Author: iowagolf

Fisher takes lead into final round of 73rd Herman Sani Tournament

Making a charge was the name of the game on Saturday as Darin Fisher (above) took the lead after round two of the 73rd Herman Sani Tournament at Echo Valley Country Club in Norwalk. 

After carding a bogey free 68 in round one, Fisher had a little more adversity during his second run at Echo Valley Country Club. Three bogeys jumped at Fisher. He fought back by tacking on five birdies to take a one-shot lead into the final round. 

Sam Vertanen was red-hot during his round today. With a four-under front-nine, Vertanen had it going early. Two more birdies were added to Vertanen’s card to start his back-nine, but finished his final four holes at two-over par.

Paired together for the first two rounds seemed to help Logan Barnes and Anthony Ruthey as they will head into the final round in a tie for third place. Barnes was our solo leader at seven-under par, but two double bogeys on his 15th hole and 17th hole set him back.

Ruthey played his front-nine at one-over par and carded an even back-nine to finish with a 72 on the day. Matthew Jennings, a fellow professional to Fisher, tied for fifth place with Connor Peck and Parker Oleson at one-under par.

The 2021 Senior Player of the Year, Joe Palmer, holds a two-shot lead over defending champion, Jay Gregory. Palmer posted a three-under round that included four birdies and on lone bogey on the twelfth hole. 

Jay Gregory kept himself in contention with a one-under round. Gregory began his day at two-over par through his first twelve holes, but three birdies in his final six holes pushed him back towards the top.

Recent U.S. Senior Amateur qualifier, Curtis Holck, finished his second round in third place. Holck totaled four birdies en route to a one-under round of 70. Brian Verduyn found himself five back of Palmer but crept back inside the top-five after tying Gregory and Holck at one-under par today.

The 2022 IGA Senior Match Play Champion, Jeff Collett is inside the top-five at three-over par for the tournament. Don’t count him out as he knows how to go low quickly. 

A new leader appears in the Super Senior Division. Jim Madsen fired back-to-back rounds of 72 to grab the lead by two shots over the 2021 Super Senior Player of the Year, Pat Ryan. 

On his final nine, Madsen caught fire, knocking in five birdies. The late hot streak was met with a double bogey on his final hole, but the 2021 runner-up will head into the final round with the lead.

Ryan carded the low round of the day with a one-under 70. Stranded on the right side of the seventh hole, Ryan punched out to five feet and with excitement, drained the birdie. 

Robert Pomerantz and Joel Yunek finished in a tie for third place with 148 tallies. Rob Christensen rounds out the top-five after a 74 in today’s round. Christensen will head into the final round with a 150 total.

The final round of the 73rd Herman Sani Tournament begins Sunday morning. Keep up with the action using our live scoring feature and find out who will be crowned the Herman Sani Tournament champion in all divisions.


Open Division
1. Darin Fisher 68-69=137
2. Sam Vertanen 71-67=138
T3. Anthony Ruthey 67-72=139
T3. Logan Barnes 66-73=139
T5. Matthew Jennings 67-74=141
T5. Connor Peck 69-72=141
T5. Parker Oleson 74-67=141

Amateur Division
Sam Vertanen 71-67=138
T2. Anthony Ruthey 67-72=139
T2. Logan Barnes 66-73=139
T4. Connor Peck 69-72=141
T4. Parker Oleson 74-67=141

Senior Division
1. Joe Palmer 71-68=139
2. Jay Gregory 71-70=141
3. Curtis Holck 72-70=142
4. Brian Verduyn 74-70=144
5. Jeff Collett 72-73=145

Super Senior Division
1. Jim Madsen 72-72=144
2. Pat Ryan 76-70=146
T3. Robert Pomerantz 75-73=148
T3. Joel Yunek 73-75=148
Rob Christensen 76-74=150

Two share lead at 73rd Herman Sani Tournament

After round one of the 73rd Herman Sani Tournament, two amateurs, Ian Meyer and Logan Barnes (above), lead the way, both with five-under rounds. 

The early morning tee-times favored our two leaders.

One-under going into his final nine holes, Meyer knew he needed to make something happen. Four birdies to close out his bogey-free, first round score, gave Meyer a tie for the lead alongside Barnes.  

Barnes couldn’t seem to keep the birdies off his scorecard. Eight birdies to only three bogeys gave Barnes a one-shot advantage going into the second round.  

A three-way tie for third place between Ethan Mechling, Anthony Ruthey and the Pro Division leader, Matthew Jennings rounds out the top-five. Those three competitors will head into the second round one shot off the lead at four-under. 

Three of the top seniors in Iowa lead the Senior Division. The 2023 Walker Cup Captain, Mike McCoy, carded an early morning round of 71, only to watch Joe Palmer and Jay Gregory tie him in their afternoon rounds. 

This year’s Senior Match Play champion, Jeff Collett, finished in a three-way tie with the 2022 U.S. Senior Amateur qualifier, Curtis Holck, and Kris Greenfield. All three competitors recorded one-over rounds and sit one shot below the leaders.

Defending champion, Bill Tank, holds a one-shot lead in the Super Senior Division. Early adversity struck Tank after a four-over start in his first four holes. Looking forward, Tank carded five total birdies to give him the early advantage. 

Jim Madsen finds himself one-shot behind Tank after a one-over round. With three birdies on his opening nine, Madsen will seek out another hot start in tomorrow’s second round. Joel Yunek holds third place with a two-over round of 73.

The second round of the 73rd Herman Sani Tournament will start back up Saturday morning. Follow the action on moving day using our live scoring feature to see if the leaders hang on for another day or if someone else jumps up to the top.


Open Division
T1. Ian Meyer -5 66
T1. Logan Barnes -5 66
T3. Matthew Jennings -4 67
T3. Ethan Mechling -4 67
T3. Anthony Ruthey -4 67

Amateur Division
T1. Ian Meyer -5 66
T1. Logan Barnes -5 66
T3. Ethan Mechling -4. 67
T3. Anthony Ruthey -4 67
5. Connor Peck -2 69

Senior Division
T1. Mike McCoy E 71
T1. Jay Gregory E 71
T1. Joe Palmer E 71
T4. Jeff Collett +1 72
T4. Curtis Holck +1 72
T4. Kris Greenfield +1 72

Super Senior Division
1. Bill Tank E 71
2. Jim Madsen +1 72
3. Joel Yunek +2 73
T4. Mike McDonald +4 75
T4. David Studer +4 75
T4. Robert Pomerantz +4 75
T4. Tom Schill +4 75

Leszczynski defends title at LPN, Grady earns third Super Senior victory

Laura Leszczynski (above) will engrave her name on the Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur trophy for the third time in her career after outlasting, Rose Kubesheski, at the 57th Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at Lake Panorama National Golf Course in Panora. 

As the two leaders, Leszczynski and Kubesheski, approached the final three-hole stretch, there seemed to be anyone’s title for the taking.

“We didn’t really know what the scores were,” Leszczynski said. “I thought I was down one. On the last few holes, my goal was just to make par all the way in.”

On hole 18, Kubesheski was inches away from holing out for birdie from just off the green. Leszczynski stood and watched Kubesheski tap in for her par, knowing that she was going to need her eight-foot par putt to drop.

“I thought my last putt was for a push to go into a play off,” Leszczynski said. “I put a lot a pressure on myself for that one, so it was a relief to make that one.”

Her putt caught the lip of the hole and fell. Little did she know that putt was for her second straight Senior Women’s Amateur Title, but Leszczynski couldn’t take all the credit. 

“Coming off of the USGA Event, I didn’t play well there,” Leszczynski said. “I was fortunate enough to have some time with my local head golf professional, Jason Marvelli. He fixed my swing, so I came in here with a brand-new swing. To know where the ball was going to go instead of wish where it was going to go was awesome.”

A new swing was just enough for Leszczynski to defeat the seven-time Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur champion, Kubesheski. 

“Rose played great,” Leszczynski said. “She makes me play better and keeps me focused. For me, I just need to stay calm and remind myself to stay in the game. To watch her play and play so evenly is always fun to watch, but I needed to play my own game and not play against her.”

As Leszczynski glanced at the trophy she worked so hard for, she could only share how much fun she had. 

“To win this one, in such a close way was fun,” Leszczynski said.

A two-time Super Senior Women’s Amateur Champion, Margene Grady, made it three with a playoff victory over Jeanette Fredericksen. 

The crowd of senior ladies were filled with anticipation as they followed Grady and Fredericksen back to the 10th tee. After Fredericksen left her approach just short of the putting surface, Grady stuck hers to the middle of the green. Fredericksen was unable to save par, and Grady two-putted.

With a par on that first playoff hole, Grady headed back to the clubhouse with a big smile and a third Super Senior Women’s Amateur title.

Fortune wins shootout
Congratulations to the IGA’s first ever IGA Senior Women’s Shoot-out champion, Kathy Fortune. Fortune felt the pressure she said but came through and defeated Janece Schwartzkopf in a late chip-off to win the ‘last-man standing’ style mini-game. 


Championship Division
1. Laura Leszczynski 77-77=154
2. Rose Kubesheski 77-78=155
3. Michelle Klein 78-86=164
4. Kathy Fortune 85-82=167
T5. Jeanette Fredericksen 87-82=169
T5. Margene Grady 86-83=169
T5. Kelly Grimes 82-87=169

Super Senior Division
1. Margene Grady 86-83=169 *Won Playoff*
2. Jeanette Fredericksen 87-82=169
T3. Janis Owens 91-84=175
T3. Jennifer Corkrean 88-87=175
Sue Harmon 83-93=176

Familiar faces lead the pace at 57th Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur

Iowa’s three U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship qualifiers, Laura Leszczynski, Rose Kubesheski (above) and Michelle Klein are on top of the first-round leaderboard at the 57th Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at Lake Panorama National Golf Course in Panora. 

Defending champion, Leszczynski, tied Kubesheski for the lowest round of the day with a five over 77. With 13 pars on the day, Leszczynski’s consistent play might be enough to take down the current leader for the Senior Women’s Player of the Year, Kubesheski. 

Kubesheski is looking for her eighth Senior Women’s Amateur Championship title, and she set herself up well after round one. After a quick double bogey on the first hole, Kubesheski played the following 12 holes at even par. 

Klein snuck up on the leaders and will put the pressure on in the final round. Klein recorded 10 pars and one birdie to find the top-three on the leaderboard. Her round of 78 will be enough for Leszczynski and Kubesheski to keep an eye on. 

On the penultimate hole, Kelly Grimes knocked in a long birdie to place her inside the top-five.  Grimes finished with a par on the 18th hole to post an 82 and finds herself five shots behind the leaders, Leszczynski and Kubesheski. 

Kelly Grimes’ partner in crime, Sue Harmon, rounds out the top-five with an 11-over round. Harmon’s 40 on the back nine pushed her into contention and out of the two-way tie for sixth place.  

The final round of the 57th Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur Championship will begin Tuesday morning. Follow the ladies using our live scoring feature to find out who will be crowned the Senior Women’s Champion.


Championship Division
T1. Laura Leszczynski +5 77
T1. Rose Kubesheski +5 77
3. Michelle Klein +6 78
4. Kelly Grimes +10 82
5. Sue Harmon +11 83

Net Division
1. Sue Harmon -2 70
T2. Kelly Grimes -1 71
T2. Rose Kubesheski -1 71
T2. Ardrae Parmenter E 72
5. Michelle Klein +1 73

Anderson claims 2022 Northwest Amateur, Brown & Muller take home wins

J.D. Anderson (above) grabbed his first win of the season at the 2022 Northwest Amateur Championship at Spencer Golf and Country Club over the weekend. Anderson had to go low to knock off the recent U.S. Amateur Championship Qualifier, Dennis Bull.

Through the first two rounds, Anderson recorded 17 birdies without a bogey on the card. With a four-shot lead going into the final 36-hole round, Anderson continued to make birdies and extend his lead. Bull closed in on Anderson’s lead after the front nine of their final 18 holes. However, Anderson caught fire on the back nine with five birdies in his final eight holes to win the championship.

Iowa Golf Hall of Famer, Jon Brown, was victorious in the Senior Division. Brown fired rounds of 68 and 69 to claim his win over second place finishers, Terry Cook and Jay Gregory. With 141 tallies, Cook and Gregory finished four shots behind Brown.

Jay Muller was the Super Senior Division champion with rounds of 72 and 75. Muller ended with a two-shot lead over Bob Brummel, who posted rounds of 73 and 76 to earn a second-place finish.

The 57th Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur Championship begins today! Follow the ladies as they make their way around Lake Panorama National Golf Course.


Championship Division
1. J.D. Anderson -22 62-65-71-68=266
2. Dennis Bull -19 65-66-71-67=269
3. Samuel Storey -16 62-72-72-66=272
T4. Antoine Sale -13 66-68-72-69=275
T4. Jon Brown -13 68-69-68-70=275

Senior Division
1. Jon Brown -7 68-69=137
T2. Terry Cook -3 72-69=141
T2. Jay Gregory -3 71-70=141
Chris Kramer E 73-71=144
Brad Van Roekel +4 75-73=148

Super Senior Division
1. Jay Muller +3 72-75=147
2. Bob Brummel +5 73-76=149
T3. Ron Peterson +6 72-78=150
T3. Mark Gambaiana +6 72-78=150
T3. Bill Mathers +6 71-79=150

Canfield, Combs advance to 2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur

David Combs (above left) and Michael Canfield (above right) are headed to a USGA Championship for the first time in their careers. After qualifying for the 2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, hosted by Geneva Golf and Country Club, Combs and Canfield will travel to Erin Hills Golf Course in Wisconsin come early September. 

Canfield had to sit and wait for the rest of the field to finish after turning in his three-under round of 68 early in the day. The wait was worth it, but there was still work to be done.

Canfield joined Combs and two others in a four-player playoff to decide the qualifiers and alternates. With a par on the first and second holes, Canfield and Combs shook hands and congratulated each other as first-time USGA Championship qualifiers. 

It was a special moment for the two qualifiers. Full of excitement, Canfield hopped into the cart, after taping in and called his family. 

“I made it,” Canfield said. 

The feeling of qualifying for a USGA Championship is like no other. Only 18-holes to qualify makes it important to get off to a strong start.

“I haven’t played in a qualifier in a while, so early in the round I had to put myself in the position to go get it,” said Combs. 

At the turn, Combs was sitting at even par and three shots back. Birdies on 10 and 11 put Combs one shot back of Canfield. Combs made a putt off the green on 17 for birdie to tie Canfield and sneak into the playoff. 

Tying Combs and Canfield at three-under, Ryan Horner earned 1st Alternate honors after making a bogey on the second playoff hole. Horner had it going early in his round, but a bogey on the 17th hole sent him into the playoff. 

The 2nd Alternate honors went to Charlie Hoyle, who rounded out the four-way tie for first place. Hoyle’s impressive four-under start through his first four holes gave him an early edge. Late bogeys on 15, 16 and the first playoff hole put Hoyle in the 2nd Alternate position. 

On August 8-9, the IGA is conducting the 57th Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur Championship. Lake Panorama Golf Course in Panora is hosting the historic championship. Use our live scoring feature to follow the leaderboard next week.


U.S. Mid-Am Qualifier
T1. Michael Canfield -3 68 *Qualifier*
T1. David Combs -3 68 *Qualifier*
3. Ryan Horner -3 68 *1st Alternate*
4. Charlie Hoyle -3 68 *2nd Alternate*

Chou keeps the title in the family, wins 98th Iowa Women’s Amateur

The final round of the 98th Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship concluded Wednesday afternoon at Cedar Rapids Country Club. Ruby Chou (right) tapped in for her par on the final hole and joined her sister, Joy Chou, as an Iowa Women’s Amateur Champion.

“I’m super excited to have my name right next to Joy on the trophy now,” Ruby said. “I know we both work hard every day to get to where we want to be, but golf is hard sometimes. I can’t believe I made it, and I can’t wait to show it to Joy and my parents.”

After each round, Joy gave Ruby pep talks over the phone to help keep her stay focused.

“Joy and I talked about what happened and she kept telling me to do my best and don’t think too much on the course,” Ruby said. “She told me to go out there and have fun playing the tournament.”

Joy mentioned to Ruby that she would be busy and wouldn’t be able to make it to the final round, but Ruby still had hope she might.

“She told me she was not going to be there,” Ruby said. “I had feeling that she would show up. I told myself to keep it up so that I could show her that I won the tournament.”

As the flag stick went back into the 18th hole, Ruby looked up to see her sister standing over the green.

Going into the final round, Ruby had a four-shot lead over fellow Iowa State Cyclone, Warda Amira Rawof. After the front nine, Chou was two-over and was holding on to a two-shot lead.

“I was two-over on the front nine, but I knew all of my bogeys were from three-putts,” Ruby said. “I just needed to calm down and play smart.”

After Chou made a double on 12 and a bogey on hole 13, the two teammates were tied.

“On the back nine I made double and then a bogey, which put me in a tie with Warda,” Ruby said. “I told myself it was going to be okay, and I needed to stay positive.”

Positivity was key for Chou. After sticking a wedge from 86 yards out, Chou tapped in her birdie and got back on track.

“After my birdie on 14, I told myself, ‘You got this’ and I finished strong,” Ruby said.

That she did. Chou parred the final four holes to close out the tournament and win by two-shots.

Eden Lohrbach pushed herself back into contention with the lowest final round score. Lohrbach fired a 72 to move back into third place and put the pressure on Rawof and Chou. Lohrbach has now finished inside the top-three in back-to-back Iowa Women’s Amateur Championships.

Amber Henson and Hannah Bermel tied for fourth place with 226, 54-hole tallies. Henson carded the second-lowest round of the day with a 73, and Bermel’s 76 secured a spot inside the top-five.

Rose Kubesheski won the Open Division in dominating fashion, as she earns her third victory of the season. With a final round 73, Kubesheski increased her two-shot lead into a 10-shot win over fellow U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship qualifiers, Michelle Klein and Laura Leszczynski (all pictured above).

Klein and Leszczynski tied for second with 240 tallies. Klein carded rounds of 78 and back-to-back 81’s and Leszczynski kept it consistent with three-straight rounds of 80. It was a strong week for these ladies as they head to the Senior Women’s Amateur Championship in two weeks.

Defending Open Division champion, Kelly Nelson, finished in fourth place with a 249 total. Nelson was two shots ahead of Kelly Grimes who posted the second-lowest final round total with a 75, to round out the top-five.

Next on the Iowa Golf Association’s schedule is the 57th Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at Lake Panorama Golf Course in Panora. Follow to see if Leszczynski will defend her title or will someone else hoist the trophy this year.


Championship Division
1. Ruby Chou +3 71-72-76=219
2. Warda Amira Rawof +5 71-76-74=221
3. Eden Lohrbach +8 72-80-72=224
T4. Hannah Bermel +10 75-75-76=226
T4. Amber Henson +10 72-81-73=226

Open Division
1. Rose Kubesheski +14 76-81-73=230
2. Michelle Klein +24 78-81-81=240
3. Laura Leszczynski +24 80-80-80=240
4. Kelly Nelson +33 82-84-83=249
5. Kelly Grimes +35 88-88-75=251

Chou takes lead into final round of 98th Iowa Women’s Amateur

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

Three advance to U.S. Amateur from Davenport CC qualifier

Dennis Bull (above right) did it again. Bull, a 2021 U.S. Amateur qualifier, repeated the same success this year at Davenport Country Club, a Golf Digest Top-100 course. Now heading to The Ridgewood Country Club and Arcola Country Club (New Jersey), Bull reflected on his rare accomplishment.

“Qualifying two-times in a row is awesome,” Bull said. “I’m old, I looked at Gary (Ellis) on the range today and said, ‘Is everyone getting younger or are we getting older’. It feels good, and I love this golf course.”

The former Iowa Amateur Champion fired a five-under 65 in round one and followed it up with a one-under 69 to conclude his day with a one-shot victory. Bull earned his 2020 Iowa Amateur title at this very course. Having many successful days in Davenport, Bull shares how he has managed to play this course at such a high level.

“Today was soft and gettable if you were in control of your ball,” Bull said. “You have to be precise when hitting the greens. I think it is a golf course that kind of separates good ball strikers. Ironically, I shot 65 and a 69 in the first two rounds during that Iowa Am.”

There are many emotions that you feel during a 36-hole day, and Notre Dame’s, Angelo Marcon (above middle) battled through them. The San Francisco native grabbed the second qualifier spot with a five-under tally.

“I wasn’t really feeling the same during that second round,” Marcon said. “I was a little off and kind of rushing things a little bit. Pops was on the bag, and he did everything he could to calm me down and say, ‘Hey you are still in this’.”

His father’s advice worked. The duo made birdie on 18 to get back into the race and proceeded to card a three-under back-nine to earn the second qualifying spot. The first-time USGA Championship qualifier had the 2022 U.S. Amateur Championship marked on his calendar.

“I knew I would be there, I just had to prove it first,” Marcon said.  

Gunnar Broin (above left) will be joining Bull and Marcon in New Jersey after taking the third and final spot out of Davenport. Broin made a clutch birdie on his final hole to break out of a tie and earn the final spot alone.

Jack Dudeck was our first alternate with a three-under total. Dudek posted rounds of 68 and 69 to give himself a chance. Aksel Moe was our second alternate after winning the four-player playoff.

The 2022 U.S. Amateur Championship will be held at The Ridgewood Country Club and Arcola Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey. The championship will take place August 15th through the 21st and will be available on Peacock and Golf Channel.

Check out the standings after the first round of the 98th Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship, held at Cedar Rapids Country Club. The race is close after round one, follow the rest of the championship on Tuesday and Wednesday using our live scoring feature.  


U.S. Amateur Qualifier
Dennis Bull -6 65-69=134 *Medalist*
Angelo Marcon -5 65-70=135 *Qualifier*
Gunnar Broin -4 65-71=136 *Qualifier*
Jack Dudeck -3 68-69=137 *1st Alternate*
Aksel Moe -2 68-70=138 *2nd Alternate*

Two tied for lead at 98th Iowa Women’s Amateur

Two teammates lead the way after round one of the 98th Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship. Warda Amira Rawof and Iowa State University teammate, Ruby Chou, carded one-under rounds to begin their title run at the top-notch Cedar Rapids Country Club (shown above). 

Rawof had the recently crowned Western Women’s Amateur Champion, Taglao Jeeravivitaporn, on the bag today as her caddie. The duo teamed up to record three birdies to only two bogeys and will look to break out of the tie with Chou.

Chou knocked in five birdies during her round today. Going into the last five-hole stretch on her front nine, Chou was two-over par and looking up at Rawof on the leaderboard. Chou fought back and went three-under on those holes. 

“After that double, I told myself to calm down because this course has lots of birdie chances that we can get,” Chou said. “Those next five holes to finish my front nine, I didn’t think too much, and I just played them.”

The 2022 IGA Women’s Match Play Champion, Anna Jensen is in a three-way tie with Eden Lohrbach and Amber Henson for third place. The three competitors sit one shot back of Rawof and Chou after even-par rounds. 

Rose Kubesheski continued her dominate play this season after a four-over round of 76 to begin her week in the Open Division. Kubesheski leads by two shots over Jesup’s Michelle Klein, who posted six-over 78. 

Kim Fensterman took third place with a 79 on the day. The Cedar Rapids native is in home field territory and will look to push the leaders all week. The 2021 IGA Senior Women’s Player of the Year, Laura Leszczynski, is not far behind after an eight-over round 80. 

Defending Open Division champion, Kelly Nelson, will head into round two in a tie for fifth place alongside Kim Kieckhaefer. The two competitors carded 10-over rounds of 82 and round out the top-five in the Open Division. 

The second round of the 98th Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship will take place Tuesday morning.


Championship Division
T1. Warda Amira Rawof -1 71
T1. Ruby Chou -1 71
T3. Anna Jensen E 72
T3. Eden Lohrbach E 72
T3. Amber Henson E 72

Open Division
1. Rose Kubesheski +4 76
2. Michelle Klein +6 78
3. Kim Fensterman +7 79
4. Laura Leszczynski +8 80
T5. Kelly Nelson +10 82
T5. Kim Kieckhaefer +10 82

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