Courtesy of Rick Brown

Owen Sawyer (above) started the final round of the 123rd Iowa Amateur with a seven-shot lead in his back pocket. 

It grew to eight shots after just two holes Wednesday at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club, and the Iowa State junior-to-be from Cedar Falls cruised to the biggest victory of his golfing career. 

A final-round 70 and a 54-hole score of 12-under-par 203 gave Sawyer an eight-shot victory over his Iowa State teammate and 2023 IGA Match Play champion Zach May (69), 15-year-old Jonathan Ward of Waukee (71) and Drake golfer Jake Weissenburger (70). 

“The last couple days I hit driver well and I was never really scrambling,” Sawyer said. “I was in play all week and that helped. I gave myself a lot of opportunities to make birdies and took advantage of that.”

Par was adjusted from 72 to 71 for the final round. The tee on the par-5 13th was moved up and the hole was played as a par-4 because of wet conditions. 

The victory also punched Sawyer’s ticket to the U.S. Amateur, to be contested at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif., August 11-17. There’s an Iowa connection there, too. Davenport club pro Jack Fleck pulled off one of the greatest upsets in sports history when he beat Ben Hogan in a playoff for the 1955 U.S. Open. 

Sawyer, who was the co-leader after an opening 68 Monday, left the field in his dust with a second-day 7-under-par 65 that was the tournament’s lowest round by three shots. 

He ran off 24 consecutive bogey-free holes until he surrendered a shot on the South Course’s demanding par-4 4th hole on Wednesday. Another bogey at the 5th cut Sawyer’s lead to six shot, and slightly opened the door of opportunity for the field. 

“I felt good (going into the final round,” Sawyer said. “I told myself I wanted to think like I was even par to start the day. Recently I have been struggling with my game and I began trying to free myself up more and that helped this week. This feels really good. I was disappointed how the match play came out (finishing runner-up), but I’ve been working really hard since then. It’ll be fun to go play the U.S. Amateur here in a few weeks. I hope this momentum continues into the fall (at Iowa State).”

Sawyer had also been in contention for this prestigious title in 2023, when he started the final round one shot back of Charlie Hoyle at Glen Oaks in West Des Moines. But a front-nine 39 crushed his chances. He shot 75 and settled for a third-place finish. 

Sawyer said Tuesday that he learned some lessons from that 2023 experience. And he showed it a day later after those back-to-back speed bumps on the front nine. Owen slammed that door of opportunity shut with a birdie on the par-5 6th, and was again up by eight shots two holes later. 

A runner-up to Braeden Nelson at the IGA Match Play last month, Sawyer was never challenged after that. His eight-shot triumph tied the second-largest margin of victory at the Iowa Amateur since the championship switched from match play to medal play in 1960. 

Ben Herrera holds the record with a 10-shot victory at Sunnyside Country Club in Waterloo in 2009. Herrera had a record eight-shot lead heading into the final round. 

Jon Olson won by eight shots in 2012 at Spirit Hollow in Burlington and Jack Webb won by eight shots in 1960 at the Wakonda Club in Des Moines. An amateur and the basketball coach at Atlantic High School at the time of his second Iowa Amateur triumph, Webb later turned pro and was the head golf professional at Wakonda for many years. 

Sawyer said Tuesday that he learned some lessons from that 2023 experience. And he showed it a day later after those back-to-back speed bumps on the front nine. Owen slammed that door of opportunity shut with a birdie on the par-5 6th, and was again up by eight shots two holes later.

This is also the fifth time the Iowa Amateur champion has been 12 under par or better since the tournament went from 72 to 54 holes in 1983. Mike McCoy has the record, going 20 under in winning the 2010 title at Bent Tree in Council Bluffs. Herrera finished 14 under in 2009. Hoyle was 13 under at Glen Oaks in 2023 and Olson was 12 under at Spirit Hollow in 2012. 

This is the 12th time that the Des Moines Golf and Country Club has hosted the Iowa Amateur, including the first two in 1900 and 1901. It’s also the fourth time the current Pete Dye-designed layout has played host (2002, 1980, 1977). 

Sawyer’s victory was the exception to the rule. He joins Dr. John Maxwell of Keokuk (1900) and Rudy Knepper of Sioux City (1920) as the only players from outside Greater Des Moines to win this championship when it was hosted by Des Moines Golf. 

Three Des Moines Golf and Country Club members have won the Iowa Amateur on their home course – Robert Finkbine,1901; Warren Dickinson, 1903; and Brad Schuchat, 1980. Scott Hart, the 2003 winner at Des Moines Golf, didn’t join the club until 2006. 

Hart is joined by five more Des Moines-area golfers who got their names on the Elliott Family Iowa Amateur Trophy when the championship was contested at Des Moines Golf – Mike McCutchen, 1977; Denmar Miller, 1938; Roland “Tip’ Harrison, 1913; Bill Sheehan, 1911 (when Des Moines Golf and Waveland who co-hosts); and B.F. “Bood’ Guinand, 1908.

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Sawyer’s two productive trips around the South Course, to the tune of 68-65, give him a touchdown lead over defending champion Nate McCoy and 15-year old Jonathan Ward, winner of the Iowa Junior Amateur earlier this summer.

Courtesy of Rick Brown

Owen Sawyer’s scorecard was a thing of beauty Tuesday. 

Seven birdies. No bogeys. A second-round 65 that gives him a seven-shot lead heading into Wednesday’s final round of the 123rd Iowa Amateur at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club. 

“I’d be pretty happy with another one of those (in the final round),” said Sawyer, who will be a junior at Iowa State. 

Sawyer’s two productive trips around the South Course, to the tune of 68-65, give him a touchdown lead over defending champion Nate McCoy and 15-year old Jonathan Ward, winner of the Iowa Junior Amateur earlier this summer. 

McCoy, trying to win this prestigious title for the third time in four years, shot a second straight 70 on Tuesday. Ward, playing his home course, has shot 69-71. 

Three more players are tied for fourth at 3 under par – Jamie Faidley (69-72), Max Tjoa (69-72) and Jake Weissenburger (68-73), who had shared the first-round lead with Sawyer. Tjoa tied for second in the Iowa Amateur behind McCoy in 2024 at Finkbine in Iowa City, and was second alone behind Charlie Hoyle in 2023 at Glen Oaks in West Des Moines. 

That 2023 Iowa Amateur was Sawyer’s best finish in the championship, contested this week at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club for the 12th time. 

Sawyer opened with rounds of 67-66 at Glen Oaks and trailed Hoyle by a shot heading into the final round in 2023. But he had a 39 on the front nine, went on to shoot 75 and finished third. 

“That’s past history,” said Sawyer, a runner-up to Braeden Nelson in the IGA State Match Play Championship in June. “I learned some good lessons from that. I got off to a bad start, got down and started pressing a little bit. I’ve grown up. I’ve matured. And I’ve played well enough that even when I’ve gotten off to some bad starts I’ve come back to shoot good scores.” 

Sawyer started on the back nine Tuesday and turned in 32. His bogey-free run was in jeopardy on the par-4 7th, his 16th hole. He missed the fairway right, then tried to hit a punch shot under trees but it got caught up in long rough in front of the green. His third came up 15 feet short of the hole but he made the par-saver. 

Much of the buzz at this year’s championship has centered around the diminutive Ward, who is in the title hunt and has the look of a future standout. 

Ward could become the youngest winner of this championship. He would also become the first male to win the Iowa Amateur and Iowa Junior Amateur in the same season. 

A sophomore at Waukee High School, Ward was 7 years old when Andrew Reedy, an assistant golf pro at Des Moines Golf and Country Club, started working with him.

“Pretty early in my tenure, we were able to recognize this kid really wanted to be good,” Reedy said. “There are stories of having to pull him off the putting green so he would go home at night.” 

Ward’s victory at the Iowa Junior Amateur got him a spot in the U.S. Junior Amateur played last week at Trinity Forest Club in Dallas,Texas. Ward shot 75-78 and missed the cut for match play, but didn’t leave empty-handed. 

“His takeaway was, “I work really hard, but after being out here seeing these kids I have a long way to go,’ ” Ward told Reedy. “That’s a really mature outlook for a 15-year-old kid to have.” 

Reedy points out that Ward is part of a young and deep talent pool of youngsters being groomed at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club. Another is Nelson, the Iowa Match Play champion who has committed to play his college golf at Wisconsin. 

But Ward is a shining example of a bright future. 

“He’s really special,” Reedy said. 

Faidley, a six-time Des Moines Golf and Country Club club champion, took Ward with him to play in a practice round before last year’s Iowa Match Play Championship at Talons Golf in Ankeny. 

“I told his dad, “He’s got what it takes,” Faidley, 44, said of Ward. “Whatever it is mentally, he’s got it. He doesn’t need advice from me. I need advice from him. He’s out here all the time, and he’s grinding. He’s a good player, and he’s a bulldog.”

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Courtesy of Rick Brown

It took some time for Owen Sawyer (right) to flush away the disappointment of his close call at the IGA Match Play Championship in late June

“I definitely struggled with it a little bit,” Sawyer recalled Monday during the first round of the Iowa Amateur. “The good thing is that I was able to learn from that.”

Sawyer, who will be a junior at Iowa State this fall, lost to Braeden Nelson in the match-play final, 1 up. Nelson took the lead on the 12th hole, then they halved the last six.

“I wasn’t happy with the outcome,” Sawyer said. “I needed to work a little harder.”

The 123rd Iowa Amateur kicked off a three-day stay at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club Monday, and Sawyer is right back in contention. He shot a 4-under-par 68 and is tied for the first-round lead with Drake junior Jake Weissenburger.

Both leaders had six birdies and two bogeys on their cards.

Three more players are a shot out of first after posting 69s – Jamie Faidley, Maxwell Tjoa and Jonathan Ward.

“Everything was pretty good today,” Sawyer said. “Nothing over the top good. Nothing over the top bad.”

Weissenburger, from Clive, is coming off a victory in the Des Moines City Tournament last weekend at Waveland.

Weissenburger (left) finished 22 under par, one shot better than two-time Iowa Amateur champion Jon Brown. Weissenburger shot 64-66-64, twice posting a 30 on Waveland’s front nine. A 14-time City champ, Brown shot 67-64-64. Third-place finisher Owen Howe was nine shots back.

“It was crazy, that last round,” Weissenburger said. “I was going low and he (Brown) just kept it up most of the day. Hats off to him. It was a lot of fun.”

Weissenburger tied for ninth in the Iowa Amateur last season at Finkbine in Iowa City, after taking the lead into the final round.

“I’m not going to think about that, to be honest,” Weissenburger said. “I’m going to try and have a good round (Tuesday), make the cut and see what happens. Just a shot at a time.”

Faidley, 44, a six-time club champion at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club, got it to 5 under for the round when he had four 3s in a five-hole stretch of the back nine. That included an eagle on the par-5 13th. But a pair of bogeys on the 15th and 16th knocked him out of the lead.

“I’ve probably got some expectations of doing well, but I like it out here,” Faidley said.

Ward, who won the Iowa Junior Amateur this summer, is also a Des Moines Golf member. He had a share of the lead, too, until a bogey at the 17th.

“I’ve been playing here since I was 4 or 5 years old,” Ward said. “My dad has been a member here for like 25 years.”

Ward said he feels comfortable playing at Des Moines Golf. The State junior crown gives him more confidence.

“It felt good winning a big event,” Ward said.

Tjoa, who plays golf at Iowa, had four birdies to offset just one bogey.

“I was just being patient with my putter,” Tjoa said. “The front nine I had some pretty good looks for birdie but they just weren’t dropping.”

Tjoa said playing with patience is an improving part of his game.

“It’s something I’ve picked up the last couple of years,” Tjoa said. “Before, I would get frustrated. Now I keep level-headed.”

Defending champion Nate McCoy got off to a slow start Monday with a bogey-birdie-bogey start.

“I thought, “Oh, boy, is this the way I’m going to play?’ ” McCoy said. “I just didn’t want to shoot myself out of the tournament.”

McCoy managed to get around in 70. McCoy got off to a slow start in the Iowa Amateur last summer at Finkbine, posting a first-round 70. But he moved into a tie for fourth after a second-round 67 and closed with a 66 that included two eagles on the back nine.

“I think I was 40th or 50th after the first round last year,” Nate said. “I remember my dad telling me starting the final round,”These guys don’t know how hard it is to win one of these. Guys are going to come back,’ ”

Sage advice. Nate’s father, Mike, has won six Iowa Amateur titles. Mike shot 73 Monday, rallying with a 2-under-par 34 on the back nine.

Play in Tuesday’s second round of the Iowa Amateur, hosted by the Des Moines Golf and Country Club for the first time since 2003 and the 12th time overall, starts at 7:30 a.m. The low 60 scores and ties move on to Wednesday’s final round.

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Mike McCoy won the 1996 Iowa Amateur at Finkbine Golf Course, six years after his son, Nate (above), was born. Mike rallied with a final-round 67 that included an eagle on the par-5 15th hole.

The 2023 Walker Cup captain rekindled those memories on Tuesday, this time as a caddy. Because it was his son, Nate, who accepted the 122nd Iowa Amateur trophy for the second time in his career after a closing 66 at Finkbine. A round that included an eagle on the 15th hole.

“This is the whole reason you compete,” said Nate, who also eagled the par-4 12th earlier in the final round. “You want to test yourself against the best.”

McCoy’s 54-hole score of 204, 12 under par, was three shots better than 2012 champion Jon Olson, Cale Leonard (right) and Maxwell Tjoa. Leonard started the day seven shots back, and his 66 matched McCoy for the lowest round of the day.

“I just wanted to go make birdies,” he said. “The course was still kind of soft from yesterday, and I knew it was going to be gettable. There was no pressure on me to try and hold the lead or anything. I was just trying to catch up.”

The victory also saved Nate a long drive north. He was scheduled to play in a U.S. Amateur qualifier Wednesday morning at Dacotah Ridge Golf Club in Morton, Minn., west of the Twin Cities. But this is the first year the sponsoring United States Golf Association has granted a U.S. Amateur exemption to all state amateur champions.

So Nate will be teeing it up at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn., starting August 12.

“I was dreading that drive,” he said of the trip he gladly skipped. “Such a relief. Now I get to go home to my family with the trophy.”

Tuesday’s victory also made McCoy the front runner for a fourth consecutive Iowa Golf Association Iowa Amateur of the Year Award. Nate and his dad are the only players to win it three straight times.

The McCoys also became the first father-son tandem to both win multiple Iowa Amateur titles. Nate also won at Crow Valley in Bettendorf in 2022. Mike won six times (1992, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2010, 2015).

Nate had to play catch-up after a 71 on Sunday, five shots behind first-round leader J.D. Anderson. McCoy’s second-round 67 moved him into a tie for fourth, four shots behind leader Jake Weissenburger , two back of Dusty Drenth and one back of Anderson.

“I figured I’d need a 7-under round to have a chance,” McCoy said, who ran off four straight birdies starting at No. 5, only to have a bogey at No. 9 slow his charge.

Drenth (left), playing in the day’s final pairing, made a serious move to the top of the leaderboard. He also shot a front-nine 33 and added a birdie at the 11th to jump to 12 under par. McCoy, a pairing in front of Drenth, went to the par-4 12th hole, a 392-yard dogleg left, at 9 under par.

Everything changed with one swing of McCoy’s pitching wedge. He holed it from 113 yards out for eagle. It was an uphill shot, so no one immediately knew it went it. But Mike had an inkling.

“He thought it was in right away,” Nate said. “I was thinking, “Well, I hope it’s not over. We walked up there and I saw my pitch mark, but not the ball. My heart jumped a little bit. I thought it was probably over.”

But Olson, one of his playing partners, looked in the hole and smiled.

“He came over and gave me a fist pump,” Nate said. “That was pretty cool.”

Soon after McCoy hit the green at the par-3 13th hole, and Drenth hit his approach to the 12th green some 40 feet below the hole, sirens sounded and play was suspended because of an approaching storm.

When the championship resumed, 1 hour and 57 minutes later, Drenth lost his momentum.

He 3-putted the 12th for bogey. Uncertain about the speed of the greens after the rain, he left his birdie attempt short and power-lipped his par attempt.

Then at the 13th, his tee shot hit a cart path and found the water, and he made double bogey.

He hit a good shot into the 14th but settled for par. Then he stood and watched from a distance as McCoy eagled the 486-yard par-5 15th.

“And now I’m four down,” said Drenth, who tied for fifth with Chad McCarty after a closing 72. “It wasn’t my time. That’s what I’m going to tell myself. I played great all tournament.”

In 1996, Mike McCoy eagled the 15th when he made a downhill 20-foot eagle putt to get the lead for the first time.

Nate’s drive on that hole found the right rough, but he hit a 6-iron that reached the green, seemed to stop for a moment and then caught the slope that dissects the putting surface and stopped 5 feet above the hole. He made the dicey eagle putt and was on his way to victory.

After a scrambling par from a fairway bunker on the 16th and a bogey at the par-3 17th, Nate hit a perfect drive on the closing dogleg left par-4 hole. When he hit an 8-iron the 8 feet left of the cup, Olson was the first to congratulate him with another fist pump and a pat on the back.

And Mike thought back to 1996.

“This time, I didn’t have to hit a shot,” Mike said. “Nate was playing so well, I didn’t feel too much pressure. It’s pretty neat for him to win here.”

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After an hour rain delay this morning in Iowa City at Finkbine Golf Course, Clive’s Jake Weissenburger (above) kept the putter hot during round two of the 122nd Iowa Amateur.

Weissenburger carded another impressive 67 (-5) and is leading by two. He played the course almost mistake free even with the wet conditions.

“The course had a little softer greens, fairways, and the greens were rolling well considering the overnight rain,” Weissenburger said.

His focus was to play today’s round one shot at a time which helped him to card six birdies.

“I kept the mistakes to a minimum, other than the bad bogey on nine, I played really well and kept it to a shot at a time,” Weissenburger added.

Sitting two shots back in solo second is Dusty Drenth from Davenport. Drenth put together a sparkling bogey-free 66 (-6). He credited his round today to solid play.

“Honestly my game was solid. I made a few mistakes, drove the ball really well, and putted solid. My lag putting along with making the needed putts was there,” Drenth said.

With the heavy early morning rains, officials determined to play lift, clean, and place in the fairways. Drenth knew he could take advantage of that.

“I had to play aggressive today and make sure to hit the fairway so I could clean my ball,” Drenth added.

Going into the final round Drenth knows he has to make some birdies.

“Jake has played really solid today and yesterday and you know he is going to be making birdies tomorrow. So I will continue to play aggressive and make birdies,” Drenth said.

Sitting in solo third is first round leader J.D. Anderson from Johnston. Anderson was unable to capture the spark he had on day one, but still managed another under par round, with a 71 (-1). He sits three shots shy of the lead at -7 for 36 holes.

Going into the final round Anderson knows he has to make up some ground.

“I am going to have to be aggressive, nobody is going to back up and this course has a lot of birdie opportunities,” Anderson said.

Play for the final round will begin starting at 7:30 on #1 and #10 tee.

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Finkbine Golf Course, located in Iowa City, is the host of the 122nd Iowa Amateur and the opening round of play was one for the book…and low scores

J.D. Anderson (above), of Johnston, fired a very impressive 66 (-6) and leads the field. Anderson credited his round to hitting fairways and making putts. 

“I drove the ball really well today and hit fairways, which helped me hit greens,” Anderson said.

Anderson had a bogey free round today and tallied up six birdies.

“I made a couple of 10-15 footers for birdie,” Anderson said. “You have to know where the right spot is to hit the ball on the greens. A 30 footer on the right spot is better than a 10 footer on the wrong spot.”

All carding 67s (-5) is a fierce group of four guys all wanting a piece of the lead. Among the four guys is LeClaire’s own Jack Dumas, West Des Moines’ Tanner Dinnebier, Clive resident Jake Weissenburger, and Bennett Berger from Lake Mills.

Jake Weissenburger has had a summer to remember already. The recent winner of the Des Moines Men’s City tournament contested at Waveland Golf Course, Weissenburger credited today’s round to his putter.

“I putted really well today, made a lot of putts and just kept giving myself looks,” Weissenburger said.

Weissenburger racked up a total of eight birdies on the day, five of which were on the back nine. Headed into tomorrow’s round Weissenburger wants to continue the same game he played today.

“I am going to try not to change anything with the putter and avoid the spots I put myself into that led to bogeys,” Weissenburger also added.

Lake Mills very own Bennett Berger kept his cool which led to five birdies and an eagle on the card today.

“I had some pretty poor shots in there, but I just kept my cool and got it back into position which led to getting it up and down on a couple,” Berger said.

Berger started on the back nine, but capitalized on a couple bad shots on the front nine which led to great things.

“I hit a bad chip on number two and made about an 18-footer for birdie up the hill,” he said. “I felt like that was the putt that kept the round going.”

Round two will continue Monday morning, with tee times starting at 7:30 off holes #1 and #10.

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It was smooth sailing for Coralville’s Charlie Hoyle’s final round as he captured the 121st Iowa Amateur Championship title at Glen Oaks Country Club. At the very least, that’s what it looked like as he rolled in a bomb of a putt on his finishing hole to clench his six-stroke victory in fashion.

Hoyle (pictured above) never checked the leaderboard.

“Looking at the leaderboard won’t change anything,” Hoyle believed.

The Lytham, England native admitted that he had a sense that he had a few strokes of cushion.

“It was really hot, but there weren’t many people out there,” Hoyle confided, smiling. There’s more than one way to get a feel for the standings.

With one bogey on the front and four birdies on the back, Hoyle was never in danger of losing his position. He was propelled by a tournament-low second round (-7) 64 where he birdied #17, the hardest hole on the course, and finished birdie, eagle on #8 and #9. Hoyle finished the tournament at an even (-13) 200.

His biggest focus throughout the day? Staying fed and hydrated. “I couldn’t drink enough water today,” he said. Temperatures in the high 90s and unrelenting humidity that pushed the “feels like” well above 100, created a mental battlefield of its own. Several spectators resorted to finding shelter in the clubhouse due to the heat. There was some added strategy, though. While some players turned to rain gloves, Hoyle’s rotation of four gloves helped him to keep a grip on the club. It pays to be prepared.

After a slow one-over par first nine, a great birdie on #10 kickstarted Hoyle’s round. He pulled his driver into the left fairway bunker. 107 yards to the pin, he stuck it to eight feet, and found his first birdie of the round. More than anything, it was his terrific putting that set him apart from the field.

The biggest threat to Hoyle was, happily for Hoyle, one of his newest additions to the Hawkeye golf team, Cedar Falls’ Maxwell Tjoa. The previous IGA Boys’ Player of the Year and rising Iowa freshman showcased his ability in a leading pack saturated with collegiate golfers. Tjoa, who finished second at (-7) 206, was followed by Cedar Falls’ Owen Sawyer (soon to be Cyclone freshman) in third, Norwalk’s Dennis Bull and Waverly’s Hogan Hansen (rising Hawkeye sophomore) tied for fourth, and Ames’ Zach May (rising Cyclone sophomore) in sixth.

“I wasn’t really watching [the leaderboard],” Tjoa shared after the round, “I was just aiming at pins, really acting like I had nothing to lose.”

A competitive mindset considering that he entered the final round sitting at third place. Regardless, it paid off as four birdies and two bogeys carried him to a (-2) 69 and the runner-up title.

Tjoa entered the tournament with confidence, having played Glen Oaks several times in the past and always performing well. A strong short game and solid iron play were the keys to his success.

“I didn’t miss a lot of greens, and when I did I was able to get up and down,” Tjoa said. “With his go-for-it mentality, he focused on getting every putt to the hole and “giving [himself] a chance.”

It was a good day for the Hawkeyes.

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Nothing was easy at Glen Oaks Country Club in the second round of the 121st Iowa Amateur Championship. A hot and stuffy morning gave way to a cloudy yet breezy afternoon, bringing temperature relief but elevating the challenge.

Overall, scores rose. Only thirteen competitors finished the round under par. As with the first round, Holes 17 and 18 were played the most over par with Hole 5 not far behind. Only eleven players remain below par after the second round.

Despite the difficulty, some competitors still made it look easy. Coralville’s Charlie Hoyle takes the lead with a stellar (-7) 64, outdoing previous leader Owen Sawyer, of Cedar Falls, who fired an impressive (-5) 66. Hoyle stands at -10 and Sawyer stands at -9 heading into the final round.

For Hoyle, understanding greens and ‘where you can miss’ are crucial to succeeding on a new course. This week has been Hoyle’s first time at Glen Oaks, but paying attention to ridges and tiers has helped him to secure birdie positions throughout the first two rounds.

“Making sure you’re on the correct level of those greens,” was a key factor in choosing approach shots and managing the large greens, Hoyle said.

Cedar Falls’ Maxwell Tjoa did his best to stick with the leaders with a (-4) 67. He stands third with -5. Waverly’s Hogan Hansen comes in fourth at -4, followed by Norwalk’s Dennis Bull in fifth at -3.

Hoyle, who is an assistant golf coach at the University of Iowa, doesn’t get the chance to play competitively as often as he used to. He looks forward to a final pairing with Cyclone commit Owen Sawyer. The pair will attempt to fend off Hawkeye sophomore Hogan Hansen and Hawkeye commit Maxwell Tjoa — and several seasoned players close behind — as they battle it out during the final round.

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The first round of the 121st Iowa Amateur Championship was contested at Glen Oaks Country Club on Monday, July 24, just as Iowa’s typical summer heat returned from its mysterious vacation.

A sunny day with a high of 92 degrees only added to the difficulty of the beautiful course. Although the heat prevented the greens from rolling at their typical speed since care was taken to protect the grass in the high temperatures, the greens remained challenging. There was little wind to push balls wayward, yet fescue and penalty areas still saw heavy traffic.

Ankeny’s Jon Olson and Cedar Falls’ Owen Sawyer lead the field at (-4) 67. Sawyer continues his hot streak after winning the amateur division of the Waterloo Open last Sunday. In close pursuit are Coralville’s Charlie Hoyle, Norwalk’s Dennis Bull, and Waverly’s Hogan Hansen with rounds of (-3) 68. Ames’ Zach May comes in at sixth with a (-2) 69.

As expected, holes 17 and 18 played the most over par today, and it wasn’t even close. The penalty-lined holes ate up tee shots left and right, and the sloping greens left little to chance. Par 4 #17 averaged 4.95, and Par 4 #18 averaged 4.80 on the day. And the next hardest hole? The Par 4 #6 at 4.53.

Eighteen players sit at even-par or better on the day. We look forward to two more days of competition as things begin to heat up. Just take a peek at the forecast…

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Nate McCoy’s historic season continued at Crow Valley Golf Club. McCoy (above) was crowned king of the valley after his impressive final round performance to win the 120th Iowa Amateur Championship. McCoy fired an inspiring 68 to break out of the tie and claim the title by seven shots. 

“I went into the tournament today, focused on myself,” McCoy said. “I knew I had to hit fairways and greens and with the wind being as tough as a it was, I just controlled what I had to control.”

Going into the final round, McCoy shared the lead with Nate Vance, a fellow Iowa State Cyclone. Knowing the skills Vance had, McCoy stuck to his game and let his confidence build on a course he could get after. 

“I think this course fit me well,” McCoy said. “I focused on hitting fairways, which after looking back I believe I only missed seven. Having a lot of wedge opportunities led to a lot of birdies looks.” 

McCoy’s race to the finish began with an early birdie on hole two. That birdie lit a fire under the 2021 IGA Player of the Year. Making the turn with a five-shot lead after carding a 33 on his opening nine, McCoy knew he couldn’t let off the gas. 

“I didn’t want to hold back and protect the lead; I wanted to continue to make birdies,” McCoy said. “I assumed the other guys in the field were making a run and I used that to fuel me to keep making pars and birdies.”

And that’s what he did. McCoy tacked on two more birdies on his back nine to seal the deal and claim one of the most prestigious amateur trophies in the nation. 

For the third time this year, McCoy has etched his name on a trophy his father, Mike McCoy, previously claimed.

“It is special,” McCoy said. “I have always known what he has accomplished, and it has always been in the back of my mind. I compare myself to his accomplishments and it is nice to make gradual steps towards what he has done in his career.”

McCoy is now the first player to win the IGA Mid-Amateur Championship, the IGA Match Play Championship and now the Iowa Amateur Championship in a single season.

“I’m not sure if it has set in yet. I didn’t even know that was a record that had to be broken,” McCoy said. “I assumed other people may have done it. I am grateful to be the first. Down the road I hope someone else will do it in the future.”

The 2020 Iowa Amateur Champion, Dennis Bull tied with the 2021 IGA Junior Boys’ Player of the Year, Cale Leonard, for third place at two-under par. Bull and Leonard put together an impressive performance on the course this week. 

After a first round 73, Bull was able to fight back into a tie for fourth place going into the final round. With two birdies and two bogeys, the former champion posted an even par round and finished eight back of McCoy. 

Currently in second place in the 2022 IGA Junior Boys’ Player of the Year Race, Leonard had his name near the top of the leaderboard all week. Posting a first round 69 placed him in a tie for nineth. Following his 69, Leonard carded back-to-back rounds of 71 to earn his highest finish in the Iowa Amateur. 

Samuel Storey takes the fifth-place position at one under par for the week. Storey began his tournament run with back-to-back rounds of 70 and finished with a final round 72 to round out the top-five. 

As the Iowa Golf Association wraps up the Iowa Amateur, the next event on the schedule is the 98th Iowa Women’s Amateur. Starting Monday, July 25, you can follow the competitors as they make their way around Cedar Rapids Country Club.

Championship Division
1. Nate McCoy 67-68-68=203
2. Nate Vance 68-67-75=210
T3. Dennis Bull 73-67-71=211
T3. Cale Leonard 69-71-71=211
5. Samuel Storey 70-70-72=212
6. Kelly Brown 68-73-73=214
T7. Matthew Garside 74-73-68=215
T7. Willis Gaer 69-75-71=215
T9. Dylan Ellis 73-75-68=216
T9. Dusty Drenth 74-69-73=216