Month: May 2023

2023 Herman Sani Scholars announced

May 31, 20230 commentsNews, Scholarships

Herman Sani (right) is seen talking with Gene Sarazen in August, 1950.  Sani served as IGA President in 1929.

The recipients of the 2023 Herman Sani Scholarships, presented by the Iowa Golf Association Foundation (IGAF) have been announced. Brody Gilkison, of Cedar Rapids, Colby Carlson, of Des Moines, Isabella Boyle, of Sioux City, and Jackson Overton, of Indianola, will receive a four-year scholarship of $2,000 per year ($8,000 total).

Those individuals will be recognized at the Herman Sani Golf Tournament and Dinner held at Hyperion Field Club, Johnston, in August.

Brody Gilkison, son of Charles and Kyra Gilkison, is a graduate of John F. Kennedy Senior High School and will be attending Yale University in the fall as an Ethics, Politics, and Economics major.

“I am honored to receive the Herman Sani Scholarship,” he said.  “Giving back to the game that has given us so much is very important to me, so to be chosen as a scholarship recipient is very humbling and motivates me to continue to share my passion for golf as well as carrying on Mr. Sani’s legacy.”

 

Colby Carlson, son of Jamie and Kevin Carlson, is a graduate of Waukee Northwest High School and plans to double major in Professional Golf Management and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

“I am humbled and honored to be selected for the Herman Sani Scholarship,” he said. “From a young age, golf has always been a big part of my life. There have been many highs and many hard lessons learned. To be selected as a Herman Sani scholar is another incredible high that this game of golf has provided me. I am very grateful for the people that make these opportunities possible. This scholarship aid will allow me to focus more on my schoolwork with the goal to work in the golf industry, I hope to be able to repay and give back what the game of golf has given me.”

 

Isabella Boyle, daughter of Keri and Dustin Boyle, is a graduate of East High School and will be attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the PGA Golf Management program.

“I am honored to be a recipient of the Herman Sani Scholarship,” she said. “With the aid of this scholarship I will be able to cover additional tuition costs for my program, and focus solely on golf. I am excited to see where UNL and the PGA Golf Management Program will take me. It is a great opportunity to be selected for this prestigious scholarship and I look forward to seeing where I end up in the golf industry.”

 

Jackson Overton, son of Derek and Jennifer Overton, is a graduate of Indianola High School and will be attending Loyola University Chicago in the fall.

“It’s an honor to receive the Herman Sani Scholarship Award,” he said. “This scholarship will benefit my academic and athletic career at Loyola University Chicago. For as long as I can remember golf has been a huge part of my life, this wonderful game has taught me many life lessons and built countless relationships. As a Sani Scholar, I look forward to a future closely tied to the game of golf, where I can positively impact people around me in the same ways the game has done for me.”

The Herman Sani Scholarship Program was established in 1958. Herman Sani had a passion for golf and young people. Sani was the first director of the Iowa Golf Association and served the organization for over 30 years. This scholarship was created in his memory with the purpose to assist Iowa students to further their education. As of 2023, 199 college-bound students have been awarded this four-year scholarship. 

Most of the scholarship money comes from the generous donations by individuals and corporate sponsors. Since 2013 the Coppola family of Norwalk has contributed $250,000 to the Herman Sani Scholarship Fund. The Iowa Golf Association and point events from around the state also make significant contributions to the fund. For more information about the scholarship visit our website at www.iowagolf.org/scholarships. 

Weissenburger wins 2023 Lake Creek Amateur by one

May 29, 20230 commentsChampionships

From left – Connor Peck (3rd), Jake Weissenburger (1st), Nate McCoy (2nd), and Freddie Bullock (5th) were among the Open Division top finishers at the 45th Lake Creek Amateur at BVU Lake Creek in Storm Lake. Not pictured – Hunter Johnson (4th).

Clive resident Jake Weissenburger pulled off a one stroke win at the Lake Creek Amateur on Sunday, May 28. He finished the tournament with a 7-under 137 to claim the title by one stroke over Ankeny’s Nate McCoy. With six birdies and one eagle, his final round 66 edged out McCoy’s 67.

Firm, fast greens and strong afternoon winds above 15 miles per hour kept conditions challenging. Despite heading into the final day tied with Weissenburger and McCoy for the lead, Ankeny’s Connor Peck finished in third place with a 2-under 142, unable to recover from three bogeys on holes 7, 8, and 9 in the final round.

History repeated itself in the Senior Division. Bret Taylor, of Booneville, defended his title shooting 75 and 67 for a 2-under 142. Taylor again triumphed over Winterset’s Kirk Macumber, who carded a 1-under 143 two-round total. Des Moines’ Tony Newkirk and Ankeny’s Bill Matzdorff tied for third with 146 tournament totals.

West Des Moines’ Bob Brooks realized a commanding lead in the Super Senior Division, winning by six strokes with a 148 two-round total over Carroll’s Jim Madsen, who fired a 154.

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Herrmann wins 38th Iowa Mid-Amateur, Palmer & Brooks top divisions

May 22, 20230 commentsChampionships, Iowa Mid-Am

Muscatine’s own Sam Herrmann (right) finished victorious at the the 38th Iowa Mid-Amateur Championship hosted by Geneva Golf and Country Club. 1-under on the day, Herrmann finished the tournament 2-under (211), holding off Ankeny’s Connor Peck who played the final round 2-over for a total of 214. Josh Janeczko of West Des Moines and Jon Brown of Adel tied for third place at 217. Janeczko played a strong 1-under (70) round while Brown struggled to make up ground, ending up with a 3-over 74.

While having the home course advantage, this was Herrmann’s first ever IGA victory.

“Patience was the biggest thing for me,” he said. “[I] knew I was going to be nervous out of the gate.”

Despite Peck’s early lead, Herrmann stuck to his plan and it paid off on the back nine.

“[I] had a few putts roll my way, Connor got plopped out on 16 and [I] just sort of capitalized on that,” Herrmann explained after the round.

Herrmann commented his driver was instrumental in closing out his win.

“Those finishing holes were no joke, especially with the wind,” Herrmann said. “[I] just had to commit to free swinging it.”

With the course being “the firmest” and “the fastest” it has played in a while, Herrmann believed that “growing confidence with that club was big” down the stretch.

In the Senior Division, Joe Palmer (left) of Norwalk triumphed over Ankeny’s Curtis Holck after three playoff holes in a finish reminiscent of the 2021 Senior Match Play championship match, when Palmer defeated Holck in a neck-to-neck 20 hole match. Holck played the final round 1-over (73) to force a playoff with Palmer despite teeing off three strokes back. The pair finished the tournament at 221, with Ottumwa’s Jeff Collett in third at 223.

Bob Brooks of West Des Moines continued his dominance over the Super Senior Division with a 1-over 72, gapping the field by 9 strokes on the tournament with an overall 1-over 214. Runner-up Tom Norton of Muscatine totaled a 223 and third place Dave Waugh of Davenport finished at 225.

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Two share lead into final round of 38th Iowa Mid-Amateur

May 20, 20230 commentsIowa Mid-Am

The second round of the 38th Iowa Mid-Amateur Championship at Geneva Golf and Country Club in Muscatine saw brisk winds throughout the day. In the Mid-Amateur Division, Sam Herrmann of Muscatine carded the low score of the day with a 2-under 69, followed by Dustin Atkinson of Marion and Jon Brown of Adel at an even 71 each.

Herrmann joins Connor Peck of Ankeny at the top of the leaderboard with total scores of 141, with Brown’s total of 143 only two strokes behind heading into the final round.

The Senior Division is led by Jeff Collett of Ottawa and Bruce Westemeier of Cedar Falls with 3-over scores of 74, with Ankeny’s Curtis Holck and Polk City’s Brian Verduyn hot on their tails with a pair of 75’s. Norwalk’s Joe Palmer remains on top with a total of 145, due to his strong first round performance. In second place with a total of 146, Collett looks to build upon his second round momentum on Saturday.

Bob Brooks of West Des Moines maintained his first-round lead in the Super Senior Division with an even-par 71. At a total gross of 142, he leads the division by eight strokes going into the final round with Tom Norton of Muscatine and Dave Waugh of Davenport tied for second at 150.

Brown comes out on top at 21st IGA Senior Match Play, Gaer claims Super Senior bracket

May 17, 20230 commentsChampionships, IGA Senior Match Play

Jon Brown (right, who has had success in match play format events before, came away with the 21st IGA Senior Match Play Championship at Lake Panorama National Golf Course on Tuesday, with a superb 4 & 3 victory over fellow Iowa Golf Hall of Fame member Gene Elliott.

“It feels great. This is my first IGA event as a senior golfer,” Brown said. “Gene is, if not the best, one of the top three or four senior players in the world. He’s such a great guy, great friend and I was looking forward to playing him. You know you better bring your ‘A’ game against Gene to have a chance.”

Brown, who defeated Terry Cook 6 & 5 in the morning semifinals, got off to a quick start versus Elliott in the afternoon, racing out to a 3 up lead after nine holes. A par on the 15th hole, after Elliott had tried to claw his way back into the match, gave Brown the trophy.

“I love match play and have had some success in it, ” Brown said. “Honestly, having the success at last year’s U.S. Senior Amateur, having success against national-caliber players and building off that has been everything (for me). I hadn’t been scoring this year, but I felt like something clicked this week.”

Elliott, who defeated Jay Gregory in his morning semifinal match, battled back to 3 down after 13 holes against Brown. However Brown just would simply not let Elliott get any closer.

“I felt like if I could just keep doing what I was doing and try to run out of holes, that’s how to do it, ” Brown said. “You don’t want to give a guy like Gene any room (to make a comeback). It’s nice to get a win early in the season and this gets me fired up. There are some tight driving holes on this course. I was really happy with my ball-striking this week.”

Brown defeated Bret Taylor (4 & 3) in the Round of 16 and Ron Peterson (7 & 5) in the quarterfinals during his path to the championship.

“This is where we (Gene and I) wanted to be, we wanted to be playing each other,” Brown said. “It’s not hard to play against your buddies. I have been doing that for 35 years. You appreciate these moments as we are on the back nine of our careers. When you look back at tournaments you’ve won when you beat a guy like Gene or Mike (McCoy) or Joe (Palmer), they mean more because of all their accomplishments.”

In the Super Senior Division, Dave Gaer (left) defeated Tom Norton 3 & 2, in a match that Gaer was able to control most of the way.

“I hit the ball really well this week,” Gaer said. “Match Play is a grind. You have to pay attention. I got off to a great start and was hitting in close (against Norton). I hit it well all day and I can’t complain. It’s great to be a part of the Iowa Golf Association and the event was great.”

Gaer, who defeated Tom Schilling 4 & 3 to reach the finals against Norton, who beat Bob Brooks in a great match by the score of 1 up, knew Norton wouldn’t go down without a fight in the afternoon.

“Tom is a grinder,” Gaer said. “He’s proven he can win and he’s a great competitor. We had a great match.”

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Buerman, Parmenter take home top honors at IGA Mid-Am Series Event #1

May 15, 20230 commentsChampionships

Julie Buerman (above right) of Cedar Rapids took home the victory at the IGA Women’s Mid-Am Series Event #1, held Saturday, May 13 at Gates Park Golf Course in Waterloo. Buerman won the stableford tournament with 50 points, five points ahead of the field, with back-to-back birdies on holes 2 and 3 and a 76 on the day.

Runner-up Laura Leszczynski of St. Charles posted a 40-41 round of 81, scoring 45 points. Ankeny’s Karli Kerrigan and Des Moines’ Kelly Grimes finished tied for third, scoring 44 points each, with Kerrigan coming out on top after the tiebreak. Dubuque’s Rose Kubesheski and Wever’s Ashley Neuweg tied for fifth with 42 points.

In the Net Division, Urbandale’s Ardrae Parmenter (above left) won with 55 points. Buerman finished second with 53 points, followed by Cedar Falls’ Margene Grady and Grimes in a tie at 52 points. Leszczynski rounded out the top five with 51 points.

Gross Division
1. Julie Buerman 50
2. Laura Leszczynski 45
T3. Karli Kerrigan 44
T3. Kelly Grimes 44
T5. Rose Kubesheski 42
T5. Ashley Neuweg 42
Net Division
1. Ardrae Parmenter 55
2. Julie Buerman 53
T3. Margene Grady 52
T3. Kelly Grimes 52
5. Laura Leszyczynski 51

Hoyle / Stith pull away for win at 27th IGA Four-Ball Championship

May 8, 20230 commentsChampionships, IGA Four-Ball

Just when things looked to get interesting, the side of Charlie Hoyle / Tyler Stith (above) left no doubt on who would be holding the trophy at the conclusion of the 27th IGA Four-Ball Championship hosted by Burlington Golf Club.

Birdies on #16 and #17 by Stith and a par on #18 by Hoyle gave them a comfortable three-shot win over a trio of teams. Hoyle / Stith posted rounds off 62-67 for a -15 total.

“This is the first one of these going in the trophy case,” Stith said. “I knew the course a little bit and I knew with his (Charlie) length he could hit a lot of drivers. I had to manage the course a little more. We felt like there weren’t as many birdie holes on the back nine to start out on Friday. We took off after that and that set us up for today (final round).”

Hoyle echoed Stith and commented that staying in the correct positions around the BGC layout was critical.

“I am generally a long hitter, so for me it plays a little different, but you can’t get out of position.” Hoyle said. “You’re playing defensively if you do. We tried to hit as many greens as we could. Tyler made some clutch shots coming down the stretch.”

After a chip-in birdie on the 16th hole, Stith found himself above the hole on the 17th. A spot that doesn’t lend itself to much success, yet Stith had a feeling this was his time – and it was.

“I knew I was going to make it.” Stith said. “I told him I got this. I felt at that moment I was going to make that putt. It crept in on the edge. Something came over me the last few holes and I was able to execute some shots that we needed. For the most part, we did a great job of staying under the hole all week. 

In the Senior Division, the side of Jay Gregory / Jeff Collett (right) collected the win, but it wasn’t easy.

Gregory / Collett, who shot rounds of 67-66, had to overcome a hometown team of John O’Neill and Micheal Mathiasmeier in a playoff that lasted three holes.

“They hung in there tough and I made a 20’ putt from above the hole on our third playoff hole.” Gregory said.” I finally got one to go in. You had to be very careful on the greens. If you got above the hole it was tough, but the greens were fantastic. We made a lot of birdies over the two rounds. ”

In the Super Senior Division, there was little left to doubt when then the dust had settled. Bob Brooks and Jim Butler (left) paired up to win by an astonishing 12 shots, following a pair of 66 rounds (-12). The side of Brooks / Butler only had to count a pair of bogeys over the 36-hole event – which came on the 10th hole both days.

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Four advance from U.S. Open Local Qualifying at Glen Oaks CC

May 2, 20230 commentsChampionships, USGA, USGA Qualifiers

(From left) Josh Bousman (73), Brandon Bauman (73), Lucas Scherf (74) & Jack Dumas (74) advance from U.S. Open Championship Local Qualifying hosted by Glen Oaks Country Club on May 1.

Brutal.

To put it lightly Glen Oaks Country Club played tough for the field on Monday, during U.S. Open Local Qualifying. Strong, gusting winds (30-40+ mph), cooler temperatures and championship course conditions left many scratching their head after their round and several just glad to have ‘weathered’ the day.

Professionals Josh Bousman (Clinton) and Brandon Bauman (Las Vegas) fared the best, posting 73 (+2) to share medalist honors and advance to Final Qualifying. Both players were successful in keeping the big number off the scorecard, as each had only one score higher than double bogey and added five birdies to the mix, on a day that sent scores sailing.

“This was one of the hardest rounds of golf I have ever played,” Bauman said. “I tried to pick a spot on the driving range to get a feel for the wind. No matter what direction the wind was, you had to take it flat out one shot at a time. I practically had to start it out of bounds on #12, in order to hit the fairway. You had to make a few birdies to have a chance on Monday. There’s no way you could par all 18 holes, you were going to make a bogey here and there.”

Bousman closed out his day with three straight birdies (on holes #7-9), which he commented were holes he thought he could attack.

“It was a grind out there,” Bousman said. “There weren’t any holes you could just put it in neutral. I switched golf balls (on Monday) to keep my spin down into the greens. I knew #7, #8 and #9 were my best chances to make birdie, so I was just trying to get to that stretch with a chance. I wasn’t trying to think too far ahead. I actually left my eagle putt on my last hole just short. I had a lot of birdie opportunities and tried to stay below the hole as much as I could, so I could be aggressive on the greens. I didn’t have any three-putts on the day.”

Rounding out the final two of four qualifying spots included a pair of Drake University golfers, Lucas Scherf and Jack Dumas, who both posted 74 (+3). Scherf collected four birdies in his round, while Dumas found pars to be his friend – making 10 total on the day.

Earning 1st Alternate on Monday was Tracy Vest (Iowa City) by way of a four-hole playoff that began with five total players who posted 75 (+4). Sam Meuret (Waukee) earned 2nd Alternate. 

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