Author: iowagolf

Long-time IGA board member, supporter Murray Hart passes away

August 5, 20211 commentNews

Long-time IGA Board Member Murray Hart, 74, passed away on Friday, July 30, 2021. Hart was a resident of Spencer and was a member at Spencer Golf & Country Club.

Hart served a pivotal role as IGA President from 2001-2003, during which time the IGA and Iowa Section PGA transitioned into two separate offices.

A private family service will be held Monday, August 9, at the Warner Chapel in Spencer.

Online condolences can be left at https://warnerfuneralhome.com/obituary.php?view=3497.

 

Leszczynski shoots final round 70, wins 56th Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur

August 3, 20210 commentsChampionships, Iowa Senior Women's Amateur

Laura Leszczynski (above right) fought off the ‘home course’ pressure and claims the 56th Iowa Senior Women’s Championship at Indianola Country Club. Leszczynski’s 78 in the first round, which set her back four shots going into the final round, but that did not rattle her. 

“I thought about how I was approaching it yesterday and I was getting way ahead of myself,” Leszczynski said. “I was looking at the scores, but today I promised myself I wouldn’t look at the scores. I hit one shot at a time and just get it on the green and then putt. Just one at a time.”

Leszczynski (right) knew how to win the championship after capturing the title at this event in 2018. She kept her cool the entire round and managed to birdie two par threes. Leszczynski only recorded only two bogeys throughout her final round and capped off a special week at her home course. 

“I thought if I couldn’t win here, I am not going to win it again,” Leszczynski said. “It felt good to win here and I am very proud to be able to do it here at my home course.”

Stuart’s Janece Schwartzkopf (above left) was the overall second place finisher but was the low Super Senior this week. Schwartzkopf carded a 76 in round one and a 73 in the final round to put herself into contention.

There was a tie for third place between Michelle Klein, of Jesup, and Noreen Christians, of Urbandale. Klein fired a 73 in her final round that consisted of five birdies. Christians posted a 75 in the first round and a 77 in her final round. Janis Owens, of Creston, claimed fifth place with rounds of 80 and 74.

56th Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur
1. Laura Leszczynski 78-70-148
2. Janece Schwartzkopf 76-73-149
T3. Michelle Klein 79-73-152
T3. Noreen Christians 75-77-152
5. Janis Owens 80-74-154

Phillips rises up in Indianola, leads 56th Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur

August 2, 20210 commentsChampionships, Iowa Senior Women's Amateur

After the first round of the Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur at Indianola Country Club, Cedar Falls’ Carol Phillips leads at four-over par. Phillips, who has super senior status, played a consistent round of golf, recording only four bogeys and 14 pars in her round of 74.

Urbandale’s Noreen Christians fired a 75 and recorded four birdies. Christians got off to a hot start and carded three birdies in her first four holes. Janece Schwartzkopf holds the third-place spot alone after posing a 76 today.

Kathy Fortune’s round of 77 sits in fourth place. Fortune had a 39 on the front and a 38 on her back nine. St. Mary’s Laura Leszczynski and the 2020 defending champion, Rose Kubesheski of Dubuque, are in a tie for fifth place at eight-over (78).  

Christians leads in the Stroke Play Net division at three-under. Phillips is in second place at two under and Schwartzkopf and Fortune are tied for third place at one-over.  

The final round will begin tomorrow morning. You can follow our live leaderboard by clicking this link. 

56th Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur
1. Carol Phillips 74
2. Noreen Christians 75
3. Janece Schwartzkopf 76
4. Kathy Fortune 77
T5. Laura Leszczynski 78
T5. Rose Kubesheski 78

Brown takes home Northwest Amateur title by one over Bull

August 2, 20210 commentsNews

Iowa Golf Hall of Fame member, Jon Brown (right), won the Northwest Amateur by one shot over Norwalk’s Dennis Bull. Brown fired rounds of 63, 68, 71 and recorded a 36 in the final round. Brown had nine birdies in his first round and was sitting at 13-under after the qualifying rounds and ended the tournament at 14-under par. 

Bull had rounds of 69, 68, 69 and a low 33 in his final round. In his final round, Bull continued to fight into contention and was close to pulling it off. Ben Hicks, of Victoria, Minnesota, earned third place with rounds of 70, 67, 71 and a 33.

In the first flight, Andrew Arndorfer, of Livermore, finished at four-under and one shot ahead of Brett Benson, of Bird Island Minnesota. Arndorfer and Benson tied with 68’s in their final round, and Benson made three straight birdies on holes 14, 15 and 16 to get within one of Arndorfer.  

Cole Grandfield, Omaha, took first in the second flight over Van Meter’s Scot Cook. Okoboji native, Jackson Laven was the third flight winner over Joe Powell, of Alta, and carded a 32 on his final back nine. Aaron Ahrendsen was the fourth flight winner; Jim Rose was the fifth flight winner and Eric Wiemers was the sixth flight winner.  

Mike Root, of Omaha, collected the win the 60+ Senior Division with rounds of 72-79.

Championship Flight
1. Jon Brown 63-68-71-36-238
2. Dennis Bull 69-68-69-33-239
3. Ben Hicks 70-67-71-33-241
4. Ross Martens 64-73-75-32-244
5. Joe Hunter 67-66-77-35-245

Virginia’s Cole closes with 63, wins 88th Iowa Open

August 2, 20210 commentsChampionships, Iowa Open

Ryan Cole (top photo), of Glen Allen, Virginia, moved up five spots in the final round to win the 88th Iowa Open at Blue Top Ridge in Riverside. Cole carded rounds of 65, 69 and 63 and won by two shots over Matthew Meneghetti, of Schererville, Indiana. Meneghetti recorded five birdies on his back nine to put himself into contention, but Cole’s 63 was too much to overcome. 

“I just really loved being here,” Cole said. “I had a great time and played some really good golf. I finally broke through at a tournament that I have been coming to for a while. I just really enjoyed everything about this week.”

Marshalltown’s, Kade Brown, took third place after posting 16-under and firing rounds of 66, 65 and 69. There was a three-way tie for fourth place between Barrett Kelpin, Alex Schaake and the low amateur of the week, Nate McCoy (bottom photo). Kelpin, Schaake and McCoy all posted 15-under and Kelpin fired a 64 in his final round. 

McCoy, of Ankeny, was the low amateur by seven shots over Hogan Hansen, of Waverly. After carding rounds of 66, 65 and 70, McCoy earned his third win of the season. 

“I had a blast this week,” McCoy said. “I was pumped to come back and play another state open. It was a lot of fun this week.”

88th Iowa Open
1. Ryan Cole -19
2. Matthew Meneghetti -17
3. Kade Brown -16
T4. Barrett Kelpin -15
T4. Nate McCoy (a) -15
T4. Alex Schaake -15

Chou wins again, defends Iowa Women’s Amateur title

July 28, 20210 commentsChampionships, Iowa Women's Amateur

Ames’ Joy Chou (above) did it again at the 97th Iowa Women’s Amateur hosted by Dubuque Golf and Country Club. Chou took control and crushed the field this week. Her margin of victory was nine shots, including a 72 in the final round to propel her into one of her biggest wins this season.

Eden Lohrbach, also of Ames, took hold of second place and had her best round of the week. Lohrbach fired a 75, but Chou’s 10-over total was too much. Lohrbach, a 15-year-old, played solid golf all week long and gave herself a shot at an Iowa Women’s Amateur victory.

Clear Lake’s Emily Snelling finished in third place with rounds of 78-78-76. Snelling recorded back-to-back 38’s during her round. Brooke Newell, of Anita, earned fourth place and Christi Imsland, of Manchester, took fifth place, only one shot apart from each other.

Waterloo’s Kelly Nelson held on to her second-round lead and topped Dubuque’s Rose Kubesheski by four shots in the Open Division. The course played hard this week, but Nelson was able to play her game and close out the win. Nelson carded two 81’s and a 78 in the second round, giving her a 240 total for the week.

Kubesheski finished in second place by two shots over Laura Leszczynski, of St. Mary’s. Kubesheski went four over in her last five finishing holes, but those played as some of the hardest holes this week. Leszczynski had something going early, recording three birdies in her first 10 holes, but bogeys and doubles started to show up on the scorecard.

Rockwell City’s Kathy Fortune and Jesup’s Michelle Klein round out the top five. Fortune finished at a tally of 250 and Klein carded a 251 this week.

It was a good ending to such a great tournament all the way around and Chou will now place her name once again with some of the strongest women golfers in Iowa.

Championship Division
1. Joy Chou 75-73-72-220
2. Eden Lohrbach 77-77-75-229
3. Emily Snelling 78-78-76-232
4. Brooke Newell 80-76-78-234
5. Christi Imsland 80-78-77-235

Open Division
1. Kelly Nelson 81-78-81-240
2. Rosalie Kubesheski 80-82-82-244
3. Laura Leszczynski 85-78-83-246
4. Kathy Fortune 88-82-80-250
5. Michelle Klein 85-83-83-251

Defending champion makes charge at 97th Iowa Women’s Amateur

July 27, 20210 commentsChampionships, Iowa Amateur

It is a close race after the second round at Dubuque Golf and Country Club and tomorrow’s final round of the 97th Iowa Women’s Amateur will be a battle for the top spot.

The 2020 Iowa Women’s Amateur champion, Iowa State’s Joy Chou (right), currently holds a two-shot lead over Northern Iowa’s Hannah Bermel. Chou got off to a rough start to begin the day, but was able to fight back with birdies midway through her round. 

Bermel was even through her first seven holes, before she recorded a double on her eighth hole. Two bogeys followed on her 10th and 11th holes, and she finished with a 40 on her back nine. The fifth-year senior is only two back and knows what she needs to do to get each shot back. 

The 15-year-old Eden Lohrbach is alone in third place after back-to-back rounds of 77. Lohrbach is competing with some of the biggest names in Iowa and she has handled it like a veteran. There is a tie for fourth place between Brooke Newell and Emily Snelling, yet neither of them are out of contention. 

Kelly Nelson fired a 78 and recorded only one bogey on the front nine where she carded a 36 to climb into first place over Rose Kubesheski in the Open Division. Nelson currently has a three-shot advantage and will need all three shots with Kubesheski and Laura Leszczynski right on her tail. 

Leszczynski also tallied a 78 in round two, putting herself in third place. Kim Fensterman held the lead at one point in the second round, but a rough eight hole stretch of bogeys pushed her down into fourth place. Michelle Klein holds the fifth-place spot after recording an 83 today. With Dubuque Golf and Country Club playing difficult this week, Klein is not out of the race.

You can follow the final round leaderboard by clicking this link. Stay up to date with the latest Iowa Golf Association information by following us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!

Championship Division
1. Joy Chou 75-73-148
2. Hannah Bermel 73-77-150
3. Eden Lohrbach 77-77-154
T4. Brooke Newell 80-76-156
T4. Emily Snelling 78-78-156

Open Division
1. Kelly Nelson 81-78-159
2. Rosalie Kubesheski 80-82-162
3. Laura Leszczynski 85-78-163
4. Kim Fensterman 84-81-165
5. Michelle Klein 85-83-168

Bermel grabs lead at 97th Iowa Women’s Amateur

July 26, 20210 commentsChampionships, Iowa Women's Amateur

After round one at the 97th Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship hosted by Dubuque Golf & Country Club, Hannah Bermel (right), fifth-year senior at the University of Northern Iowa, will head into the second round with a two-shot advantage over the defending champion, Joy Chou. 

Bermel recorded two birdies to go along with her 3-over round of 73 today. Chou, a senior golfer at Iowa State University, posted a five-over round of 75 and recorded two birdies. A costly double on the 10th hole puts Chou at a two-shot disadvantage. 

Coming in third place is Tabitha Schumacher, who is new face to the IGA this season. Schumacher carded a 76 and is only three shots behind after she birdied her last hole of the day. Fourth place is the 15-year-old, Eden Lohrbach of Ames. Lohrbach fired a seven-over round of 77 and is only four shots back of Bermel.

Rosalie Kubesheski, of Dubuque, sits at the top of the Open Division leaderboard heading into round two. The 2020 Senior Women’s Player of the Year has a one-shot lead over Kelly Nelson, of Waterloo. Kubesheski carded a 10-over round of 80 and will look to improve her one-shot lead in tomorrow’s round. 

You can follow the live leaderboard by clicking this link. Stay up to date with the latest Iowa Golf Association information by following us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Championship Division
1. Hannah Bermel +3 – 73
2. Joy Chou +5 – 75
3. Tabitha Schumacher +6 – 76
4. Eden Lohrbach +7 – 77
5. Emily Snelling +8 – 78

Open Division
1. Rosalie Kubesheski +10 – 80
2. Kelly Nelson +11 – 81
3. Kim Fensterman +14 – 84
T5. Michelle Klein +15 – 85
T5. Amy Olberding +15 – 85
T5. Janece Schwartzkopf +15 – 85
T5. Laura Leszczynski +15 – 85

Lindenman takes home amateur title at Waterloo Open, ‘Big Mike’ cashes big check

July 19, 20210 commentsNews

Trent Lindenman (on left holding flag) earned his first victory of the season in the Open Flight of the Waterloo Open over the weekend. Lindenman ran away with the tournament during the final round where he fired a four-under 66 to win by four shots over Minnesota’s Muzzy Donohue. 

On the final back nine, Lindenman could not miss. He recorded five birdies and had four consecutive birdies on holes 12 through 15. After submitting his round of 66 with a 30 on the back nine, Lindenman’s 13-under total was enough to claim the Open Flight. 

The well-known Floridian they call, “Big Mike” went low in the Professional Stroke Play Division. Michael Visacki led all three days and carded a 23-under tally, winning the tournament by one shot with a six-foot, $50,000 par save on the 18th hole. 

Photo courtesy of Waterloo Courier

Visacki (left) bested a fellow Floridian, Justin Hueber, who fired a 62 to push himself into contention on the final day. Hueber moved up nine spots to give himself a shot at the prize money, but pars on the last three holes kept Hueber one shot back.

Bruce Westemeier posted a four-under total with a 69 in his final round to win the Senior Flight. Westemeier defeated Joe Bates, who was the leader heading into the final round, by two shots. Bates went two-over in his last four finishing holes, while Westemeier carded a 33 on his back nine. 

The Super Senior Player of the Year leader, Pat Ryan, won another event. Ryan won the Super Senior Flight by one shot over Steve Kahler. Ryan and Kahler were battling all weekend, but Ryan held on to his one-shot advantage going into the final round. Now, another trophy will be going home with Ryan this season.

Professionals
1. Michael Visacki 62-64-67-193
2. Justin Hueber 67-65-62-194
3. Brady Calkins 66-65-64-195
T4. Thomas Walsh 64-68-64-196
T4. Patrick Williams 65-64-67-196

Open Flight
1. Trent Lindenman 70-67-66-203
T2. Muzzy Donohue 69-71-67-207
T2. Dusty Drenth 69-69-69-207
T2. Glenn Walls 69-68-70-207
5. Ian Johnston 72-71-67-210

Senior Flight
1. Bruce Westemeier 73-70-69-212
2. Joe Bates 71-69-74-214
T3. Jeff Ott 71-77-68-216
T3. Jay Slings 66-76-74-216
Rob Dickerman 71-75-71-217

Super Senior Flight
1. Pat Ryan 71-73-77-221
2. Steve Kahler 69-76-77-222
3. Joe Ward 74-72-81-227
4. Harold Hickman 77-72-81-230

Jahn makes final round charge, wins 119th Iowa Amateur

July 14, 20210 commentsChampionships, Iowa Amateur

The 119th Iowa Amateur came to an end after an electric finish at Wakonda Club. Charles Jahn (above) and Nate McCoy battled until the very end, giving the gallery an unforgettable finish. At the 2019 Iowa Amateur, Jahn fell short by one shot, but that experience assisted Jahn during his final holes today. 

“A couple of years ago I was tied for the lead going into the last hole and I three putted,” Jahn said. “I knew the last four or five holes I needed to finish strong instead of coasting in. I bogeyed 16 and that kind of woke me up. I wanted to finish out with pars and was able to do that. I learned from what happened two years ago and applied it to today.”

Jahn’s weapon of choice this week was the driver (shown right), and Wakonda Club wasn’t prepared. On the first hole during Jahn’s final round, he was able to get within 50 yards of the green by hitting over the trees lining the left side of the hole. That was not the only corners he was cutting today, Jahn drove the 11th hole, which played at about 400 yards on the day, setting himself up for an eagle putt. 

“I have been hitting my driver well lately,” Jahn said. “The practice round this week allowed me to determine what holes I was going to hit driver. On hole five, most players had 260 going into that hole and today I had 180. My driver was my key club this week.”

Finding the trees on 18, Jahn was able to secure the win over McCoy with a clutch up-and-down to win the championship by two shots. McCoy played amazing golf and only recorded two bogeys this week. After posting a one-over 37 on his front nine in the final round, McCoy was able to finish strong and card a 34 on his back nine, but it was not enough to overcome the hard-hitting Charles Jahn.

Six-time Iowa Amateur Champion and Iowa Golf Hall of Fame member, Mike McCoy, raced up the leaderboard after firing a red-hot 63, including a 29 on the back nine. Mike was the clubhouse leader at seven-under for a short period of time, but Mathew Garside snuck up behind him.

Garside carded a 66 with a 31 on his back nine. Ian Johnston also played tremendous golf this week, finishing in a tie for third place with Garside at eight-under. 

Defending champion, Dennis Bull, stayed close to the top all week firing a 209 and finished tied for fifth alongside the two Iowa Golf Hall of Famers, Mike McCoy and Jon Brown. Brown played two groups behind the final pairing and finished his tournament with a one-under 71.

A dramatic finish to a tournament filled with history is the only way to cap off this week. The field was filled with strong golfers from all across the state, but Charles Jahn was the man holding the trophy at the end of it all.

Sani connection – Charles Jahn, a 2016 Herman Sani Scholar joins Steve Spray, a 1969 Herman Sani Scholar, as the only two ‘scholars’ to win the Iowa Amateur. Spray won his Iowa Amateur in 1963 at Clinton Country Club.

 

119th Iowa Amateur Championship
1. Charles Jahn 67-70-67-204
2. Nate McCoy 67-68-71-206
T3. Mathew Garside 71-71-66-208
T3. Ian Johnston 70-67-71-208
T5. Mike McCoy 69-77-63-209
T5. Dennis Bull 71-70-68-209
T5. Jon Brown 69-69-71-209

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