Henson/Heryford, Holmberg/Peters Lead Open; Hartman/Miller Lead Senior
The opening round of the 13th IGA Women’s Four-Ball featured many of Iowa’s top players in early contention as the sides of Amber Henson & Rylee Heryford and Erika Holmberg & Maura Peters sit at the top firing an opening round 70. The duo of Henson and Heryford, fresh off their freshman season at Drake, played consistently, recording 13 pars and sprinkling in four birdies. Making back-to-back bogies on nine and ten, the two steadied the ship and played their final seven holes in two under par to work their way into tomorrow’s final pairing.
Tied with the Bulldogs, Holmberg and Peters got off to a quick start as Peters opened the round with birdies on the first two holes. Falling back with a bogey on the fourth, Holmberg birdied the sixth to help the duo turn in one under 35. As with Heryford and Henson, Holmberg and Peters made a late push, playing their final six holes in two under.
Rounding out the top three is defending champion Addison Berg (with Bella Pettersen) & Jane Peterson after firing -1, 71.
In the Senior Division, Julie Hartman and Nicki Miller lead the way after firing -1, 72. Miller had it going early as she recorded four birdies on her opening nine to give them an early advantage over the field. A closing double bogey cut their lead to two over the side of Laura Leszyznski and Michelle Klein. Leszczynki and Klein opened with +1, 74 in a round that featured five birdies. Rounding out the top three is Cindy Morrison and Kathy Forture following their opening round 78.
The U.S. Junior Amateur Qualifier on June 12, at Ames Golf and Country Club ended in a three-way shootout for the two entries into the U.S. Junior Amateur. Noah Kent (right), of Naples, FL, and Ethan Blomme, of Bettendorf, qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur, to be contested July 24-29 at Daniel Island Club in Charleston, SC.
Kent and Blomme (left), who both started the day on hole 10, capitalized on calmer first nine conditions. Kent scored birdies on 16, 17, and 18 and Blomme birdied 15, 16, 17, 18. After an unsatisfactory start, Blomme got his putter rolling.
Defending champion Ankeny’s Connor Peck (right) finished victorious at the Carroll Amateur held at Carroll Country Club this past weekend — but it wasn’t easy. Windy conditions kept the leaderboard in constant motion throughout the 36 holes on Sunday, and it took the final hole to decide the order of the top-four finishers.
Watson (right), who earned medalist honors following a 33 (-3), made short work of #8 seed Janece Schwartzkopf in her opening round match of the Championship Flight, winning 4&3. Watson earned her way into the final match with a win over Robin Webb 3&2. Watson met Laura Leszczynski in the finals, who defeated Kelly Grimes (3&2) and Leanne Smith (3&2) in her route to the finals.
Schaake (right), an Omaha, Nebraska native, had a prolific amateur and collegiate career. In high school Schaake was a two-time Nebraska Junior Amateur Champion, continuing in college to win four-straight Nebraska Amateur titles, and holds the second-most wins in Nebraska Golf Association tournaments ever. He was the only Hawkeye to be voted Big Ten Player of the Year twice, only Hawkeye to be all-conference all four years, holds the lowest season scoring average yet, and holds three of the top four lowest 54-hole totals in university history.
Alexa Poppen, of West Branch, is the daughter of Kami and Dave Poppen and plans to attend the University of Iowa to major in Management and Finance.
Johnston’s J.D. Anderson (right) won the neck-to-neck 2023 Southeast Iowa Amateur at The Preserve on Rathbun Lake in Moravia, feeding on a strong first round performance. Anderson withstood a strong challenge by West Des Moines’ Grant Smith, who carded the lowest final round score, to win by one.
Mike McCoy (right), who later this year will captain the United States’ Walker Cup team in competition against Great Britain-Ireland at The Old Course in St. Andrews, has positioned himself high atop the leaderboards at recent Florida Senior Amateur and Florida Senior Open championships. 
Norton (right) captured the 2023 Florida State Golf Association’s Super Senior Championship in dramatic fashion. A Muscatine resident who spends the winter months in Reunion, FL., Norton fired rounds of 71-73-75 for a 219 total to tie Mike Barkley of Belleaire, FL. He then sank a 15-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a sudden death playoff to capture the title, contested in late March at the Country Club of Ocala in Ocala, FL. Norton saw a four-shot lead evaporate during the final round, but hung on by parring the final eight holes in regulation to earn the playoff berth. “I kept myself in position and managed to avoid any big numbers, which is the key to being competitive in a 54-hole stroke play tournament,” said Norton. “I wound up making six birdies against nine bogies while maintaining a positive frame of mind throughout the event.”
A regular feature column written by IGA Foundation board member Mark Gambaiana, Up and Down the Iowa Golf Scene is designed to take the reader beyond the headlines and scoreboards to share stories of those who help make Iowa golf so rich and rewarding. Profiles will spotlight those who advance the game through volunteerism, service, extraordinary achievement, competition, human interest and the many other dimensions of golf in Iowa.
