Category: IGA Four-Ball

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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Champions crowned at 26th IGA Four-Ball Championship

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

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.

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Brown/Elliott fire 62 (-10) in final round, win 25th IGA Four-Ball Championship

Sitting two shots off the lead, Iowa Golf Hall of Fame members Jon Brown and Gene Elliott (left) knew they had some work to do in order to win the 25th IGA Four-Ball Championship at The Falls in Larchwood.

A 10-under par 62 later and it was mission accomplished. With five birdies apiece, Brown and Elliott commented they just kept trying to get one more birdie on the card. Brown’s birdie on the final two holes proved to be the difference as they outdistanced the side of Ethan Mechling / J.D. Anderson by a pair of strokes.

“We each made five birdies and didn’t double-up,” Brown said. “We just kept plugging away and didn’t give up. I felt like we left a couple (shots) out there yesterday, but not today. Teaming up with Gene I had a tremendous amount of trust. I knew he would never be out of the hole and be there when I needed him.”

Never having to count a bogey on a course that played quite difficult with strong, blustering winds was a feat within itself for the champions who shot rounds of 68-62 (-14) over the two-day event.

“In 36 holes we really didn’t scare making bogey,” Elliott said. “We had to make a few 4-5 foot putts, but we were never in trouble where we weren’t going to make par and gave ourselves a lot of chances. I hit first on every hole and tried to get it into play. With Jon being so long, I wanted him to be able to feel free to go after it. Now we gotta go defend next year, unless he dumps me.”

Brown jokingly said he thinks he’ll keep Elliott on the team. This victory marked the sixth overall IGA Four-Ball title for Elliott and Brown’s second victory in the event. Neither had teamed up together in the past.

In the Senior Division, Joe Palmer and Terry Cook (left) collected their third title in the division and fourth overall, winning the Open Division crown in 2004. Similar to the Elliott/Brown side, Palmer and Cook were chasing the leaders entering the final round – two shots back off the pace.

With a final round 68 (-4) that included timely birdies on the back nine holes, both mentioned how their partnership has been a winning combination, finishing the event with rounds of 67-68 (-9).

“I had a great partner,” Cook said. “Joe has been unbelievable. We were patient all day and hung in there. We had to fight back and make a couple good shots coming down the stretch. All day I tried to stay in the present. It’s fun to win again.”

Playing with the first round leaders, Bret Taylor and Jeff Collett, Palmer and Cook were able to keep tabs on where they stood and were checking the leaderboard for any charges coming from ahead of them.

“We were playing with the leaders, so we could see what was going on,” Palmer said. “We were making a bunch of pars (on our front 9) and so were they. We were watching the leaderboard and didn’t want to lose any ground. Terry had a great three-hole stretch there and we skated in there (for the win).

Palmer commented that knowing you have a partner who won’t be out of the hole very often is a key to success.

“Over the years, Terry Cook doesn’t make big numbers,” Palmer said. “We free each other up (to play) and when you have a partner who is always in the hole you can play aggressively. It’s worked for us.”

Taylor and Collett shared runner-up with the side of Gary Ellis / Jay Goeser at -8 for the event.

In the Super Senior Division, the side of Bill Mathers / Vernon VanPerseum (right) battled back with a final round 67 (-5) to win the title by a stroke over first round leaders Rick Gorbell and Wes Hogeland. Mathers/VanPerseum posted rounds of 73-67 (-5).

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Two sides share opening round lead at 25th IGA Four-Ball

The Falls was unforgiving for most of the day in the opening round of the 25th IGA Four-Ball Championship. Bogeys were to be found with a wayward shot and birdies were something of a rare mineral in Larchwood for a majority of the field.

Finding success in the dirt (and wind) however were a pair of sides, as Aaron Obrien / Dusty Stewart (pictured above) and Ethan Mechling and J.D. Anderson both posted rounds of 66 (-6) to share the lead heading into the final round. Both teams, who were paired together in the first round, took advantage of an early tee time this morning. A total of seven teams are within three shots of the lead, including a trio just two back.

In the Senior Division the side of Bret Taylor / Jeff Collett also found success in Larchwood today. The duo teamed up for an impressive 65 (-7) to lead by a pair of strokes over defending Senior Division champions Joe Palmer / Terry Cook. Three additional teams are four strokes back at 68 (-4) after today’s play.

In the Super Senior Division the side of Rick Gorbell / Wes Hogeland lead by three strokes over Bill Mathers / Vernon VanPeursem. Gorbell / Hogeland posted a solid round of 70 (-2), good for the overnight lead.

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Click here for final round pairings

Huseman / Peck catch fire late, win 24th IGA Four-Ball in a playoff

Ankeny’s Connor Peck and Andrew Huseman (pictured right) were down to their last shot at the 24th IGA Four-Ball Championship.

Luckily enough what looked to be their last shot turned into a playoff victory at Whispering Creek Golf Club in Sioux City.

Down two shots with only one hole left, after the side of Ethan Mechling / J.D. Anderson posted -14 for the tournament, which included six birdies in their last seven holes to overtake then-leaders Corey Mathey and Jackson Sitzmann, Huseman’s third shot into the par 5 18th hole found the bottom of the cup and force a playoff at 130 (-14).

“We made a nice birdie on the 17th hole as well,” Huseman said. “I was fortune enough to hit a one in a million shot to force a playoff.”

On a day when several teams looked to be staking claim to the title, Huseman and Peck just tried to stick to their game after making the turn at -3 for the day.

“I was looking at the scoreboard a little bit (online),” Peck said. “You still have to go out and golf your ball. You can’t control what the other guys are doing. We just tried to stay after it, but also stay patient.”

They got after it – not to mention making up five shots in their last six holes in route to a final round 64 (-8). An eight-foot birdie putt by Peck on the first playoff hole would seal the deal.

“I wasn’t worried about running it past the hole,” Peck said of his playoff birdie putt. “My partner was already in for four, so that took some pressure off. We ham and egged it the last nine holes. It was a lot of fun.”

Dave Gaer and Matt Weresh posted rounds of 67-68 (-9) to win the Senior Division by a shot over Kirk Macumber and Curtis Holck. In the Super Senior Division Jamie Blackburn and Pat Ryan made a back nine charge to win by two over Ken Krause and Bill Mathers.

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Holck / Milligan race out to lead at 24th IGA Four-Ball Championship

Cody Holck (above left) and Xan Milligan (above right) have played a ‘few’ rounds at Sioux City’s Whispering Creek Golf Club, site of the 24th IGA Four-Ball Championship, during their college days.

That experience paid off today.

Holck, a 2019 grad of Morningside College, and Milligan, who is slated to graduate in 2021 from Morningside College, teamed up on Wednesday to post a round of 63 (-9). The duo made nine birdies and an eagle between them, to go against only a pair of bogeys on the card.

Following on the heels of Holck / Milligan are IGA veterans Jon Olson / Jon Brown and another Morningside Mustang duo of Samuel Storey / Jonny Douglas, who both shot 65 (-7). Just three off the pace include a pair of teams – Connor Peck / Andrew Huseman and Corey Matthey / Jackson Sitzmann.

Matt Weresh / Dave Gaer lead in the Senior Division by a shot over Curtis Holck / Kirk Macumber. Weresh made an ace on the 11th hole on Wednesday to help the team climb to the top of the leaderboard.

Jamie Blackburn / Pat Ryan lead the Super Senior Division by three strokes over Ken Krause / Bill Mathers and Wes Hogeland / Mark Mershon.

Click here for a full recap of scoring

IGA postpones events until May 28th

IGA postpones Mid-Amateur, Women’s Mid-Am series, Four-Ball events

The Classic also postponed

APRIL 15, 2020 – The IGA Executive Committee, upon recommendations from the Rules & Competitions Committee, recently determined to postpone the first three IGA events on the calendar – the Iowa Mid-Amateur Championship, the first Women’s Mid-Amateur Series, and the IGA Four-Ball Championship.  In addition, officials at Elmwood CC have determined to postpone The Classic, the first sanctioned point event of the year.

The IGA Senior Match Play, scheduled for May 28th thru 30th, was discussed but it was determined not to postpone this event at this time.  The committee will meet again on or around May 1st to determine if that event should be postponed.  This essentially means that IGA events have been postponed until May 28th.

The new dates for the postponed events are as follows:

  • Women’s Mid-Amateur Series event #1 (Irv Warren GC, Waterloo) – Sat, June 6th
  • IGA Four-Ball (Whispering Creek GC, Sioux City) – Wed, Thurs, Aug 19-20
  • Iowa Mid-Amateur (Sunnyside CC, Waterloo) – Thurs, Fri, Sept 3-4
  • The Classic (Elmwood CC, Marshalltown) – Sat, Sun, Sept 19-20

We are grateful for these host clubs and courses and their willingness to work with us to establish new dates for these championships.  They are tremendous supporters of our events and they have been wonderful to work with during these unusual times.

Anyone who has already entered any of these events and has determined that the new dates would not work for them will be issued a full refund.  Please email Nate McCoy at [email protected].  If you can still play or are not sure yet if you can still play on the new dates, we ask that you remain in the field until you determine for certain that you cannot play, at which point a full refund will be issued.

For those that have not yet entered, entries are open for all of these events.  We encourage you to get signed up to play at (click here to do so).

Finally, we hope that all of you and your families are doing well and staying healthy.  We very much look forward to seeing everyone on the golf course this summer.

Schulte / Dunn catch fire on back nine, win 24th IGA Four-Ball Championship

After going out in 37 (+1) in the final round of the 24th IGA Four-Ball Championship at Pella’s Bos Landen, Justin Schulte and Nate Dunn (pictured above) knew they needed to get going if they wanted any chance at the trophy.

Get going they did – In the tune of a back nine of 29 (-7) to win the championship by a shot over the hard-charging side of Jamie Faidley / Patrick Breitbach, who shot a nifty 65 (-7) of their own on Saturday. Schulte / Dunn made birdies on #10-14 and #16-17.

“We finally started getting looks (on the back nine),” Dunn said. “We had a couple on the front we didn’t make. Justin made a nice 15-footer on #12. We just started hitting them close.”

Schulte commented the putt on #16 that put them back into the lead was a good one as well. Schulte / Dunn would finish the two-day event at a 133 (-11).

“I made about a 40-footer there,” Schulte said. “We didn’t know (at the time) where we were (in relation to the lead).

A trio of teams would finish three shots back at 136 (-8).

In the Senior Division, Gene Elliott / Todd Rose (above) put together a round of 65 (-7) on Saturday to win by four shots over the side of Terry Cook / Joe Palmer and Jay Slings / Andy Burton. Elliott / Rose posted rounds of 66-65 – 131 (-11) in victory.

“That’s all we needed,” Elliott said after Rose made his par putt on their last hole.

By way of a playoff that ultimately lasted three holes, the side of Jim Butler / Rob Christensen (above) outlasted Dave Sergeant / John Peters and Jim Campbell / Richard Gorbell. All three teams finished at 141 (-3) for the championship. Christensen’s par on the third playoff hole proved to be the difference. Campbell / Gorbell were eliminated after the first playoff hole when they failed to make par.

Click here to see a full recap of scoring

Westrum/Bishop, Schulte/Dunn lead 24th IGA Four-Ball Championship

The sides of Jesse Westrum / Ryan Bishop and Justin Schulte / Nate Dunn lead the way after the first round of the 24th IGA Four-Ball Championship at Bos Landen Golf Club with rounds of 67 (-5). The two-day event was rescheduled from the spring due to weather. Players were welcomed to better conditions today than earlier in May, with the sun breaking out later in the morning and into the afternoon.

Both leading sides made seven birdies on the against a pair of bogeys. A trio of sides sit just a shot back of the lead, which includes Jon Brown / Sam Zoske, David Combs / Ethan Mechling and Dusty Stewart / Jeff Collett.

In the Senior Division Gene Elliott / Todd Rose, who posted 66 (-6) lead by a stroke over Andy Burton / Jay Slings. A pair of sides are two shots back of the lead and will look to make a move in tomorrow’s final round.

The Super Senior Division is led by the side of Dave Sergeant / John Peters, who posted 69 (-3),  with Jim Campbell / Richard Gorbell in pursuit two shots back.

Tomorrow final round will begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning.

Click here for a recap of scoring

 

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