Nate McCoy (above), of Ankeny, outpaced the field at the 85th Iowa Masters, held at Veenker Memorial Golf Course in Ames. McCoy earned his fourth win of the season, along with his fourth career Iowa Masters victory. 

During the first round, McCoy carded a one-under round of 71, but found himself three-shots back of Jon Olson, also of Ankeny. With ground to make up, McCoy went out in the second round and tied the championships lowest recorded round with a 64. 

“The weather was great in round two, which made scoring a bit easier,” McCoy said. “I played well and birdies seemed to come easy, which isn’t always the case.””

McCoy had a stretch of five birdies in a row, spanning from hole nine to 13. A specific birdie stood out to McCoy on the famous 11th hole, nicknamed Davey Jones, which is a euphemism for sailors who find themselves shipwrecked. 

“I got away with a birdie on hole 11 after missing the green long,” McCoy said. “My putt from the fringe almost hung up and remained above the hole but thankfully had just enough speed to catch the green surface and trickle in.”

Conditions were difficult in the final round; winds were gusting and the competition was at an all-time high. McCoy was steady making nine pars to begin the final round, while Olson was heading to the turn three-shots back at one-over par. 

McCoy capitalized with a birdie on the par-three 13th hole and put the tournament out of reach. 

“We were all having trouble figuring out the wind and birdies were few, we never really knew if we pulled the right club because the wind was swirling all over the place,” McCoy said. 

With this win, McCoy now holds a commanding lead in the 2022 IGA Player of the Year race. 

The 2021 IGA Senior Player of the Year, Joe Palmer, claimed his first win of the season with a four-shot victory in the Senior Division. Palmer earned the title with a 215 total and a low 66 in the second round. 

In the Super Senior Division, Gregory Lee defeated Mike McDonald by one shot to earn the top-spot on the leaderboard. Lee posted rounds of 72, 77 and 75 for a 224 tally and was able to hold on to his two-shot lead he had going into the final round. 

The long-time Iowa Masters Co-Director, John Nervig (right), and Jerry Martinson were honored this week at the conclusion of the Iowa Masters. Nervig has dedicated many years to running the Iowa Masters and has impacted many lives around the game of golf. Martinson, a graduate of Iowa State University, enjoyed golfing at Veenker Memorial Golf Course and recruiting and organizing volunteers for the Iowa Masters. 

Masters Flight
1. Nate McCoy 71-64-72=207
2. Jon Olson 68-69-76=213
3. Trent Lindenman 70-71-73=214
4. Conner Peck 73-68-75=216
5. Sam Vertanen 71-73-74=218

Senior Flight
1. Joe Palmer 76-66-73=215
T2. Dave Gaer 71-71-77=219
T2. Kirk Macumber 72-70-77=219
4. Mike Gaul 74-76-73=223
5. Jeff Collett 80-68-76=224

Super Senior Flight
1. Gregory Lee 72-77-75=224
2. Mike McDonald 75-76-74=225
3. Rob Christensen 76-77-75=228
4. Tom Schill 78-75-78=231
5. Dana Kain 78-79-81=238