Ruby Chou (above) broke out of the first-place tie on Tuesday and leads the 98th Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship, held at Cedar Rapids Country Club. The Iowa State Cyclone carded an even round of 72 to give herself a four-shot advantage over fellow Cyclone, Warda Amira Rawof. 

“I made smarter decisions today,” Chou said. “I had quite a few birdies, which is pretty good. There are quite a few holes where I only have nine-irons left, which is pretty easy for me, but I didn’t hit it well, so I am going to keep working on it after today.”

Elite ball-striking is key at a Top-100 course in the nation. Chou has been sticking to hitting fairways and making smart decisions on the greens. 

“Putting the ball in the fairways first is important and having good speed for my putting is important too,” Chou said. “Some of the holes have some greens that have a lot of slope.”

The two Cyclones will be paired together in the final round, as they sit in the top-two positions. Rawof, who posted a 76 Tuesday afternoon, will look to get it going again tomorrow and make a run at her teammate. 

Coming into the clubhouse with the low round of the day, Tatum Depuydt raced up the leaderboard into third place. The 2021 Iowa Junior Girl’s Amateur Champion fired a one-under round of 71 to get back into contention.

Hannah Bermel and the current IGA Junior Girl’s Player of the Year leader, Bella Pettersen, round out the top-five in a tie for fourth place. Pettersen recorded three birdies en route to a 74 on the day. Bermel joins Pettersen with three birdies and posted a 75 to stay in contention.

Three U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship qualifiers are on top in the Open Division after two days. Rose Kubesheski remains the leader by two with Michelle Klein and Laura Leszczynski right behind. 

Kubesheski tied Klein with the second lowest round in the Open Division today. The two competitors were bested by Leszczynski by one shot today after posting an 80 in the second round. 

Kim Fensterman and defending Open Division champion, Kelly Nelson, are tied for fourth place going into the final round. Nelson carded an 84 during her round today, and Fensterman posted 87 for her round two total. 

The final round of the 98th Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship begins Wednesday morning. Follow the live scoring feature to see who will walk away with the Championship Division and Open Division titles.

Championship Division
1. Ruby Chou -1 71-72=143
2. Warda Amira Rawof +3 71-76=147
3. Tatum Depuydt +4 77-71=148
T4. Hannah Bermel +6 75-75=150
T4. Bella Pettersen +6 76-74=150

Open Division
1. Rose Kubesheski +13 76-81=157
2. Michelle Klein +15 78-81=159
3. Laura Leszczynski +16 80-80=160
T4. Kim Fensterman +22 79-87=166|
T4. Kelly Nelson +22 82-84=166