Anderson Sets the Pace, Gaer Leads Super Seniors After Day One
The Iowa Senior Amateur Championship held at Oneota Golf and Country Club in Decorah is officially underway. Amidst gusty winds and treacherous greens, a few players prevailed to find themselves atop the leaderboard after round one of the championship.
Defending champion J.D. Anderson of Johnston (above) navigated the course with ease after firing an impressive 68 (-4) to lead the field. After shooting a steady 35 (-1) on the front nine, Anderson put his foot on the gas going 3-under in his next five holes on the back. Even a lone bogey on hole 16 was remedied by a clutch birdie on the last.
“My wedge game was really solid today,” shared Anderson. “I stuck a few of them to one foot and that helped me a lot out there.”
Following closely behind with a pair of 70’s (-2) was Josh Janeczko and Chris Kramer of West Des Moines. Both players finished strong in the final stretch with Janeczko holing out for eagle on 18 and Kramer birdying three out of his four last holes.
“I was about 230 out and had a hybrid in. I luckily got all of it and had a hot one that chased up the front of the green and went in,” expressed Janeczko with a smile.
“I just kind of hung in there most of the day, and then the last four holes I was able to stick a few close ones in there to make something happen,” shared Kramer.
Chad Bosch of Swisher closed out the under-par crew with a 71 (-1) highlighted by a string of birdies in his final three holes.
Defending super senior champion Dave Gaer (right) of Des Moines returned with a dominating presence after posting a 73 (+1) to lead the division. After a slow start with three bogeys on the front nine, Gaer found his footing and made two birdies on the back nine to secure his spot atop the leaderboard.
“I really just tried to hit a lot of greens and keep it in the fairway,” shared Gaer. “The rough is really thick out there and I was certainly in my fair share of it, but I navigated it well and made some putts.”
Following Gaer’s heels was Steve Kahler of Marion who posted a 74 (+2) after a rollercoaster back nine. With four bogeys, a birdie, and an eagle just on the second nine alone, Kahler proved that his grit was enough to keep him in the mix.
“I was driving it pretty steady today which was crucial for these tight fairways,” mentioned Kahler. “I chipped in for eagle on 15 which really helped with the bogeys.”
With two days left of competition, the championship is still anybody’s game. Blue skies and soft winds over the next few days are sure to be kind to the field as they eye the coveted championship titles.