Author: iowagolf
Herrmann wins 38th Iowa Mid-Amateur, Palmer & Brooks top divisions
Muscatine’s own Sam Herrmann (right) finished victorious at the the 38th Iowa Mid-Amateur Championship hosted by Geneva Golf and Country Club. 1-under on the day, Herrmann finished the tournament 2-under (211), holding off Ankeny’s Connor Peck who played the final round 2-over for a total of 214. Josh Janeczko of West Des Moines and Jon Brown of Adel tied for third place at 217. Janeczko played a strong 1-under (70) round while Brown struggled to make up ground, ending up with a 3-over 74.
While having the home course advantage, this was Herrmann’s first ever IGA victory.
“Patience was the biggest thing for me,” he said. “[I] knew I was going to be nervous out of the gate.”
Despite Peck’s early lead, Herrmann stuck to his plan and it paid off on the back nine.
“[I] had a few putts roll my way, Connor got plopped out on 16 and [I] just sort of capitalized on that,” Herrmann explained after the round.
Herrmann commented his driver was instrumental in closing out his win.
“Those finishing holes were no joke, especially with the wind,” Herrmann said. “[I] just had to commit to free swinging it.”
With the course being “the firmest” and “the fastest” it has played in a while, Herrmann believed that “growing confidence with that club was big” down the stretch.
In the Senior Division, Joe Palmer (left) of Norwalk triumphed over Ankeny’s Curtis Holck after three playoff holes in a finish reminiscent of the 2021 Senior Match Play championship match, when Palmer defeated Holck in a neck-to-neck 20 hole match. Holck played the final round 1-over (73) to force a playoff with Palmer despite teeing off three strokes back. The pair finished the tournament at 221, with Ottumwa’s Jeff Collett in third at 223.
Bob Brooks of West Des Moines continued his dominance over the Super Senior Division with a 1-over 72, gapping the field by 9 strokes on the tournament with an overall 1-over 214. Runner-up Tom Norton of Muscatine totaled a 223 and third place Dave Waugh of Davenport finished at 225.
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Two share lead into final round of 38th Iowa Mid-Amateur
The second round of the 38th Iowa Mid-Amateur Championship at Geneva Golf and Country Club in Muscatine saw brisk winds throughout the day. In the Mid-Amateur Division, Sam Herrmann of Muscatine carded the low score of the day with a 2-under 69, followed by Dustin Atkinson of Marion and Jon Brown of Adel at an even 71 each.
Herrmann joins Connor Peck of Ankeny at the top of the leaderboard with total scores of 141, with Brown’s total of 143 only two strokes behind heading into the final round.
The Senior Division is led by Jeff Collett of Ottawa and Bruce Westemeier of Cedar Falls with 3-over scores of 74, with Ankeny’s Curtis Holck and Polk City’s Brian Verduyn hot on their tails with a pair of 75’s. Norwalk’s Joe Palmer remains on top with a total of 145, due to his strong first round performance. In second place with a total of 146, Collett looks to build upon his second round momentum on Saturday.
Bob Brooks of West Des Moines maintained his first-round lead in the Super Senior Division with an even-par 71. At a total gross of 142, he leads the division by eight strokes going into the final round with Tom Norton of Muscatine and Dave Waugh of Davenport tied for second at 150.
Brown comes out on top at 21st IGA Senior Match Play, Gaer claims Super Senior bracket
Jon Brown (right, who has had success in match play format events before, came away with the 21st IGA Senior Match Play Championship at Lake Panorama National Golf Course on Tuesday, with a superb 4 & 3 victory over fellow Iowa Golf Hall of Fame member Gene Elliott.
“It feels great. This is my first IGA event as a senior golfer,” Brown said. “Gene is, if not the best, one of the top three or four senior players in the world. He’s such a great guy, great friend and I was looking forward to playing him. You know you better bring your ‘A’ game against Gene to have a chance.”
Brown, who defeated Terry Cook 6 & 5 in the morning semifinals, got off to a quick start versus Elliott in the afternoon, racing out to a 3 up lead after nine holes. A par on the 15th hole, after Elliott had tried to claw his way back into the match, gave Brown the trophy.
“I love match play and have had some success in it, ” Brown said. “Honestly, having the success at last year’s U.S. Senior Amateur, having success against national-caliber players and building off that has been everything (for me). I hadn’t been scoring this year, but I felt like something clicked this week.”
Elliott, who defeated Jay Gregory in his morning semifinal match, battled back to 3 down after 13 holes against Brown. However Brown just would simply not let Elliott get any closer.
“I felt like if I could just keep doing what I was doing and try to run out of holes, that’s how to do it, ” Brown said. “You don’t want to give a guy like Gene any room (to make a comeback). It’s nice to get a win early in the season and this gets me fired up. There are some tight driving holes on this course. I was really happy with my ball-striking this week.”
Brown defeated Bret Taylor (4 & 3) in the Round of 16 and Ron Peterson (7 & 5) in the quarterfinals during his path to the championship.
“This is where we (Gene and I) wanted to be, we wanted to be playing each other,” Brown said. “It’s not hard to play against your buddies. I have been doing that for 35 years. You appreciate these moments as we are on the back nine of our careers. When you look back at tournaments you’ve won when you beat a guy like Gene or Mike (McCoy) or Joe (Palmer), they mean more because of all their accomplishments.”
In the Super Senior Division, Dave Gaer (left) defeated Tom Norton 3 & 2, in a match that Gaer was able to control most of the way.
“I hit the ball really well this week,” Gaer said. “Match Play is a grind. You have to pay attention. I got off to a great start and was hitting in close (against Norton). I hit it well all day and I can’t complain. It’s great to be a part of the Iowa Golf Association and the event was great.”
Gaer, who defeated Tom Schilling 4 & 3 to reach the finals against Norton, who beat Bob Brooks in a great match by the score of 1 up, knew Norton wouldn’t go down without a fight in the afternoon.
“Tom is a grinder,” Gaer said. “He’s proven he can win and he’s a great competitor. We had a great match.”
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Buerman, Parmenter take home top honors at IGA Mid-Am Series Event #1
Julie Buerman (above right) of Cedar Rapids took home the victory at the IGA Women’s Mid-Am Series Event #1, held Saturday, May 13 at Gates Park Golf Course in Waterloo. Buerman won the stableford tournament with 50 points, five points ahead of the field, with back-to-back birdies on holes 2 and 3 and a 76 on the day.
In the Net Division, Urbandale’s Ardrae Parmenter (above left) won with 55 points. Buerman finished second with 53 points, followed by Cedar Falls’ Margene Grady and Grimes in a tie at 52 points. Leszczynski rounded out the top five with 51 points.
Hoyle / Stith pull away for win at 27th IGA Four-Ball Championship
Just when things looked to get interesting, the side of Charlie Hoyle / Tyler Stith (above) left no doubt on who would be holding the trophy at the conclusion of the 27th IGA Four-Ball Championship hosted by Burlington Golf Club.
Birdies on #16 and #17 by Stith and a par on #18 by Hoyle gave them a comfortable three-shot win over a trio of teams. Hoyle / Stith posted rounds off 62-67 for a -15 total.
“This is the first one of these going in the trophy case,” Stith said. “I knew the course a little bit and I knew with his (Charlie) length he could hit a lot of drivers. I had to manage the course a little more. We felt like there weren’t as many birdie holes on the back nine to start out on Friday. We took off after that and that set us up for today (final round).”
Hoyle echoed Stith and commented that staying in the correct positions around the BGC layout was critical.
“I am generally a long hitter, so for me it plays a little different, but you can’t get out of position.” Hoyle said. “You’re playing defensively if you do. We tried to hit as many greens as we could. Tyler made some clutch shots coming down the stretch.”
After a chip-in birdie on the 16th hole, Stith found himself above the hole on the 17th. A spot that doesn’t lend itself to much success, yet Stith had a feeling this was his time – and it was.
“I knew I was going to make it.” Stith said. “I told him I got this. I felt at that moment I was going to make that putt. It crept in on the edge. Something came over me the last few holes and I was able to execute some shots that we needed. For the most part, we did a great job of staying under the hole all week.
In the Senior Division, the side of Jay Gregory / Jeff Collett (right) collected the win, but it wasn’t easy.
Gregory / Collett, who shot rounds of 67-66, had to overcome a hometown team of John O’Neill and Micheal Mathiasmeier in a playoff that lasted three holes.
“They hung in there tough and I made a 20’ putt from above the hole on our third playoff hole.” Gregory said.” I finally got one to go in. You had to be very careful on the greens. If you got above the hole it was tough, but the greens were fantastic. We made a lot of birdies over the two rounds. ”
In the Super Senior Division, there was little left to doubt when then the dust had settled. Bob Brooks and Jim Butler (left) paired up to win by an astonishing 12 shots, following a pair of 66 rounds (-12). The side of Brooks / Butler only had to count a pair of bogeys over the 36-hole event – which came on the 10th hole both days.
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Four advance from U.S. Open Local Qualifying at Glen Oaks CC
(From left) Josh Bousman (73), Brandon Bauman (73), Lucas Scherf (74) & Jack Dumas (74) advance from U.S. Open Championship Local Qualifying hosted by Glen Oaks Country Club on May 1.
Brutal.
To put it lightly Glen Oaks Country Club played tough for the field on Monday, during U.S. Open Local Qualifying. Strong, gusting winds (30-40+ mph), cooler temperatures and championship course conditions left many scratching their head after their round and several just glad to have ‘weathered’ the day.
Professionals Josh Bousman (Clinton) and Brandon Bauman (Las Vegas) fared the best, posting 73 (+2) to share medalist honors and advance to Final Qualifying. Both players were successful in keeping the big number off the scorecard, as each had only one score higher than double bogey and added five birdies to the mix, on a day that sent scores sailing.
“This was one of the hardest rounds of golf I have ever played,” Bauman said. “I tried to pick a spot on the driving range to get a feel for the wind. No matter what direction the wind was, you had to take it flat out one shot at a time. I practically had to start it out of bounds on #12, in order to hit the fairway. You had to make a few birdies to have a chance on Monday. There’s no way you could par all 18 holes, you were going to make a bogey here and there.”
Bousman closed out his day with three straight birdies (on holes #7-9), which he commented were holes he thought he could attack.
“It was a grind out there,” Bousman said. “There weren’t any holes you could just put it in neutral. I switched golf balls (on Monday) to keep my spin down into the greens. I knew #7, #8 and #9 were my best chances to make birdie, so I was just trying to get to that stretch with a chance. I wasn’t trying to think too far ahead. I actually left my eagle putt on my last hole just short. I had a lot of birdie opportunities and tried to stay below the hole as much as I could, so I could be aggressive on the greens. I didn’t have any three-putts on the day.”
Rounding out the final two of four qualifying spots included a pair of Drake University golfers, Lucas Scherf and Jack Dumas, who both posted 74 (+3). Scherf collected four birdies in his round, while Dumas found pars to be his friend – making 10 total on the day.
Earning 1st Alternate on Monday was Tracy Vest (Iowa City) by way of a four-hole playoff that began with five total players who posted 75 (+4). Sam Meuret (Waukee) earned 2nd Alternate.
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Work begins at Golf House Iowa site
It is starting to take shape.
Earthwork and general grading of the site for Golf House Iowa began on Monday, April 17, near Norwalk’s Echo Valley Country Club. The creation of Golf House Iowa will provide a permanent home to preserve, promote, and protect the game of golf in our great state. Plans are in place to include the Iowa Golf Hall of Fame and Museum, a space for educating golfers, areas to promote and teach the game, and office space for the Iowa Golf Association, IGA Foundation, Iowa Golf Course Superintendents Association and First Tee – Central Iowa.
As of April 13, $4.23 million has been raised for the $5 million project – but we still need your help in securing the project without having to finance remaining funds to reach the $5 million dollar goal. For more information on ways you can support the efforts of Golf House Iowa visit https://iowagolf.org/golfhouseiowa/.
Bombers Golf Breaks Ground in Johnston
From left – Jeremy Kies, Superintendent, Mike Larson, Director of Engineering, Adam Tillgren, Project Manager, Greg Schulte, Project Director, Bry Wisecup, Marketing & Customer Care, Allen Stoye, Owner of the Future Bombers Golf, Cory Larson, Sr Vice President and Owner of Keen, Matt Hironimus, Project Engineer, Dustin Waters, Sr Vice President and Owner of Keen, Matt Frandsen, President and Owner of Keen, Jeff Scandrett, Director of Operations.
Bombers Golf, a premier entertainment destination for golfers and non-golfers alike, held its groundbreaking event in Johnston on April 11.
The new Bombers Golf facility will be located at 5225 Merle Hay Road and will be a three-level, 75,000-square-foot family entertainment center that will offer, climate-controlled hitting bays overlooking a 270-yard driving range, a state-of-the-art arcade, 16-lane bowling alley and attached hotel.
The Johnston family entertainment district will also feature numerous bars, restaurants, a conference and event space, and outdoor activity space complete with walking trails and a kayak launch.
Construction on the new facility is expected to be completed in Fall of 2024.
Bombers Golf’s expansion into Johnston is part of the company’s continued growth strategy, bringing the popular entertainment destination to more communities across the country.
“Bombers Golf is excited to be investing in the Johnston community and bringing a new and exciting entertainment option to the area,” said Bomber’s owner. “We look forward to serving local residents, businesses, and visitors with a unique and memorable experience.”
USGA Announces Amateur Championship Qualifying Modifications
Changes to U.S. Amateur, U.S. Women’s Amateur, U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Girls’ Junior qualifying will be introduced in 2024
In an effort to continuously enhance and evolve the competitor experience, the USGA is announcing significant modifications to its amateur championship qualifying model for the first time in more than 20 years. These changes, which will take effect for the organization’s four premier amateur championships beginning in 2024, will allow the events to retain their openness while ensuring that high-caliber players are provided ample opportunity to earn a spot in the field and that qualifying can be conducted at the highest level among growing entries and field sizes.
“The openness and aspirational nature of our championships is a defining characteristic of USGA championships,” said Brent Paladino, senior director, Championship Administration. “As the number of entries and qualifying sites have continued to increase on a yearly basis, we looked at ways to evolve our structure to ensure the long-term sustainability of qualifying without excessively burdening Allied Golf Associations (AGAs) and host clubs. These revisions will provide players with additional pathways to our championships through traditional qualifying, expanded exemption categories and performance in state, AGA, regional and national amateur championships.”
In 2022, the USGA accepted 44,737 total entries and collaborated with AGAs to conduct a combined 678 qualifiers across 15 championships.
The most significant revisions for 2024 are to the U.S. Amateur, which will move from a one-stage, 36-hole qualifying format to a two-stage qualifying format with 45 18-hole local qualifying sites and 19 18-hole final qualifying sites. Other adjustments include:
- Exemptions for state, AGA, regional and national amateur champions based on established criteria and historical WAGR event power rankings;
- Expansion of World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR) exemption category to top 100 ranked players (previously 50);
- Establishment of local exemptions, which include top finishers in USGA championships, state/AGA amateur championships and top 600 WAGR players.
Changes to the other championships’ qualifying structures are outlined below:
U.S. Women’s Amateur
- Modest reduction in qualifying sites through the establishment of geographic rotations;
- Exemptions for state, AGA, regional and national amateur champions based on established criteria and historical WAGR event power rankings;
- Expansion of WAGR exemption category to top 50 players (previously 25).
U.S. Junior Amateur / U.S. Girls’ Junior
- Alignment of qualifying structure to encourage AGAs to conduct joint or concurrent qualifying;
- Exemptions for state, AGA, regional and national junior amateur champions based on established criteria and historical WAGR event power rankings;
- U.S. Junior Am expansion of WAGR age-filtered exemption category to top 100 (previously 85);
- U.S. Girls’ Junior expansion of WAGR age-filtered exemption category to top 50 (previously 40).
There will also be a lowering of Handicap Index® limits across all four championships and modifications to the performance policy that will be announced later. Determinations on the individual state, AGA, regional and national championships that will be part of the 2024 exemption criteria will be published prior to the release of entries for the respective championship.
The modifications will result in a net reduction of 94 qualifying sites, while providing more opportunities for players to earn a spot in a USGA championship through expanded exemptions, state/AGA amateur championships and traditional qualifying.
Entries for 2024 USGA amateur championships will open next spring. The 2024 U.S. Amateur will be held at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn.; the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur will be held at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.; while the 2024 Junior Amateur will be held at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.; and the 2024 Girls’ Junior will be played at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana, Calif.