2023 IGA Yearbook

11 Golf Assistant coach, kept the Hawkeye success in 2023 rolling, following in the footsteps of University of Iowa Women’s golfers Kaitlin Hanna and Maura Peters who captured the Iowa Women’s Amateur and Iowa Girls’ Junior Amateur, respectively. With Iowa City currently home to three defending champions, it feels right to take the 122nd Iowa Amateur there in 2024. This season also marked another terrific display of Iowa golf on the national level. More than a dozen Iowans teed it up at USGA championships ranging from the U.S. Junior to the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur. Of those who teed it up, Grant Smith (U.S. Amateur), Nate McCoy (U.S. Mid-Amateur), Joe Palmer (U.S. Senior), Curtis Holck (U.S. Senior), Jon Brown (U.S. Senior), Gene Elliott (U.S. Senior) all advanced to the match play portion of their respective championships. No USGA championship delivered as much drama, and celebration, as the U.S. Senior Am. Four players advanced to match play before an untimely match between Jon Brown and Curtis Holck in the round of 64 saw that number cut in half, following a 1-up loss by Elliott. Undeterred, Holck and Palmer clawed their way through the bracket advancing to the quarterfinals before each falling. Had they kept their momentum, the two could have met in the finals. While we reflect on what a great season we had, our focus shifts to 2024 and the exciting developments. With the announcement of state amateur champions earning exemptions into USGA championships, we are thrilled to know Iowa will have representation at the U.S. Girls' Junior, U.S. Amateur, and U.S. Women’s Amateur. The Iowa Women’s Amateur will also be celebrating a milestone in 2024 with the centennial playing of the event. The championship will take a trip down memory lane, returning to Sunnyside Country Club (inaugural host), to celebrate the trailblazers who have made Iowa women’s golf what we know and love. The IGA will also continue to expand the game with the first annual IGA Senior Four-Ball Championship, set to take place in September. An exciting year is in store and we look forward to celebrating with you all at IGA championships soon. Nate McCoy (R) earned his way to the Round of 16 in the U.S. Mid-Am at Sleepy Hollow CC in New York. He ultimately fell t eventual champion, Stewart Hagestad 3 & 1, but was 4-under par through 17 in the match. Charlie Hoyle, Maura Peters and Kaitlin Hanna