was 17 here. I can’t be happier, I am shocked to be honest.”

Feldick, who opened with 69 (-3) in the morning, said he didn’t really have a number in mind in the afternoon, he just knew he couldn’t let up.

“I didn’t have a number in mind,” Feldick said. “Luckily I birdied the last two holes to finish even (for the afternoon round). I just wanted to get back to even and finish strong, other than that I was just trying to make as many birdies as I could.”

McCoy (right) admitted he simply could not get a birdie putt to find the bottom of the cup

“I had 32 pars today,” McCoy said. “I was getting frustrated out there actually, I just couldn’t get a putt to fall. When you’re stuck around even par you feel like people are passing you. I gave myself a lot of opportunities, but I just couldn’t get any to drop. The greens were tough and I was grinding a lot.”

McCoy admitted that playing with Vincent (1st Alternate via the playoff loss) was enjoyable and kept his mind sharp the whole day.

“I had a ton of fun playing with Sam,” McCoy said. “I knew he was going to be tough. I just tried to stay even with him most of the day.”

Nate will also join his dad, Mike, who is exempt into the U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst. It is believed to be only the fourth time a father/son dou has played in the same U.S. Amateur. Nate commented that it will be a special week for sure in North Carolina , August 11-18.

“He (my dad) kept telling me to go punch your ticket,” Nate McCoy said. “I hope we can play a few practice rounds together. Hopefully it will make my hotel rental a little cheaper. It might be a win-win for me.”

Earning Second Alternate was Ankeny’s Jon Olson.

Click here for a full recap of scoring.

Bermel sisters win 9th IGA Women’s Four-Ball Championship, Leszczynski/Webb take Senior crown

July 14, 20190 commentsChampionships, IGA Women's Four-Ball

Hailey and Hannah Bermel (pictured right) followed up their opening round 65 (-7) in the 9th IGA Women’s Four-Ball with a solid round of 68 (-4) at Pheasant Ridge Golf Course to win the title by nine shots. The Bermel’s father, John, is the Head Golf Professional at Pheasant Ridge GC, so the victory was extra sweet for the duo.

“It was fun getting to play together and bounce the energy off of each other,” Hailey said.

Hannah admitted the game plan for the second round was fairly simple.

“We wanted to hit them close and knock the putts in,” Hannah said with a smile. “(We just wanted) to find the fairways.”

Finishing runner-up was the side of Janelle Carter / Julie Buerman, who posted two solid rounds of golf (69-73) to finish under par for the championship (-2).

In the Senior Division Laura Leszczynski and Robin Webb (pictured right) teamed up for post scores of 70-67 (-7) for the two-day event and cruised to an eight shot win. Leszczynski commented the two meshed well together and complimented her partner’s play.

“I think our games and approach to playing are very similar,” Leszczynski said. “Robin is an aggressive and steady player. She’s brings out the best in my game. She also helped me with all my key putts. We each had a lot of birdies today and we took turns on scoring them fortunately. To top it all, we had a lot of fun together. She’s a great player and a person, that combination makes these kind of events so much fun.”

The side of Kelly Grimes / Sue Harmon finished runner-up in the Senior Division, posted rounds of 74-71 (+1).

Click here for a full recap of scoring, including Net Division results

Bermels lead 9th IGA Women’s Four-Ball, Leszczynski/Webb pace Senior Division

July 12, 20190 commentsChampionships, IGA Women's Four-Ball

Hannah and Hailey Bermel put on a show at Pheasant Ridge Golf Course in the opening round of the 9th IGA Women’s Four-Ball Championship. The pair teamed up to shoot 65 (-7) to lead by four shots over the side of Janelle Carter / Julie Buerman.

“Hannah made a lot of putts,” Hailey Bermel said. “If her ball was on the green, it was going in the hole (today).”

Hannah, who shot an opening nine holes of 30 (-6) on her own ball, admitted the flatstick was working and knowing the course helped – Their dad, John, is the Head Golf Professional at Pheasant Ridge GC. Hannah was able to make a total of eight birdies on the day, finishing the round with a 69 (-3) on her own.

“Putting was huge (in my success),” Hannah Bermel said. “There were some tough pins out there, so it’s nice to know the course.”

In the Senior Division, the side of Laura Leszczynski / Robin Webb posted a round of 70 (-2) to lead by four strokes over four other teams.

The final round will conclude tomorrow, with tee times starting at 8 a.m.

Click here to see a full recap of scoring from Round One.

 

 

Nebraska Goes Undefeated to Win Junior Girls’ Four-State, Iowa finishes runner-up

July 3, 20190 commentsChampionships

Nebraska did not let off the gas during Singles matches on Tuesday, the final round of the 51st Junior Girls’ Four-State Championship at ArborLinks in Nebraska City.

After winning all but one of their first six matches to total 5.5 points on the first day, Nebraska left no doubt again during the Singles matches, winning all six. The six wins gave Nebraska six more points to get to 11.5 total points, out of a possible 12. Iowa (pictured above) finished second with 5.5 points, including three in Singles and 2.5 in Four-Ball, after starting with zero in the Foursomes matches. Kansas was third with five points, and Missouri fourth at two points.

Nebraska entered the final session needing just 3.5 points to ensure a win, and quickly took the lead in all six matches. It was actually Nebraska’s final match on the course that clinched the win. Lincoln’s Nicole Kolbas posted the victory, winning 6 and 5 over Iowa’s Bella Amador-Lacson. That was the deciding point, as Kansas and Iowa each needed to win all six of their matches for a chance, and both had already lost a match.

Abby Marting, Anna Jensen and Annika Patton all won their singles match to secure runner-up honors for Iowa. Also adding to Iowa’s point total was Amador-Lacson/Patton and Paige Hoffman/Marting during the Four-Ball portion of the championship held on Monday. The side of Jensen/Jenna Krogulski were able to add a half point during Four-Ball as well.

Full results and more are available by clicking here.

Hogenson wins IGA Women’s Mid-Am Series event at Edmundson GC

July 1, 20190 commentsChampionships, News

The second event of the IGA Women’s Mid-Am Series was contested at Edmundson Golf Course in Oskaloosa, Iowa this past Saturday, June 29.

Katelynn Hogenson (pictured right in white hat), of Ames, earned her first victory in a dramatic sudden death playoff over Julie Buerman, of Cedar Rapids. Buerman, who had won the first event of the series in Waterloo earlier this summer, matched Hogenson’s score of 75 (+5). Hogenson made par on the first playoff hole to earn the win and the coveted pink sash.

When asked if she had expectations prior to the event, Hogenson said “I just wanted to have a good time and get my feet wet again.”

Hogenson, who serves as Director of Member Services & Women’s Golf for the Iowa Golf Association, is usually watching golf verses playing it.

“I was more nervous than expected,” Hogenson said. “I kind of forgot about the feelings you get when you actually have to hit a ball under pressure.”

When it was learned there would be a playoff, players who were waiting in the comfortable air-conditioned clubhouse immediately grabbed a cart and found a shaded area to watch. It gave the players a fun atmosphere to compete in and also interested many of the public playing as well.

Nicki Clayton (pictured above in orange) captured the Net Division title with a score of 68 (-2) to outdistance Michelle Klein by two shots. Complete results can be found by clicking here.

The third and final event of the Women’s Mid-Am series will be contested at Bear Creek Golf Course in Forest City, on Saturday September 7th. The event format will be a four-ball championship. For more information on the this event click here, or to sign up, enter here.

Click here to view a video recap of the playoff

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