2021 IGA Yearbook

RULES & COMPETITIONS A s we look back on the 2021 season several underlying themes come to mind. From an overall golf industry perspective, rounds of golf and participation, in general, continued to rise in 2021. A combination of new golfers taking up the game for the first time, returning players rekindling their passion for the game competing alongside those who haven’t missed a beat in many years. This national trend could certainly be used to describe our 2021 IGA championship season. Beginning with the Iowa Mid-Amateur Championship, entries reached the max field size of 144. This trend held throughout the season with increased entries in nearly every championship. Players who failed to sign up early enough found themselves on a waitlist. Events such as the Iowa Amateur, IGA Men’s and Women’s Match Play, and the IGA Women’s Mid-Am Series saw some of the most notable participation increases. It was great to see growth in every demographic. There were many players we saw return to competition for the first time in a while, while others participated in their very first IGA event. However, not all of our 2021 champions are new to the golf scene in Iowa. Some far from it. The IGA has historically had some of the best seniors in the country. That was no different this year as our seniors found success at both the local and national levels. Joe Palmer, who won 2020 Senior Player of the Year honor, picked up where he left off by winning the Senior Division of the Mid- Amateur, the IGA Senior Four-Ball Championship with partner Terry Cook, as well as the IGA Senior Match Play Championship. This resume alone would make for a great season, but Joe wasn’t done yet. Palmer, in historic fashion, then turned back the clock to win the IGA Match Play Championship at Talons Golf making him the oldest champion in the event’s 33-year history, as well as making him the first ever player to win both the IGA Senior Match Play and IGA Match Play in the same season. Palmer went on to win the Senior Player of the Year for the second time in as many years. Not to be outdone, Gene Elliott began his season with a win at the Iowa Mid-Amateur Championship for the sixth time, defending his 2020 crown. He then went on to win the IGA Four-Ball Championship with partner and fellow Iowa Golf Hall of Famer, Jon Brown. Gene then traveled to the U.K. to win the British Senior Amateur Championship at Ganton Golf Club. This historic feat would only be half of the story. MIKE PURCELL, COMMITTEE CHAIR Gene Elliott, 2021 British Sr. Am Champion