Author: iowagolf

McCoy wins The Classic, Holck & Christensen claim top spots

May 16, 20220 commentsNews

The reigning 2021 IGA Player of the Year, Nate McCoy (above left), of Ankeny, began his 2022 season with a three-point victory at The Classic, located at Elmwood Country Club in Marshalltown.

The Classic, an additional point event, uses Stableford scoring for the tournament. This unique style of scoring is calculated by points based on the number of strokes per hole in relation to par.

The Stableford format increases the players’ aggressiveness and motivates them to hunt for birdies. Eight points is awarded for an eagle, while a birdie is four points, two for a par and one for a bogey.

“Because of the (Stableford) format, one birdie can move you up quick because of the double points,” McCoy said. “As long as I could eliminate making bogeys and big numbers, I felt confident enough in my game to make birdies.”

McCoy carded a strong 41 in his opening round, but was three points shy of Owen Sawyer, of Cedar Falls. Sawyer recorded two birdies and an eagle in round one, giving him a slight edge over McCoy heading into the final round.

During his final round, McCoy recorded five birdies to surpass Sawyer. McCoy posted 44-points in his final round en route to his first white jacket.

“It’s always nice to start the year off with a win,” McCoy said “You always wonder how you will play coming out of winter. Sometimes you have it, sometimes you don’t. I haven’t played a lot of golf this spring in Iowa, so it’s nice to play well when it matters.”

Sawyer finished runner-up with an 82-point total. He finished two points ahead of Ankeny’s Connor Peck, who managed a third-place finish with an 80-point total.

Curtis Holck (right), of Ankeny, earned his second-straight victory this season with a seven-shot win in the Senior Division. Holck is off to a hot start this year with an early lead in the IGA Senior Player of the Year standings.

Holck carded rounds of 41 and 44 for an 85 Stableford point total. In round one, he recorded a pair of birdies and an eagle. Going into the final round, Holck was two points behind the first-round leader, Ron Peterson.

“I knew that I would probably have to score more points in round two than I did in round one in order to have a chance,” Holck said. “I felt pretty fortunate to only be down two points. I had 33 putts in round one, so I knew if I putted better, I should be able to score more points. I went back to Ankeny Golf and Country Club and met with my son, who is the assistant professional, and he saw a couple of things in my set up and we got that straightened out and Sunday was much better on the greens.”

Holck stormed back into first place after making five birdies in the final round. Overcoming the two-point deficit and winning the tournament by seven shots was a confidence booster for the rest of the season for Holck.

Rob Christensen (right), of Marshalltown, won the Super Senior Division in a dominating fashion. Christensen fired a 41-point total and led the field by 10 shots after the first round at his home course. With a 10-point cushion heading into the final round, Christensen cruised to his first victory of the season.

“I came close (to winning) several years in the Senior Division,” Christensen said. “This year I finally got the white coat. It’s great to win on my home course. I got the big lead by shooting under my age the first day. It’s always good to do that but especially in a tournament. Lucky for me nobody really went low (on Sunday).”

Open Division
1. Nate McCoy 41-44=85
2. Owen Sawyer 44-38=82
3. Connor Peck 39-41=80
4. J.D. Anderson 37-42=79
5. Kelly Brown 40-37=77

Senior Division
1. Curtis Holck 41-44=85
2. Ron Peterson 43-35=78
3. Jeff Collett 38-39=77
4. Tony Newkirk 30-41=71
T5. Troy Underhill 33-36=69
T5. Brian Peterson 32-37=69

Super Senior Division
1. Rob Christensen 41-31=71
2. Pete Kelly 31-32=63
3. Rick Gorbell 28-34=62
4. Mike Ninneman 28-29=57
5. Brian Fell 27-27=54

Click here for full results

Seven from Iowa to be featured at 7th U.S. Amateur Four-Ball

May 13, 20220 commentsUSGA

A total of seven players from Iowa will be represented at the 7th U.S. Amateur Four-Ball hosted the the Country Club of Birmingham, May 14-18. This will be the third USGA event at the C.C. of Birmingham in nine years, including the 2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur, won by Iowa Golf Hall of Fame member Mike McCoy.

“The way the members turned out in terms of volunteers (in 2013) and the welcome they provided, they just couldn’t do enough for you,” McCoy said in an interview with the USGA. “It’s nothing but a first-class affair. You’re going to walk away feeling like you have been someplace very special.”

Those representing Iowa include the sides of Jon Brown / Ethan Mechling, Nate Dunn / Marc Gladson, Josh Manske / Aaron Ahrendsen, along with Dennis Bull, who is teamed up with Illinois’ Andrew Price.

Championship co-chairman Barney Lanier, a club member since 1976 who played in three U.S. Amateurs, knows the two courses as well as anyone.

“The East would be the course most played by the members. It’s shorter, with small greens,” he said in an interview with the USGA leading up to the event. “The West is our championship course – longer, quite challenging and more hilly. The routing is identical to the original by Ross except for the 15th and 16th holes, which Jones flipped from a par 4 and par 5 to a 5 and 4. Sixteen of the green sites are identical to what Ross designed. The bunkering certainly has a Dye flavor with some pot bunkers. You would certainly recognize his swales and hills around the greens, which are the defense of the golf course.”

Click here to view tee times for both days of qualifying

College players nab spots into Final Qualifying for U.S. Open

May 10, 20220 commentsUSGA, USGA Qualifiers

From left – Mac McClear, Jack Lundin and Garrett Tighe.

Warm, windy and tough conditions were the story of the day at Monday’s U.S. Open Local Qualifier held at Blue Top Ridge at Riverside Casino and Golf Resort.

With only five scores at par or better, it was safe to say the day was simply that of survive and advance at a course that usually sees buckets of birdies during the annual Iowa Open in recent years.

Those passing the test and advancing to Final Qualifying for the U.S. Open included University of Missouri’s Jack Lundin (-3) and a pair for University of Iowa players, Mac McClear (-3) and Garrett Tighe (-2). Lundin’s round included four birdies, an eagle and an uncharacteristic triple bogey. McClear made five birdes against just two bogeys, while Tighe added five birdies (including three in a row to start his back nine holes) and two bogeys as well.

Earning alternate positions included Blaine Buhr (1st) and Zach Steffen (2nd).

Click here for full results

Champions crowned at 26th IGA Four-Ball Championship

May 9, 20220 commentsChampionships, IGA Four-Ball

Holding a two shot lead entering the final round, the side of Dylan Ellis / Tyler Sansgaard (pictured above) never flinched.

Following an opening round 60 (-11), the duo didn’t backdown to the challenge, posting a 64 (-7) in windy conditions to claim a five-shot victory at the 26th IGA Four-Ball Championship hosted by Ames’ Coldwater Golf Links.

“We were able to make a lot of birdies and countered each other well,” Ellis said. “We never made bogey on the same holes, so that’s always good. We actually hit it a lot closer today than we did yesterday.”

Finishing runner-up was the side of Brian Allison / Dennis Bull (-13), who got off to a quick start with an eagle at the first to inch closer to the leaders, which they were paired with in the final round. But just when Allison / Bull would get within earshot of the lead, Ellis / Sansgaard would make a birdie to extend the lead. Two untimely bogeys to start the back nine left Allison / Bull a deficit that they simply couldn’t overcome.

The champions had nothing but praise for the runner-up team.

“Playing against good competition keeps you focused and dialed in,” Ellis said.

Finishing in third place (-12), six shots back of the lead, was the side of Marc Gladson / Nate Dunn who will head to Alabama for the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball later in the week. There was a three-way tie for fourth place at -11.

From the start Ellis and Sansgaard though that the course would set up well for them.

“We both knew we could make some birdies here,” Sansgaard said. “It feels good to win an event like this.”

In the Senior Division, opening round leaders Curtis Holck / Kirk Macumber (pictured left) notched a -7 total and a two-shot victory over defending champions Joe Palmer / Terry Cook. But it wasn’t easy as the course played much more difficult during the final round compared to Friday.

“Today was a grind,” Macumber said. “There was a lot more holes, today, where a par was a great score. We just wanted to both have chances for birdied as many times as we could. Today we just battled. We made some good pars today that kept us a stroke or two up”

Holck echoed Macumber’s thoughts on the final round.

“The weather was completely different and the course was too,” Holck said “The fairways were really running out. We made some long putts on Friday.”

A tie for third place in the Senior Division saw Jay Slings / Tim McKnight and Robert Dickerman / Todd Higtgen finish at -4.

In the Super Senior Division the side of David Studer / Tom Schill (pictured right) won the title in a playoff over Dan Dalziel / Steve Kahler, with a par on the first extra hole. Finishing just a shot back of the playoff was Jim Butler / Rob Christensen who finished at -2 for the tournament.

Click here to view final results

Birdies to be had at 26th IGA Four-Ball Championship

May 6, 20220 commentsChampionships, IGA Four-Ball

It was a day for scoring.

The opening round of the 26th IGA Four-Ball Championship, hosted by Ames’ Coldwater Golf Links, saw a flurry of birdies from the start. The side of Dylan Ellis / Tyler Sansgaard (pictured above putting) lead the way with a ‘clean’ 60 (-11), that included no bogeys on the day. Close behind are Brian Allison / Dennis Bull who put together a fine round themselves, with 62 (-9).

A total of 11 teams sit at -5 or better, including defending champions Gene Elliott / Jon Brown (-7) and will all look to make a move up the leaderboard tomorrow in the final round.

In the Senior Division, the side of Curtis Holck / Kirk Macumber lead with 66 (-5). Defending champions Joe Palmer / Terry Cook along with Robert Dickerman / Todd Hingtgen sit two shots back following rounds of 68 (-3). Three more teams are three shots off the lead.

In the Super Senior Division (ages 65+), Dan Dalziel / Steve Kahler turned in an opening round 68 (-3) to lead by two over David Studer / Tom Schill. A pair of teams are tied for third place, three shots back of the leaders.

Click here for full results

Long-time Iowa Masters co-director John Nervig passes away

April 11, 20220 commentsUncategorized

John Nervig stands in front of the venerable Iowa Masters scoreboard, where each player’s hole-by-hole scores are displayed.

The Iowa Golf Association was informed that long-time Iowa Masters co-director and IGA volunteer John Nervig passed away on Friday, April 8th.

Recently featured on the IGA website as part of a feature column written by IGA Foundation board member Mark Gambaiana, Up and Down the Iowa Golf Scene, Nervig is fondly remembered for his service as co-director of the Iowa Masters with fellow Ames native and good friend George Turner. Together, they co-directed the tournament for more than 30 years until Turner’s passing in 2019.

Nervig also served several years as a member of the IGA Board, including President from 1985-87.

One of Nervig’s proudest achievements in his seven decades of involvement in the Iowa golf scene is being named the 2011 recipient of the George Turner Distinguished Service Award by the Iowa Golf Association.

“It was a fantastic honor to receive this award named after my great friend,” the late Nervig said. “All of the friends I have made through my years of volunteering have more than paid me back for the hours I have given.”

A celebration of life memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, July 7, 2022, at Bethesda Lutheran Church, 1517 Northwestern, Ames, Iowa. Burial will be at Ames Municipal Cemetery at a later date.

READ FULL OBITUARY HERE

 

‘Up and Down’ the Iowa Golf Scene – Arseneault Finds Fulfillment in Life’s Next Chapter After Competitive Golf

March 17, 20220 commentsNews

Jennie (Arseneault) Jackson relaxes on the golf course with her daughters Ava and Maya. Arseneault stays in touch with the game by serving as an instructor and has helped coach seven central Iowa prep students to earn Division I golf scholarships.

Set goals, work hard to achieve them, and enjoy the ride

Fifteen years ago, Jennie (Arseneault) Jackson’s golf stock was soaring.

During a magical summer of 2006, the then 18-year-old made a strong run at the U.S. Women’s Amateur, reaching the quarterfinals by defeating future LPGA player Tiffany Joh and five-time Solheim Cup participant Carlota Ciganda in the process. Two weeks earlier, she participated in the 61st U.S. Women’s Open Championship won by Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam, joining a select group of amateur players who qualified.

Also that summer, Arseneault captured her third consecutive Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship at Des Moines Golf and Country Club by firing a 54-total of 210.

That fall, she headed back to the University of Virginia for her sophomore season. The sky seemed to be the limit for this former prep phenom who had prepared for this moment by attending two of the world’s top golf boarding academies as a teenager and building a national reputation with strong performances in several American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) tournaments.

At the age of 15, she burst onto the junior golf radar by firing a 67 in the first round of the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship in Fort Worth, TX. In 2005, she was named to the 12-member United States squad for the PING Junior Solheim Cup led by Morgan Pressel and contested at Bridgewater Club in Indiana, where the US team defeated Europe 16-8. She was named a second-team Rolex Junior All-American that year.

After a highly-decorated junior golf career, Jennie (Arseneault) Jackson went on to star at the University of Virginia.

Now as a collegian, Arseneault’s golf achievements kept mounting. She won the prestigious Women’s Western Golf Association Amateur Championship, was the qualifying medalist at the North and South Amateur Championship and finished tied for 34th at the NCAA Women’s Championship, all in 2008. She was a two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference performer and honorable mention All-American.

Arseneault was on the doorstep of a budding professional golf career. But a back injury that first struck in 2007 and caused her to miss much of that season began to flare again and forced her to re-evaluate what had been a life-long ambition.

“From as far back as I can remember, my ambition was to play professional golf,” Arseneault said during a recent interview in her hometown of Grinnell.

“If I couldn’t make it on the LPGA Tour, then the next best was becoming a golf coach,” she said.

Upon graduation from the University of Virginia, Arseneault found herself at a crossroad. Her recurring back issues were becoming more frequent, and professional developmental playing opportunities for women were limited to the Futures Tour, where making ends meet without sponsorships or other financial backing would prove challenging.

She gave Plan B a try and became an assistant golf coach at the University of Oklahoma and Tulane University. After a few years, Arseneault grew weary of the travel and the compound effect of living and breathing golf for so long.

The Larry and Jennie (Arseneault) Jackson family pose for a photo outside their Grinnell home.

“Golf was my whole life for so many years,” she said. “I was spending at least six hours a day in my prime, playing, practicing, and working out to become to best player I possibly could be. I began to wonder what life would look like after golf.”

Enter Larry Jackson, a Dallas native and elite athlete in his own right. Jackson, a banking executive, scored 1,539 points during a four-year basketball career at Liberty University to rank among the school’s career scoring leaders. The couple would marry, raise a family, and relocate back to Grinnell. Today Arseneault enjoys her role as Mom to four daughters, Deja, who played Division I basketball at the University of Pennsylvania, Naomi, a third-year student and basketball player at Washington University in St. Louis, and Ava, 9 and Maya, 7 at home in Grinnell.

“I’m a mom first right now,” said Jennie, who works in the Office of Development and Alumni Relations at Grinnell College.

In her role as Alumni and Donor Relations Coordinator, she builds engagement and partnership opportunities with alumni athletes and works with the Grinnell College Athletics Hall of Fame.

Her competitive fires burned early, being raised in a family deeply rooted in athletics. Her father, David, was named basketball coach at Grinnell College in 1989, relocating the family from New Hampshire. David Arseneault’s Pioneer teams would attract national attention with its high-octane offense, shattering numerous NCAA Division III scoring records. Her brother, David, Jr., is now the head coach at Grinnell, and once held the national record for assists in a game at 34.

Arseneault was introduced to the game at age five and learned to play by completing hundreds of rounds at the 9-hole Grinnell College Golf Course. By junior high, she was shooting even par, and it became apparent that something special in the making. After her first year of high school, the family made a big decision. She was off to the International Junior Golf Academy in Hilton Head, SC, a high-performance golf boarding school that combines golf training with college preparatory academics.

There, she met instructor Hugh Royer III, a well-seasoned golf professional who played ten seasons on the PGA and Korn Ferry tours and won four times on the Korn Ferry Tour. Arseneault credits Royer for advancing her game to national heights. After two years in South Carolina, she received a scholarship to the world-renowned IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL for her prep senior season. Established in 1978, IMG is touted as the world’s largest and most advanced multi-sport training and educational facility that boasts Venus and Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Cam Newton, and Jimmy Butler as alumni. In golf, sisters Jessica and Nelly Korda and Paula Creamer are program alumna.

Arseneault stays in touch with the game by serving as an instructor and has helped coach seven central Iowa prep students to earn Division I golf scholarships. She has also volunteered with the Grinnell College women’s golf team. The Jacksons are members of Wakonda Club in Des Moines, and she plays occasionally.

Jennie has the following advice to junior golfers.

“Set goals, work hard to achieve them, and enjoy the ride,” she advised “But keep the big picture in mind as to what life looks like after golf. What are your long-term goals and how can athletics help you get there?”

“Up and Down” the Iowa Golf Scene

A regular feature column written by IGA Foundation board member Mark Gambaiana, Up and Down the Iowa Golf Scene is designed to take the reader beyond the headlines and scoreboards to share stories of those who help make Iowa golf so rich and rewarding. Profiles will spotlight those who advance the game through volunteerism, service, extraordinary achievement, competition, human interest and the many other dimensions of golf in Iowa.

Click the links below to read previous Up and Down features
– IGA Rules Official Sean Flanders
– R&A, USGA Champion Gene Elliott
– Nervig Reflects on Decades of Service to The Iowa Masters

Look and see what facilities will be open

March 14, 20220 commentsNews

The following IGA Member clubs have communicated with us they either are or will be open soon:

  • A.H. Blank Golf Course (Des Moines) will be opening starting Tuesday, March 15.
  • Amana Colonies Golf Club will be opening Friday, March 25th. Cart path only. Shoulder season rates. Tee times available at amanagolf.com.
  • Bright-Grandview Golf Course (Des Moines) will be opening starting Tuesday, March 15.
  • Brown Deer Golf Club (Coralville) is hoping to open Saturday, March 19. March Special rate will be in effect and likely cart path only for the first few weeks. Call for tee times starting Thursday, March 17 – (319) 248-9300.
  • Cedar Creek Golf Course (Ottumwa) will be open for the Season WITH carts effective Tuesday March 15. Range will NOT open until the following week.
  • Dodge Riverside Golf Club (Council Bluffs) is open. Currently cart path only. Off season rates currently.
  • Duck Creek and Emeis (Davenport) will open this Sunday the 20th at 8:30 a.m., for walking only. It will probably be a few days before they are able to allow carts.
  • Finkbine Golf Course has set their tentative open date for Friday, March 25.
  • Fort Dodge Country Club is opening this Wednesday, March 16th. Open daily at 10 am. Range available with paid rounds. Spring rate – Greens Fee $44 Cart (per player/seat) $16.50 – Call (515) 955-8551.
  • Jester Park Golf Course (Granger) will be opening starting Tuesday, March 15.
  • Oakland Acres Golf Club (Grinnell) will be opening the course on Thursday, March 17. Early season pricing everyday (including weekends).
  • Palmer Hills Golf Course (Bettendorf) will open Thursday, March 17.
  • Pheasant Ridge and Walter’s Ridge – Par 3 (Cedar Falls) plans to open Saturday, March 18.
  • Prairie Links Golf Course (Waverly) will be opening Wednesday, March 16, at 11:00 a.m.
  • Rice Lake Golf & Country Club (Lake Mills) will open on Tuesday, April 4 for the season.
  • River Valley Golf Course (Adel) will open Sunday, March 20. Call (515) 993-4029 for rates.
  • Stone Creek Golf Club (Williamsburg) will open Friday, April 1st, and will be open from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Mon.-Sun. the month of April.
  • Terrace Hills Golf Course (Altoona) is open for the season.
  • The Legacy Golf Club (Norwalk) will be open this week on Wednesday, March 16th through at least Thursday, March 24th.
  • The Preserve on Lake Rathbun (Moravia) will open Thursday, March 17, with carts. Shoulder Season rates will be in effect. Call (641) 724 1400 for tee times.
  • Tournament Club of Iowa (Polk City) s targeting March 25th as our opening date. Tee times can be made online only at tcofiowa.com.
  • Treynor Recreation Area will open Wednesday, March 16 officially.
  • Twin Pines Golf Course (Cedar Rapids) will open Tuesday, March 15. Hours 8 a.m. – dusk. Tee times are encouraged – Call (319) 286-5580. Carts in rough only.
  • Veenker Memorial Golf Course (Ames) is opening for play this Wednesday, March 16/ Reservations can be made via phone (515) 294-6727 or through the website veenkergolf.com.
  • Veterans Memorial Golf Club (Clear Lake) will be opening Thursday, March 17 for walking only to start.
  • Wandering Creek Golf Club (Marshalltown) is on Wednesday, March 16, for walking only until the grounds dry up enough for carts.
  • Washington Golf & Country Club will be looking to open on April 1, weather permitting.
  • Waveland Golf Course (Des Moines) will be opening starting Tuesday, March 15.
  • Westwood Golf Course (Newton) will open for play Wednesday morning, March 16, at 11 a.m. Tee times recommended. No cart restrictions. $26 for 18 holes including cart – Call (641) 792-3087.
  • Woodland Hills Golf Course (Des Moines) will be opening March 15, with rates of $39 for 18 with cart and $37 when booked online this is 7 days a week while we are in spring rates.

Click here for more information on all of our member courses.

Be sure to check back for updates to this list!

Feel free to email [email protected] with
updates to your course/facility opening this year!

Mike McCoy, Zach Johnson to share special 2023

March 11, 20220 commentsNews

Written by Rick Brown, Iowa Golf Hall of Fame member

I don’t know how many rounds of golf I’ve watched Zach Johnson (right) and Mike McCoy (left) play during their distinguished careers. I do know it’s well into three figures.

And I don’t know how many stories I wrote about them during my time as the golf writer at the Des Moines Register. Again, it’s well into triple digits.

I chased them on golf courses for years, chronicling their success in Iowa, the United States, even Ireland. I covered them in a wide range of events, from the Sani to the Masters in Augusta.

They have been and always will be two of my favorites, for reasons that go beyond the fact that they were outstanding golfers and gave me plenty to write about. They are gentlemen golfers, humble and first class in every way. They never refused my interview request, and were always gracious with their time. They were, as the saying goes, Iowa Nice.

And as their list of accomplishments grew, they never forgot their golfing roots here in Iowa. They’ve always brought a bright spotlight to this state with their play. And the lights will shine even brighter in 2023.

Johnson will serve as captain of the United States Ryder Cup team in Rome. And McCoy will serve as captain of the Walker Cup team at St. Andrews.

“Can you believe that Iowans will captain the Ryder Cup and Walker Cup in the same year?” said Chad Pitts, executive director of the Iowa Golf Association.

This is a proud moment for Iowa, as well as the state’s underrated but robust golf community. Johnson’s 12 PGA victories include the 2007 Masters at Augusta and 2015 Open Championship at St. Andrews. He’s played on five Ryder Cup teams and had a winning record (8-7-2).

“He’ll do anything to help the team win, first of all,” said Davis Love III, the U.S. captain in 2012 and 2016. “He’s a great teammate. And he always plays well, too. Guys look up to him and respect him.”

Tom Lehman was Johnson’s first Ryder Cup captain, in 2006 at the K Club in Kildare, Ireland.

“It’s been fun to watch him play and cheer him on and be happy for all the things he’s accomplished,” Lehman said. “He’s come such a long way and done so much. If he was a really nasty person it would be pretty easy to not care so much. But because he’s such a great human being and such a wonderful guy, you feel like every success that comes to him, he deserves it.”

McCoy’s pinnacle achievement was winning the 2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at Birmingham Country Club in Birmingham, Ala. That victory got him into the 2014 Masters.

A year later, McCoy’s distinguished national career was recognized when he was named to the 2015 Walker Cup team. Closer to home, Mike won the Iowa Amateur six times and has been the Iowa Golf Association’s Player of the Year 11 times.

McCoy will become the second native Iowan to serve as Walker Cup captain. Dr. Edgar Updegraff, who grew up in Boone, captained the 1975 team. That competition was also at St. Andrews. McCoy does know a little bit about St. Andrews. He played there in the 2018 Senior British Open.

Johnson and McCoy are two guys who cut their golfing teeth in the state at an early age, and then took a big bite out of the competition.

McCoy was 10 years old when he became a caddy at the Wakonda Club in Des Moines.

Caddies got to play on Monday. The pro at Wakonda at the time, Jack Webb, took McCoy under his wing. Bill Rose, another pro at Wakonda, later became McCoy’s instructor and helped him elevate his game.

Johnson was also introduced to golf at the age of 10, joining pro Larry Galdson’s junior program at Elmcrest Country Club in Cedar Rapids. Zach’s instructor during his high-level career, Mike Bender, is another Iowan. Webb, Rose, Gladson and Bender are all in the Iowa Golf Hall of Fame alongside McCoy and Johnson.

Johnson and McCoy’s success stories are anchored by hard work, and a bulldog mentality. Johnson was never the No. 1 on the golf team at Drake. When his college career ended, he had to decide whether to pursue professional golf or fall back on his business and marketing career.

He decided to give golf a try, since he’d experienced improvement every year and now had an opportunity to devote himself to the game on a full-time basis.

“Everything that came with being a professional golfer, I was willing and able to do it,” Johnson said.

Golf, not business and marketing, became his calling card and opened the door to a career that is taking him to the Ryder Cup in a third capacity. First as a player, then a vice-captain, and now captain.

Success wasn’t a given for McCoy on the golf course, either. Growing up on the south side of Des Moines, he’d carry his golf bag to the city bus stop, then catch a ride to the A.H. Blank course to play. He fought through some tough times early in his career. But as he improved, his zest for competition grew as well.

“You can always improve on something, and I did love the competition,” McCoy said. “I loved surprising myself. And I would beat players that were older than me and better than me. That kept me going right into college (at Wichita State). That’s when things started breaking free for me, and I could see myself becoming a good player.”

I had the good fortune to cover McCoy and Johnson at the 2014 Masters. It was a pinch-me moment, watching two of Iowa’s greatest players ever at one the game’s great shrines. It all came into focus on the Tuesday of tournament week, when Johnson and McCoy played the front nine together in a practice round..

I can still remember interviewing McCoy in a room outside Augusta National’s locker room after the second round and thinking to myself, “We’re not in Iowa anymore.”

Nine years later, Johnson and McCoy will share the title of captain at two of the sport’s elite events. Just two guys from Iowa.

Elliott honored with resolutions at Iowa State Capitol

March 10, 20220 commentsNews

Iowa’s Gene Elliott (shown above) was recognized by both the Iowa House of Representatives (House Resolution 109 – Watch here) and Iowa State Senate (Senate Resolution 104) Thursday morning. The resolutions honored Elliott for his recent success at the U.S. Senior Amateur and R&A Senior Amateur Championship in 2021, as well as other achievements on and off the course.

Elliott became only the second player to claim both the R&A Senior Amateur Championship and the U.S. Senior Amateur Championships in the same season, joining Paul Simson of Raleigh, NC, who accomplished the feat in 2010. Only one other Iowan has claimed the U.S. Senior Amateur title, that being Boone native Dr. Ed Updegraff in 1981. He is also one of only three players to win the U.S. R&A (United Kingdom) and Canadian senior amateur championships.

Elliott’s extraordinary year propelled him to the number one position as the globe’s top-ranked senior amateur player, according to the World Amateur Golf Rankings and AmateurGolf.com.

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