Elliott, McKnight set pace at 43rd Iowa Senior Amateur
Two rounds of 68 lead the first round at the 43rd Iowa Senior Amateur at The Preserve Golf Course on Rathbun Lake. Gene Elliott, of West Des Moines and Tim McKnight, of Indianola are the leaders heading into the second round.
Elliott was the first to post 68 and finished with a bogey-free scorecard. The key to success for Elliott was birdies on the par-fives. He played the par-fives at four-under par and missed his chance to birdie all of them with a putt on hole 18.
McKnight played his first nine at one-under par but stepped on the gas once he turned to the back-nine. Birdies on 11, 14 and 17 pushed McKnight into a tie with the Iowa Golf Hall of Famer and the two competitors will tee it up together in tomorrow’s second round.
In third place after day one is Tom Christensen, of Waterloo. Christensen posted a three-under round of 69 and sits one shot behind the leaders. Norwalk’s Mike McCoy and Joe Palmer will play together tomorrow after posting two-under ton Thursday afternoon.
Fort Madison’s, Jim Butler holds a two-shot lead heading into the second round of the Super Senior Division. The 69-year-old posted a round equal to his age today and recorded five birdies. Butler got off to a quick start with three birdies in his first four holes. An even 36 on his back nine kept him from running away with the tournament early.
Tied for second place is Dan Dalziel, of Cedar Rapids, and Pete Kelly, of Marshalltown. The two fired rounds of 71 and will play alongside Butler in tomorrow’s round. Dalziel was two-over through his first six holes but continued to fight and ended his round in red-figures. Kelly started making birdies quick after three in his first six holes, but three bogeys on the back-nine set him back two shots.
A four-way tie for fourth place round out the top-five between Sam Aossey, of Cedar Rapids, Marshalltown’s Pat Ryan, Polk City’s Joe Ward and Bruce Neeley, of Independence. All four competitors carded rounds of 72 and sit three-shots back.
ACE ALERT – Lineville’s Jay Gregory (above) recorded a hole-in-one today on #13.
Senior Division
T1. Gene Elliott -4 68
T1. Tim McKnight -4 68
3. Tom Christensen -3 69
T4. Mike McCoy -2 70
T4. Joe Palmer -2 70
Super Senior Division
1. Jim Butler -3 69
T2. Dan Dalziel -1 71
T2. Pete Kelly -1 71
T4. Sam Aossey E 70
T4. Pat Ryan E 70
T4. Joe Ward E 70
T4. Bruce Neeley E 70
Though Anderson (left) fell short of medalist honors, he did walk away with a qualifying spot to the U.S. Mid-Amateur. Anderson also had a clean score card and posted seven birdies to take second place by two shots. He made three straight birdies on holes 12, 13 and 14 to push him into a qualifying position.
Gary Ellis (right) is headed to Detroit following his first attempt at qualifying for a U.S. Senior Amateur. The qualifier was held in Williamsburg at Stone Creek Golf Club and it played long, which suited the big-hitting 56-year-old of Norwalk.
In the Team Net Division home course knowledge won out, as Elmcrest Country Club (above) won the title by one shot over Echo Valley CC. Elmcrest CC, who shot 205 (-5) in the net portion of the event, was led by Julie Buerman (69 net). The team from Elmcrest CC included Buerman, Bailey Hammerberg, Amy Worden and Mary Hoefle.
Earning medalist honors in the Individual Net Division was Joanie Steinmetz (above) of Des Moines Golf & Country Club. Steinmetz had a great day on the course, shooting five-under par 65, good for a one-shot victory over Cathy West, of Urbandale Country Club.
Finishing in a tie for third with a final score of 14-under, Lachlan Barker (left) claimed the low-amateur honor this week after a three-player playoff. Barker, a fifth-year player at Iowa State, carded rounds of 64, 71 and 67 and was just four shots off the lead.
There was a battle in the Senior Division between Jay Gregory (right), of Lineville, and Joe Palmer, of Norwalk. The. The two competitors ended up in a playoff and Gregory was able to win it on the first hole. Palmer, who has had one of his best seasons, could not get it going during his back nine.
A first-time winner, Bill Tank (left) of Bettendorf, took the Super Senior Division. Tank shot rounds of 74, 75 and 72 and won the playoff over Jim Madsen. Tank’s tee shot on the first playoff hole went left, but he stayed focused and was able to tie the hole.
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.