The second round of the Iowa Senior Amateur Championship tested players’ grit and resilience as they faced weather conditions contrary to the predicted forecast. Blue skies and sunshine were hard to come by amidst the rainy and cold elements today, but a few players prevailed to surge to the top of the leaderboard.

Navigating the elements and maintaining his lead in the senior division was J.D. Anderson (above) of Johnston. Anderson fired a solid 71 (-1) and was the only senior player under-par today.

“It was tough out there today,” expressed Anderson. “You had to be prepared to hit bad shots and accept what you get and just grind it out. It was really just about surviving.”

After collecting four birdies throughout the round, Anderson stretched his lead to a lofty six strokes and sits at -5 overall. Even with his comfortable position on the leaderboard, his game plan for tomorrow remains the same, “I really just plan to play my game and not look at the leaderboard,” Anderson shared. “The goal is to make pars and take the birdies as they come.”

Following Anderson at +1 overall was Chris Kramer of West Des Moines. Kramer posted a 75 (+3) today after stringing together a collection of pars paired with a lone birdie. Nate Dunn of Cedar Rapids also put himself in contention after firing a 72 (E) today to put him at +3 for the tournament.

A trio of players sit at +4 including Ben Peters of Bettendorf, Brian Rodman of Waukon, and Jon Brown of Adel. Peters rallied with two birdies in his last four holes to put himself in contention, while Brown countered his early bogeys with a few nice birdies on the back nine.

“I made a lot of clutch five, six-footers just to hang in there,” Brown noted. “The rough was really wet and thick so staying out of that was key today.”

In the super senior division, Dave Gaer (right) of Des Moines held onto his lead at +1 after shooting a steady 72 (E) today. Gaer made two bogeys on the day which were quickly canceled out by two clutch birdies.

“I hit a lot of greens today and kept it in the fairway, paired with a lot of close putts. I was really pleased with how I played today,” expressed Gaer. “Heading into tomorrow, the plan is to just play steady golf and hopefully throw a few more birdies up there.”

Joe Ward of Polk City made a nice comeback after shooting 71 (-1) to put him at +3 overall, two behind Gaer. After starting with an early double-bogey, Ward bounced back with four birdies to finish under-par.

“It was fun out there today,” Ward shared with a smile. “I had about an 18-footer on the last (hole) to shoot my age, but unfortunately I missed it. I’m still very pleased with how I played.”

Only 18 holes remain before our senior and super senior champions are crowned. Championship day is sure to be a fun one as players duke it out for the prestigious titles.

Complete Round Two Results

The Iowa Senior Amateur Championship held at Oneota Golf and Country Club in Decorah is officially underway. Amidst gusty winds and treacherous greens, a few players prevailed to find themselves atop the leaderboard after round one of the championship.

Defending champion J.D. Anderson of Johnston (above) navigated the course with ease after firing an impressive 68 (-4) to lead the field. After shooting a steady 35 (-1) on the front nine, Anderson put his foot on the gas going 3-under in his next five holes on the back. Even a lone bogey on hole 16 was remedied by a clutch birdie on the last.

“My wedge game was really solid today,” shared Anderson. “I stuck a few of them to one foot and that helped me a lot out there.”

Following closely behind with a pair of 70’s (-2) was Josh Janeczko and Chris Kramer of West Des Moines. Both players finished strong in the final stretch with Janeczko holing out for eagle on 18 and Kramer birdying three out of his four last holes.

“I was about 230 out and had a hybrid in. I luckily got all of it and had a hot one that chased up the front of the green and went in,” expressed Janeczko with a smile.

“I just kind of hung in there most of the day, and then the last four holes I was able to stick a few close ones in there to make something happen,” shared Kramer.

Chad Bosch of Swisher closed out the under-par crew with a 71 (-1) highlighted by a string of birdies in his final three holes.

Defending super senior champion Dave Gaer (right) of Des Moines returned with a dominating presence after posting a 73 (+1) to lead the division. After a slow start with three bogeys on the front nine, Gaer found his footing and made two birdies on the back nine to secure his spot atop the leaderboard.

“I really just tried to hit a lot of greens and keep it in the fairway,” shared Gaer. “The rough is really thick out there and I was certainly in my fair share of it, but I navigated it well and made some putts.”

Following Gaer’s heels was Steve Kahler of Marion who posted a 74 (+2) after a rollercoaster back nine. With four bogeys, a birdie, and an eagle just on the second nine alone, Kahler proved that his grit was enough to keep him in the mix.

“I was driving it pretty steady today which was crucial for these tight fairways,” mentioned Kahler. “I chipped in for eagle on 15 which really helped with the bogeys.”

With two days left of competition, the championship is still anybody’s game. Blue skies and soft winds over the next few days are sure to be kind to the field as they eye the coveted championship titles.

Complete Round One Results

While the sun has set on day two of the 47th Iowa Senior Amateur championship, the battle to crown a pair of champions has only just begun. With three players atop the Championship Division leaderboard each carding a second round 71 (E) and many in the hunt in the Super Senior Division, today’s final round is set to be a dogfight to the finish. 

In the Championship Division, Joe Palmer of Norwalk, Jon Brown of Adel (above), and Brian Verduyn of Polk City fared the elements to maintain their share of the lead.

Brown highlighted the day with a hole-in-one on the second hole.

“Second hole of the day and the wind’s howling right to left…Went in on the second bounce. Pretty cool,” expressed Brown. 

For the remainder of the field, the road to spotless rounds was far from easy. The players’ biggest adversary? The wind. With gusts up to 25mph, the links-style golf course left a trail of carnage. Triple-bogeys and worse plagued countless scorecards, and birdies became few and far between. 

“It was a two to three club wind out there today,” shared Gary Ellis of Norwalk. “I just had to trust my swing and trust the club and had to take some chances out there with the wind.”

Ellis shared the Championship Division low-round of the day with a 71 (E). 

Also carding a 71 was Ben Peters of Bettendorf. Making a strong comeback after a round one score of 74 (+3), Peters leads the entire field in birdies with a total of six so far. 

“I made quite a few nice putts today. When I’m getting the ball in play I’m able to score, I’m just hoping to get the ball in play more often,” Peters said.

The Super Senior Division was highlighted by Dave Gaer of Des Moines’ low-round of 70 (-1). As the only player with an under-par round today, Gaer made up some ground after an opening round of 76 (+5). 

“I hit 15 greens today which left me a lot of birdie putts. I avoided a lot of the fescue which certainly helps out here,” Gaer noted. “Heading into tomorrow, I’m really just looking to get the ball in the fairway and play smart.”

Jim Butler of Fort Madison shot 75 (+4) in round two which brings his two-day total to 145 (+3) and keeps him at the top of the leaderboard in the Super Senior Division. Following close behind is Gaer (+4) and a trio of golfers, Jim Madsen of Carroll, Tony Malizia of Humboldt, and Paul Wielage of Clive at (+6). 

With impending thunderstorms forecasted for tomorrow’s championship round, the entire field will begin play with an 8:30 a.m., shotgun.

Complete Results

A crowded leaderboard highlights the opening round of the 47th Iowa Senior Amateur at Coldwater Golf Links in Ames, with five players tied for the lead at even-par 72. Sharing the top spot are Jon Brown (pictured above), Brian Verduyn, Joe Palmer (right), Kirk Macumber and Sean Davis.

While scoring opportunities were available, many players found consistency hard to come by—birdies often offset by bogeys or worse. Four competitors sit just one stroke back at 73 (+1), with seven more close behind at 74 (+2), all still in strong contention heading into Monday’s second round.

In the Super Senior Division, Jim Butler turned in a standout performance, carding a 70 (-1) — two strokes better than his age.

“It kind of came out of nowhere,” Butler said after his round.

Tony Malizia trails Butler by just two shots, while four additional players sit tied at 73 (+2), keeping the division wide open.

After Monday’s round, the field will be cut to the low 60 scores and ties, including anyone within 10 shots of the lead. The cut will reflect a ratio of entries between divisions — 35 spots allocated to Seniors and 25 to Super Seniors.

Complete Results

In the end it was enough.

Jon Brown (right), who posted a 217 (+1) total, held on for victory at the 46th Iowa Senior Amateur hosted by Bent Tree Golf Course. With an opening rough 65, Brown admitted that was the difference in Council Bluffs.

“The first day everything went right,” Brown said. “I didn’t make many mistakes the next day (round two), but today, it’s hard playing with the lead. The conditions were really challenging (today). I missed some short putts early and the set the tone.”

After opening with a 39 (+3) on the front nine in the final round, Brown knew he needed to get to work as Joe Palmer and Chris Kramer, who would tie for runner-up when the dust had settled, gave chase.

“I found myself just trying to hang on,” Brown said. “I didn’t look at the leaderboard until the 18th tee. I knew what my group was doing, but not really anyone else. I just tried to do my best. Today was just one bad break after another and nothing was going right. I knew I needed to buckle down. Today with the wind it was tougher to drive the ball. The course felt tighter than the first two days. If you get out of position, with the greens being so fast, you all of sudden you have a downhill chip running away from you.”

Driving the ball and finding the fairways at the links-style layout of Bent Tree GC was the key to success according to Brown.

“I was able to put myself in positions to be aggressive and my speed with the putter was good,” Brown said. “Today, I had 5-6 footers that you had to be careful with or you could have 6-7 feet coming back. It was one of those days (today), it’s a little bit embarrassing shooting 79 to win, but I am thrilled I had a cushion. Chris Kramer played well today and I’ve had some many battles with Joe. I was never comfortable until I hit the 18th green.”

In the Super Senior Division Dave Gaer chased down the lead thanks to a final round 73 (+1) that included four birdies, good enough for a 222 total and a one shot win over Dave Waugh. Gaer commented that Bent Tree GC was a layout that you had to pick you spots of when to be aggressive and when to throttle down.

“This golf course you can’t force it,” Gaer said. “I got off to a good start today, that helped. I hit a lot of greens on the back nine. The wind blew steady all day and this is a good golf course. You have to use all your clubs in the bag. You get so many more chances here if you drive the ball well. It was a lot of fun (this week).

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It’s not always easy.

Many say following up a sensational round of golf on top of playing with the lead, knowing there are plenty of good golfers chasing you, might be two of the toughest hurdles in golf.

Jon Brown (right), who sizzled around Bent Tree Golf Course in the opening round of the 46th Iowa Senior Amateur with 10 birdies, managed only a lone birdie on the card in the second round, grew his lead to seven shots over Joe Palmer and Chris Kramer.

Mission accomplished.

Brown, in a second round that saw him collect 15 pars, will look to add a Iowa Senior Amateur title to his Iowa Golf Hall of Fame resume heading into the final round on Wednesday.

A similar story can be found in the Super Senior Division.

Rob Christensen finds himself ahead by six over a trio of players, following a steady round that also included 15 pars. A late-round bogey and double bogey for Christensen were all that left the Marshalltown golfer even farther out in front looking ahead to the final round.

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Early and often.

Jon Brown wasted little time climbing the leaderboard at the 46th Iowa Senior Amateur hosted by Bent Tree Golf Course, Council Bluffs. Brown, who was off early as one of the first handful of groups of the day, made a total of 10 birdies on the day, good enough for a 65 (-7) round.

Brown needed only 30 strokes on his back nine on Monday morning, including six birdies in those nine holes.

Joe Palmer finds himself chasing Brown after an up and down round of 71 (-1) of his own, while Sean Davis and Terry Cook posted 72s (E).

In the Super Senior Division, Rob Christensen (-1) leads by a pair of strokes over Dave Gaer and Tom Norton.

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Ben Peters (left) joins his father, John, as an Iowa Senior Amateur champion. John won titles in 1998, 2004 and 2007.

Ben Peters survived.

Both the hot conditions as well as the difficult challenge Dubuque Golf & CC offered during the 45th Iowa Senior Amateur. Closing with a pair of 68s, Peters admitted it was the birdies coming home in the opening round after a rocky start that was the key to the week for him.

“It was a rough start for me on the first day,” Peters said. “I settled down with the putter a little bit and ball striking got better each day. It was a fun, hot week. I didn’t expect my second round score (68) to leapfrog me up the leaderboard as much as it did. It was such a difficult day. Those birdies coming in on the first day made the difference.”

Peters, who knew he had to stay patient at Dubuque G&CC, played his final 41 holes of the championship at -7, good for a three shot victory.

“Sometimes good shots here don’t turn out as well as you might think they should,” Peters said. “You have to stay below the hole. It’s a fun, old golf course.”

The heat, reaching into the triple digits at times, was also a hurdle for the field.

“The first day was more of a shock to the system,” Peters said “I was a little more prepared the second day. You knew what you were going to face (with the weather).”

With a two-shot lead heading into the final round over Ron Peterson, Peters knew he wasn’t going to have the luxury of coasting to the finish line.

“It was a back and forth most of the day with Ron,” Peters said. “I was able to make a couple nice putts out there. I knew I was going to need to make a birdie to make sure it went my well and I was able to on 17.”

Peters now joins his father, John, as an Iowa Senior Amateur champion. John won the event a total of three times – in 1998, 2004 and 2007. Peters also becomes the first person not names Elliott, McCoy or Palmer to win the event going back to 2013.

“This is a special for both of us to have out name on the trophy,” Ben said when asked about adding his name to the trophy along this his father.

Ben’s daughter, Maura, added a victory early in the summer at the Iowa Junior Girls’ Amateur, so Ben might of been feeling a little pressure to have a spot for his own trophy at home.

“You never know what is around the corner,” Peters said.

In the Super Senior Division, Tom Norton (right) played steady – posting 71 all three days of the event, with was good for a four shot win over Dave Baer.

“With the heat and these greens are severe enough I was happy with my score,” Norton said.

The coursed was something that looked good to Norton’s eye and he took advantage.

“This course suites me well, it’s tight and not long,” Norton said. “I just tried to keep it in the fairway. I didn’t three putt a bunch. I had the good fortune of making a few birdies the first two days. None today, but I had 17 pars. I never felt stressed today, it got within shot, but I was comfortable making pars.”

Figuring out the tough greens at Dubuque G&CC was also a key for Norton.

“You have to read greens well to have success here. This is my first stroke play victory. I have been second to Gene (Elliott) a few times, which is nothing to hang your head about, but I was happy to get it done.”

Norton admitted he took special precaution with the heat during he week and didn’t show up unprepared for the conditions.

“About 10 years I had a heat stroke, so I have to be careful. I kept an ice cooler with me and stay hydrated enough. The body felt better during the last round (with the weather not being as hot).”

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