Etched on the Thye & Fladoos Trophies

Winning an amateur tournament is not a small feat. However, women in Iowa have proven that they can do it, and some have done it multiple times throughout their careers. Iowa’s history is rich with individuals who have shown their passion and talent for the game throughout their entire career. Looking through history, their achievements have not only brought them personal glory but have also inspired generations to come who tee it up at the Iowa Girls’ Junior and Iowa Women’s Amateur.

In 1976, Dorea Mitchell kicked off her impressive amateur career. Shooting a four-round total of 301, Mitchell won the Iowa Girls’ Junior Amateur. It was just the beginning for the Grinnell native. The following year, 1977, Mitchell successfully defended her title at Sac City Country Club. Even more impressive than her defense, was the way she did it. Posting 301, she captured the title by an astonishing 11 shots and was just one stroke off the championship record. It made sense as the 1977 championship was conducted at her home track of Grinnell Country Club.

Just a year later Mitchell was playing in the Iowa Women’s Amateur. The University of Oklahoma standout had a two-shot lead going into the final round. Even with her lead, it still came down to the final hole, but Mitchell refused to succumb to the pressure. On the 18th, Mitchell was able to hit a tee shot right in the fairway allowing her to get on the green and two-putt for par. Mitchell won the Iowa Women’s Amateur shooting 304, beating her opponent Bobbe Carney by two and etching her name on the Fladoos trophy.

Just two years later Michell was again in the 1980 Iowa Women’s Amateur. Playing in another nail-biter round, Mitchell got on an impressive birdie streak, allowing her to break away from the competition. Although Mitchell won the Amateur, she was most excited that her round included only 27 putts, and it significantly contributed to her championship victory.

Fast forward to 1997, a new name was emerging in Iowa golf: Patricia Martinson. She was already making a name for herself in Iowa and would be a prominent figure in college golf. Playing in, being the medalist on the Iowa Four-State team and winning the Iowa Girls’ Junior Amateur in 1997, were just some of Martinson’s youth accomplishments. Her accomplishments would continue when she attended Charleston South University and was named Big South Champion and Player of the Year in 1999 and 2000.

Later in 2000, Martinson would compete in the Iowa Women’s Amateur, making it her sixth time participating. Just a year before Martinson had placed second in the 1999 Iowa Women’s Am, losing in a playoff to Stacy Berman. A year later the two were at it again, and Martinson was determined to come away with the victory. Not knowing where she stood throughout the round, it all came down to the last hole. Making a 5-foot putt for par secured the win for Martinson, and after five previous attempts, Martinson was an Iowa Women’s Amateur Champion. Apart from her amateur career, Martinson has an impressive resume away from the course. Martinson continued to give back to the game as she became a member of the LPGA and served as the University of North Carolina’s assistant head coach.

As Martinson’s success highlighted her perseverance and skillfulness, another golfer was preparing to make her mark on the Iowa golf scene. In 2002, there was a different type of championship. Sarah Gilbert, an Iowa State golfer, won the Iowa Girls’ Junior Amateur in 1999, and three years later Gilbert was ready. Shooting a 75 on the first day, Gilbert sat fifth on the leaderboard. In the second round, Gilbert shot an impressive 68, the low round for the tournament. In her final round, Gilbert shot even par, making a runaway for the championship. She claimed her lone Iowa Women’s Amateur title dominantly, capturing a seven shot victory over future champion Jenny Heinz.

While Gilbert’s dominance was impressive, another inspiring story emerged on the Iowa golf scene. Many who win championships are lifelong players of the game. That was not the same for Sierra Hargens. Hargens was first a softball player but was inspired by her father to try and play the game. Her success was apparent when she won the 2015 Iowa Girls’ Junior Amateur. Finding herself trailing first-round leader Karli Kerrigan by just a stroke, she opened up the back nine with an eagle on the par five 10^th to draw even. A birdie on the 13^th would put her ahead for good, as she captured the Betty Thye trophy by just a single stroke, and her first Iowa championship.

Two years later, the then-Indiana State University golfer was ready to win the Iowa Women’s Amateur. Taking it one shot at a time, Hargens was ready for the win. Holding onto the lead, Hargens looked poised to cruise through the back nine. An untimely double bogey opened the door for her closest opponents, but quickly regrouping, Hargens made the most of having wedge in her hand on the 17^th and 18^th. Closing with back-to-back birdies, the Cedar Rapids native secured her first Iowa Women’s Amateur title. Winning the event by four strokes, Hargens showed that it is not always experience that helps you, but confidence and grit.

Additional champions of both the Iowa Junior Girls’ and Iowa Women’s Amateur include:
Jessie Sindlinger
Kristin Paulson
Jenny Heinz
Becky Biehl
Susan Shinn
Melanie Schuller
Jacque Fladoos
Sharon Fladoos
Andy Cohn

Next Week on Women’s Wednesday…

Closing out the final weekly feature, look back on seven past champions and the mark they made on the Iowa Women’s Amateur.

Five Who Went Back-To-Back

Successfully defending an Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship title is exceptionally challenging due to the high level of competition from skilled golfers across the state. Each year, new and returning participants bring their best game, raising the bar higher and higher. Weather conditions vary greatly, adding an unpredictable element that tests even the most seasoned players. Mental and physical stamina are crucial, as the pressure to maintain top performance can be intense. Achieving back-to-back victories is a testament to a golfer’s consistency, resilience, and exceptional talent, making it an impressive and rare feat.

Elisabeth Waterman

When the Iowa Women’s Amateur began in 1922, many wondered who would be the first champion to successfully defend her title. Thankfully, they wouldn’t have to wait long as Elisabeth Waterman accomplished the difficult feat in just the fourth edition of the championship.

During the 1924 Iowa Women’s Amateur, Cedar Rapids Country Club was host to the top female golfers the state of Iowa has to offer. Waterman, of Davenport, collected the first win of the week after capturing medalist honors during the first round with an 88. At the time, papers reported that her 88 was “said to be the best score ever made by a woman on the difficult course.” It was only the beginning for Waterman that week as she skillfully worked her way through the match play bracket, securing a spot in the finals against Mrs. F.C. Buyers. The two battled throughout the entire match, as neither held a lead greater than one up.

Buyers often got the better of Waterman, but she refused to quit. She continued to find ways to tie the match, often the hole following a win from Buyers. The pair remained level through 18 holes and trudged on to the 19^th with the championship on the line. Waterman captured the 19^th hole and her first of two straight Iowa Women’s Amateur titles.

Returning to the championship in 1925, all eyes were on Waterman as everyone flocked to Sunnyside Country Club. During the second round of match play, Waterman was nearly defeated by Francis Drake before a late rally kept her title defense alive. Many said that after her rally and defeat of Drake, it was “practically conceded that she would retain the championship.” They were right. Her final match was against A.C. Clapp but a hot start from the defending champ left little doubt as to who would raise the trophy. Holding a three-up lead at the turn, it seemed the match would end quickly in favor of Waterman. Clapp, however, had different plans. She rallied to win the 10^th, 11^th, and 13^th, but a loss on 12^th and 15^th dashed her hopes. Waterman recomposed herself during the back nine, and captured the 15^th and final hole to secure her second Iowa Women’s Amateur titles. She didn’t know it yet, but she would become the first of seven champions to successfully defend their titles at Sunnyside Country Club. 

Elizabeth Curtis

Entering the 1927 Iowa Women’s Amateur, Elizabeth Curtis had never played in a golf championship. Growing up at Clinton Country Club, Curtis has played her fair share of friendly matches during her five years of learning the game. Teeing it up at Wakonda Club, many didn’t know Curtis’ name at the start of the week. By the end of it, everyone knew who she was.

Her championship match against Mrs. Byers was one of the most dominant performances in Iowa Women’s Amateur history. With a three-up lead through five, Curtis refused to let up, watching her lead grow with wins on the sixth through the ninth, taking a seven-up lead at the turn. The 18-hole championship match was decided on the 11^th green, as the pair tied the hole and Curtis claimed an 8 & 7 victory making the first of two titles.

Teeing it up at Arsenal Golf Club in 1928, Curtis once again performed well in the championship match. Battling against Frances Drake, Curtis got off to a dream start with a three-under-par front nine. Her stellar play saw her amass a four-up lead through nine holes where it would remain until closing out the match on the 15^th green. Credited with long drives and pinpoint accuracy with her irons, Curtis’ play further etched her into Iowa Golf History as the second successful title defense in the championship.

Betsy Bro

Entering the final round of the 1985 Iowa Women’s Amateur, Betsy Bro found herself one stroke behind the leaders and needing to make a move up the leaderboard. Finding herself in the penultimate pairing, Bro meticulously plotted her way around the front nine of Green Valley Golf Club. Turning in one over par, she found herself tied for the lead with Chris Cervetti-Kiel heading to the back. With a closing nine of even par 36, Bro eagerly waited in the clubhouse wondering if it would be enough. Even when others began to congratulate her, she quickly responded “as long as Chris is still out there it isn’t over. She’s tough”. Needing a miracle on the 18^th, Cervetti-Kiel made a bogey allowing Bro to capture her second Iowa Women’s Amateur title in three years. The victory would kickstart an impressive three-year run for Bro in which she lifted the Fladoos trophy annually.

The story of the 1986 Iowa Women’s Amateur was Mother Nature. Heavy rain storms on the final day forced the championship to be condensed from 54-holes down to 36-holes. Despite the weather challenges, Bro’s exceptional play during the first two rounds would be enough as she claimed a one-stroke victory over Tera Fleischman and Cervettit-Kiel. After trailing by two following an opening round 77, Bro bounced back with a 75. Consistent rain over the second and third day of the championship may have derailed the competition, but Bro remained steady for her first successful title defense.

Bro achieved her third consecutive Iowa Women’s Amateur title in 1987 at Mason City Country Club. She demonstrated the same skill and consistency that she had in years prior, finishing with a five-shot win over the runner-up, Barb Thomas. Bro’s final round score of 73, which was one of the best of the tournament, helped secure her fourth overall victory. Her two previous victories had been small margins, but 1987 marked the first time she would have to go into a playoff to claim the title.

Holding a three-shot lead heading into the final round, Bro remained ahead of the field through the 12^th. By the time she put the flag in on the 15^th, she was joined at the top by Ann Vandermillen. The pair remained tied heading to the 18^th hole, but Bro would have a five-foot birdie putt to capture the win. She would go on to miss and force extra holes against Vandermillen. The pair exchanged pars on the first two playoff holes, but Bro wasn’t ready to give up. Staring down a 30-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole, Bro drained it, capturing her third consecutive and fourth overall title. “It was a great way to win it. I love competition like this. We were really going back and forth,” Bro later said. Five years later, Bro would once again return to the winner’s circle, capturing her fifth Iowa Women’s Amateur title at Pleasant Valley Golf Course.

Ann Vandermillen

Annie (Vandermillen) Albrecht was back for revenge in 1988 at Spencer Golf and Country Club. A year prior, Annie had almost reached the pinnacle of women’s golf in Iowa: an Iowa Women’s Amateur title, but fell just short in a sudden death playoff against Betsy Bro. The 1987 win was Bro’s third Iowa Women’s Amateur victory in a row and a tough pill to swallow for Vandermillen. However, she used the experience to play with fire in the 1988 contest. She left few questions unanswered as to who would win the title, winning by six strokes and having enough of a cushion to bogey three of the last four holes en route to the title. The taste of winning was much sweeter than what she had experienced a year before and too sweet to stop.

Vandermillen won the Iowa Women’s Amateur again in 1989 at Wakonda Club in Des Moines. Wakonda Club proved to be a difficult test for the field, but the Dubuque native battled it out for three days and came out on top by two strokes. Vandermillen would not be back to defend her title once again in 1990 as her golf game was taking on a new challenge. Coming off a successful college career at Wichita State University in 1989, highlighted by a 1987 Gateway Conference title and four selections to the all-conference team, she went on to play professionally on the Future’s Golf Tour (now named the Epson Tour). Vandermillen has since been named to the Missouri Valley women’s golf all-time team.

Megan Furnish

Cedar Rapids native Megan Furnish was in unchartered territory at the 2013 Iowa Women’s Amateur. The Missouri State standout was tied for the lead heading into the final round and was joined by two-time past champion Jenny Heinz. She’d earned her way into the final pairing by firing the low round of the championship with a 1-over-par 73. Even more remarkable about her second round was the fact that she had a triple bogey on the seventh hole. Her final round four-over 76 was enough to fend off not only Heinz but Alex Zenor, who fired the low round of the day with two-over 74. Her maiden victory was earned by two strokes, but her title defense wouldn’t be as easy, having to survive a two-hole playoff.

Opening the championship with back-to-back rounds of 74, Furnish found herself leading by one over Heinz and Christy Nelson. Paired with Heinz and Nelson, Furnish had a front row seat to see where she stood. As Heinz faltered, Nelson pressed on, matching Funish on nearly every hole. By the time the pair reached the 18^th, they were deadlocked. Beginning the playoff on the first, the pair exchanged pars. After Nelson failed to make par on the second playoff hole, Furnish calmly rolled in her five-foot par save. She had become just the 15^th player of all time to successfully defend her title at the Iowa Women’s Amateur.

Next Week on Women’s Wednesday…

Capturing both the Iowa Girls’ Junior Amateur and the Iowa Women’s Amateur is a rare and remarkable achievement. Look at four duplicate winners who have etched their names on both the Betty Thye and Fladoos Family trophies.

Triumphant Women Making Waves in Iowa’s Golf Scene

Iowa Golf history is rich with the remarkable achievements of women who have reached the pinnacle of success. From dominating state championships to earning national recognition, these trailblazing golfers have set new standards of excellence. Their dedication, skill, and perseverance have not only earned them titles but also inspired future generations of female athletes. Delve into the stories of these extraordinary women, celebrating their contributions to the sport and their lasting legacy in Iowa Golf.

Leanne Smith

Leanne Smith is no stranger to IGA events. She grew up playing in the Iowa Junior Girls’ Amateur and even represented Iowa at the 1999 Junior Girls’ Four-State tournament. Her success within the state in the last six years has been nothing short of remarkable. The Indianola resident has a knack for the match play format as she has captured five different match play event titles since 2019.

Kicking off her flurry of match play championships was the 2019 IGA Women’s Match Play at Tournament Club of Iowa. En route to her maiden victory, the mid-amateur took down a slew of collegiate players, including future Iowa Women’s Amateur champion Joy Chou of Iowa State. The following year, she once again dismantled the collegiate players in the field to capture her second straight title. Her third consecutive title came in similar fashion, capturing the title 3 & 2 over UNI Panther Anna Jensen. During both the 2020 and 2021 Smith was named the IGA Women’s Player of the Year, a nod to her consistent play all year long.

The same year, 2021, marked the first year Smith was eligible for the Iowa Women’s Forever 39 Match Play Championship. The nine hole format is a great fit for Smith who is known to jump out to early leads. After claiming the first three holes in the championship match, a par on the sixth was all that was left for Smith to claim the title. She would go on to claim her second title at the championship to kick off the 2024 season.

Perhaps the pinnacle of Smith’s career has been qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, a feat she has accomplished each of the of the last three seasons. During both the 2021 and 2022 Smith was able to reach the match play portion of the championship before bowing out.

Rose Kubesheski

Once the game of golf came into Rose Kubesheski’s life, it did not leave. Kubesheski did not start playing golf until she was older, but her successful resume makes people feel otherwise. The Dubuque resident has won the Forever 39 Match Play twice, the Senior Division of the IGA Women’s Four-Ball six times, and the Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur an outstanding seven times. From 2010 to 2017, there were only two years where she did not win the Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur. Additionally, Kubesheski has taken her game to the national level. Rose qualified for 1995, 2011 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links, 2010 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur in 2017, 2022, and 2023. Her consistent play over the whole season has earned her the Iowa Senior Women’s Player of the Year title five times and a Leahy Medal nine times. However, one of the most impressive feats of her game may be her passion for walking the links. No matter the weather or the course, Rose loves to walk which is a rare trait to find today.

Kubesheski’s contribution to Iowa golf is not limited to her playing ability. She served as Dubuque Senior High School’s head girls’ golf coach for several years. In this role, Kubesheski was able to grow the women’s game in Iowa and show young girls how special the game of golf is. Additionally, she is a committed IGA volunteer. She currently serves on the IGA Board of Directors and three committees: the Women’s Rules and Competitions Committee, the Ann Griffel Scholarship Committee, and the Hall of Fame Nominating Committee. Her competitive spirit, heart for the game, and service make Iowa golf better each year. 

Anita Harsch

With the last name of Harsh, it only made sense that Burlington’s Anita Harsh toppled the field at the 1975 Iowa Women’s Amateur. Her 72-hole total of 229 was a staggering 11 shots better than runner-up Linda Frisch. Opening with rounds of 75 and 73, Harsch left little doubt that she was the player to beat. At the halfway point of the championship, Mason City Country Club had yielded just eight rounds under 80.

Round three brought Harsch closer to her competitors as she turned in her highest score of the championship with an 81. Even with her struggles, she still led by seven strokes going into the final 18 holes. There was little doubt that she would surrender her lead and those who thought she might were quickly silenced as she birdied the first two holes. She kept her foot on the pedal and birdied the fifth, seventh, and eighth, turning in an impressive four-under-par 33.

Her lone blemishes were on the 9^th and 12^th as she recorded bogey, but she quickly bounced back stringing together five pars and a birdie on the 17^th. Shooting even par on the closing nine allowed her to shave ten strokes off her third round, concluding the championship with a three-under-par 71. Harsch’s victory at Iowa’s premier women’s championship would be her lone victory. Still, she had to fight off a stacked leaderboard that featured three previous champions in Corkey Nydle, Linda Frisch, and defending champion Susan Shinn.

Jean Mowry

Golf is meant to be played for a lifetime. For some, success is experienced early whether it be as a junior, collegiate player, or into their early mid-amateur days. For others, success is found and sustained in the latter half of their career. Jean Mowry is the latter.

Hailing from Webster City, Mowry found success in the late 1990s and rode the momentum for half a dozen years, collecting numerous titles along the way. Between 1999 and 2005, Mowry won seven straight Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur titles and was named the Senior Medalist, awarded after the first round, a remarkable four times. During that stretch, Mowry proved that she was lethal not only in stroke play competition but in match play as well. She captured the Iowa Women’s Forever 39 Match Play Championship three consecutive years between 2002 and 2004.

Even more remarkable than her ten victories was that all but two were hosted at various venues. Her ability to play well under pressure at a slew of different courses and playing styles cemented her as a senior legend in the history of Iowa Women’s Golf.

Barbara Berkmeyer

Barbara (Bubany) Berkmeyer’s golf career spans over six decades. Born in Fort Madison, she started playing golf at age four under her father Frank’s guidance. After moving to Ottumwa in 1952, she participated in the 1954 Southeast Iowa Women’s Championship at age 10, later winning it in 1965. Berkmeyer made a name for herself in Missouri after winning the 1962 St. Louis Women’s District Golf Association Junior Girls’ Championship, earning the first women’s athletic scholarship at the University of Missouri.

She won her first Missouri Women’s Golf Association State Championship at 21 and went on to win four more titles. Competing in 11 USGA Championships, she was runner-up in the 2002 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur and the 2002 Canadian Ladies National Senior Championship and won the Missouri Senior Women’s Amateur title 13 times. Berkmeyer also had a 25-year career as a middle school teacher and has been inducted into the St. Louis, Missouri, and University of Missouri Sports Halls of Fame.

Next Week on Women’s Wednesday…

Hoisting the Fladoos trophy in consecutive seasons is easier said than done. But for a select few, they did so with ease.