Bily makes final round charge, Pettersen leaves little doubt
Preston Bily (above right) charged up the leaderboard to take the lead and the 2022 Iowa Junior Amateur Championship title. Bily came into the day five-shots behind Cale Leonard, but a final round 68 gave Bily a two-shot victory over Leonard.
“Cale played some great golf all week,” Bily praised. “I had a five-shot deficit going into the final round, but it didn’t feel like I was playing to beat him.”
In his final round, Bily recorded five birdies and four of them came on the front nine. On the back nine, Bily birdied the 11th hole and finished with seven-straight pars to claim the Iowa Junior Amateur trophy.
“The shots just started coming,” Bily said. “I shot a 33 on the front nine and I made a lot of putts. I knew I just had to make pars at that point and it was a good week and hopefully I will keep playing well.”
Leonard, who led the way during the first two rounds, earned second place with rounds of 71, 69 and 75. During the week, Leonard recorded 13 total birdies with four of them coming from the final round, but bogeys found a way onto his card during the last day.
Cooper Hanson takes over third place with a commanding round of 67 that consisted of seven birdies. Coming into the final round, Hansen was 10-shots off the lead, and with a late push he finished only four back.
Calen Bishop had a strong week, finishing in fourth place. Bishop posted rounds of 74, 72 and 73 for a 219 tally. Hayden Moore placed one shot behind Bishop and earned a top-five finish with a 220 total.
Back-to-back dominating performances from the recently crowned IGA Four-Ball Champion, Bella Pettersen (above left), along with rounds of 77, 70 and 76, led to a run away win in the Iowa Junior Girls’ Championship.
“I spent half an hour watching videos and working on my putting,” Pettersend said. “That helped me shoot my two-under in the second round. My ball striking helped me get in good places to make par and birdie. It was just a really good week.”
Coming into the final round, Pettersen had an eight-shot lead and felt comfortable and confident. That eight-shot lead turned into an 11-shot victory after a solid four-over round of 76 that consisted of three birdies.
Lauren Briggs and Maura Peters tied for second place at 18-over par. Peters carded a 78 in her final round and Briggs posted a 77 to jump into the tie. Pettersen’s Four-Ball partner, Addison Berg, earned fourth place at 22-over par. Jane Petersen rounded out the top-five with an 81 in the last round and a 242 tally.
Next week the Iowa Golf Association hosts the 34th IGA Match Play Championship and the 10th IGA Women’s Match Play Championship at Talons Golf in Ankeny.
Iowa Junior Amateur Championship
1. Preston Bily 73-72-68=213
2. Cale Leonard 71-69-75=215
3. Cooper Hansen 77-73-67=217
4. Calen Bishop 74-72-73=219
5. Hayden Moore 75-72-73=220
Iowa Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship
1. Bella Pettersen 77-70-76=223
T2. Maura Peters 80-76-78=234
T2. Lauren Briggs 82-75-77=234
4. Addison Berg 77-78-83=238
5. Jane Petersen 78-83-81=242
Out of both division, Leonard (right) is currently the only player under par this week. With a five-shot cushion, Leonard is just going to try and continue his consistent play and hold his ground. 
Recently crowned IGA Women’s Four-Ball champions, Addison Berg and Bella Pettersen (pictured right) continue their hot-streak as they both sit at the top of the Girls’ Division. Berg, of Swisher, and Pettersen, of North Liberty, carded rounds of 77 and will head into the second round tied for the lead. 
The dominating reign continues for Rose Kubesheski and Margene Grady (right) as they made it three titles in a row as they won their sixth career IGA Women’s Four-Ball title. The unstoppable duo was three shots back going into the final four holes and managed to play the final stretch at four-under par. 
Fiona Watson (left), of Des Moines, began her 2022 season on the right track with a playoff victory at the IGA Women’s Mid-Am Series Event #1 held at Irv Warren Golf Course in Waterloo. Watson tied the Waterloo native, Lindsay Burry with a 51-point total (Stableford scoring format). The two competitors went into a playoff that lasted four holes before Watson was crowned champion.
Urbandale’s Nicki Clayton (right) brought home the Net Division trophy with a 55-point tally. Clayton stayed one point ahead of the second-place finishers, Kathy Fortune and Carroll Dethrow. Lindsay Burry and Kelly Nelson tied for fourth place in the Net Division. 
