2022 Yearbook

13 the season of his own. Mike captured his third IGA Senior Player of the Year title, to go along with 11 Player of the Year wins, thanks to strong performances on the biggest stages. Following in Gene Elliott’s footsteps, Mike captured the R&A Senior Amateur Championship at Royal Dornoch Golf Club in Scottland by a staggering seven shots. After returning to the States, Mike kept his strong play going with a Round of 16 appearance at the U.S. Senior Amateur and also qualified for match play at the U.S. Mid-Amateur. Joining Mike at the U.S. Senior Amateur were fellow Iowans Gene Elliott (who was the defending champion), Jon Brown, Joe Palmer, and Curtis Holck. With four advancing to Match Play, it appeared as though Iowa might capture the title in back-to-back years. Unfortunately that didn't materialize, although first-year participant Jon Brown did his best to make it happen as he advanced to the quarterfinals before bowing out. Not to be outdone by their male counterparts, Iowa’s senior women represented well on the national level. Three Iowans qualified for the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, as Laura Leszczynski, Rose Kubesheski, and Michelle Klein traveled to Anchorage, Alaska. The memorable week allowed for several career milestones for each as it marked the first USGA Championship for Klein, the second straight U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur start for Leszczynski, and the fifth USGA start for Kubesheski. The duo of Laura and Rose battled it out in Alaska much as they had all season. The two exchanged victories throughout 2022 but it would be Leszczynski, thanks to a late victory at the Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur by a single stroke, who captured the Senior Women's Player of the Year by a mere 40 points over Kubesheski. The tightly contested year-long race is nothing new but is sure to promise an exciting future for the senior women’s game. Along with the McCoy’s and Leszczynski, we named four other Player of the Year winners with first timers Bella Pettersen (Junior Girls’), Max Tjoa (Junior), Ruby Chou (Women’s), and repeat winner Pat Ryan (Super Senior). Pettersen made her presence known this year as she captured the IGA Women’s Four-Ball and Iowa Junior Girls’ Amateur, both in convincing fashion. Ruby Chou kept the Fladoos trophy in the family as she captured the Iowa Women’s Amateur following in older sister Joy’s footsteps. The Iowa Women’s Amateur was the biggest exclamation point for Chou during the 2022 season, but her success started a few months prior. The Iowa State golfer took the phrase "peaking at the right time" and ran with it. A top-15 finish at the Big 12 Championship was the first step for Chou as the Cyclones earned a bid to the NCAA Stanford Regional with a trip to the NCAA Division I Championship on the line.This is arguably the shining moment for Ruby’s season as she finished in 7th place, punching her ticket to the NCAA Championship at Greyhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. With 2022 in the rearview, we look forward to the changes being implemented in the 2023 season including expanding our Mid-Amateur from 36 to 54-holes. With the expansion, the Iowa Mid-Amateur now fits the 54-hole criteria for participants to receive World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) points, yet another opportunity for Iowans to shine on the biggest stage. We also will be conducting qualifying for our Iowa Amateur Championship which is set to be contested at Glen Oaks Country Club in West Des Moines, and we look forward to bringing the Iowa Women's Amateur back to Finkbine Golf Course in Iowa City. Thank you to all of our 2022 participants and we can’t wait to see you all again in 2023. (L to R) Rose Kubesheski, Laura Leszczynski, and Michelle Klein at the U.S. Senior Women's Amateur held in Anchorage, Alaska.