Sunnyside Golf and Country Club, located in Waterloo, is where the Iowa Women’s Amateur started, and is this year’s host that marks the 100th playing of the event.

North Liberty’s very own Bella Pettersen (above) took charge in the opening round as she was the only player in the field to shoot under par. Pettersen carded a 71 (-1) and credited the round to her putting.

“I work tremendously hard on my putting and I don’t think I’ve ever seen more putts drop in my life that is for sure,” Pettersen said. 

Pettersen had a total of four birdies on the day and hopes to continue to keep that momentum going into the next two rounds.

“I will continue to focus on what went well and what I need to work on,” Pettersen also added.

Not too far behind in second, University of Iowa women golfer Paula Miranda, who shot a respectable 74 (+2). There is a three way tie for third at 75 (+3) between Ana Nacos, Ainsley Wilson, and Annika Patton.

In the Open Division it is anybody’s tournament. Waterloo’s Kelly Nelson sits at the top of the leaderboard after carding a 78 (+6). Only one shot behind is Amy Weiland shooting a 79 (+7), and there is a two-way tie for third between Geri Huser and Rosalie Kubesheski at 80 (+8).

New to the field this year was an 18-hole Professional Division. The field may have been small but each one of them were glad to have participated in the 100th Women’s Amateur. Taking home the victory was Cedar Falls’ very own Hannah Bermel (right) carding an 81 (+9). Runner-up shooting 83 (+11) was Chelsea Soda, and two shots behind her was Morgan McMillan. Tess Goudy had a smile on her face the whole round and brought it home carding a 97 (+25), good for fourth place overall.

Click here for Round One results

Undecided until the final hole, the 99th Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship at Finkbine Golf Course, Iowa City, was a nail-biter. The leaderboard was in constant flux, with five players exchanging the lead throughout the round. In the end, the Hawkeye sophomore Kaitlyn Hanna (above) had the last laugh, walking away with a home course victory on Iowa golf’s biggest amateur stage.

Hanna fired a final round (-1) 71, tying the lowest round of the tournament, to trump a four-stroke deficit and win by one. Playing in the penultimate pairing, her dad was the one to break the good news to her.

After a great summer working with her coaches, “It was great to cap it off with a win,” Hanna admitted.

Despite live scoring, the Omaha, NE native played her round unaware of her standing in the mix. She focused on her own execution, keeping the ball below the pin and aiming for the center of the green each approach.

It wasn’t easy, however.

Hanna found herself in the rough short-right of the green on her final hole, with only a few yards of firm green to work with. Even among the final pairings there were numerous players who fell victim to that very same rough. With the tournament on the line and spectators watching, an excellent chip left Hanna with a tap-in par and a (+6) 222 total. Her short-game, which she considers her forte, was on full display when it mattered most.

Marshalltown’s Amber Henson entered the final hole tied for the lead, but ended up short-sided in the rough. Being pin-high, she had less green than Hanna had, and was unable to convert the difficult up-and-down. Henson finished runner-up at (+7) 223 after her bogey on Hole 18.

At the day’s break, Cedar Falls’ Hannah Bermel, Ames’ Eden Lohrbach, and Henson led the field. But during the round, Dubuque’s Breanna Felderman showed her strength, playing 1-under through the first thirteen holes and claiming a narrow lead. Yet a disastrous +7 finishing stretch in her final five holes removed her from the conversation. She finished tied fifth with Bettendorf’s Maura Peters at (+13) 229.

Bermel, struggling to close out on the greens, also fell to Finkbine’s final five holes, which she played +6. She finished fourth at (+12) 228. Despite netting just one birdie, Lohrbach managed to squeeze by the tail-end gauntlet 2-over and was rewarded with a third place finish.

Not to miss out on the excitement, the Open Division was up for grabs as well. Dubuque’s Rose Kubesheski finished third at (+32) 248, only one stroke away from Waterloo’s Kelly Nelson and Des Moines’ Tish Boothe (right), who headed to a playoff after carding (+31) 247. Boothe, who had not played a solo event since a local tournament in 2011, won after one hole. Boothe’s dramatic return to the Iowa golf scene sparks anticipation for her next appearance.

The championship was a testament to the difficulty of competing at a high level and the strength of women’s golf in this state. The IGA looks forward to next year’s centennial 100th Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship at Sunnyside Golf and Country Club, the host of the inaugural Women’s Amateur Championship over a century ago.

Click here for full results

Click here to view photo album of 99th Iowa Women’s Amateur

The haze lifted for the second round of the 99th Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship at Finkbine Golf Course on Monday, July 17.

In the Championship Division, Cedar Falls’ Hannah Bermel (above) took the solo lead with a (+2) 74, totaling +3 over the first two days. She’s followed by Ames’ Eden Lohrbach, who fired a (+4) 76 and stands at +5 over the tournament. Marshalltown’s Amber Henson moved into third place with a (+2) 74, totaling +6.

Dubuque’s Breanna Felderman scored the lowest round of the tournament thus far, a (-1) 71, moving her into a tie for fourth place with the at-home Hawkeye, Kaitlyn Hanna. The two players are tied at +7 heading into the third day.

In the Open Division, Des Moines’ Tish Boothe (right) keeps her position on top of the leaderboard at +19, but only holds a one-stroke lead over Waterloo’s Kelly Nelson. Nelson carded a (+8) 80 in her second round to climb into second at +20 on the tournament.

Dubuque’s Rose Kubesheski is not far behind at +23. Stuart’s Janice Schwarzkopf, in fourth at +24, and Jesup’s Michelle Klein and Hiawatha’s Jody Neuhaus, tied for fifth at +25, are within striking distance for the final round.

Bermel and Boothe will attempt to finish wire-to-wire wins, but with the way Finkbine Golf Course has been playing— tough greens and firm conditions — anything can happen during the final round.

In the Cross-Division Team Four-Ball, a net tournament with randomly selected teams mixing up the divisions, a three-way tie for first between the teams of Isabella Steele and Kelly Grimes, Emersen Motl and Jody Neuhaus, and Anna Nacos and Sani Hansen at -15 lead the way.

Round 3 play tees off at 9 a.m., on Tuesday morning.

Follow along with live scoring here

The first round of the 99th Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship played under hazy skies at Finkbine Golf Course. The 88 Championship and Open Division players (55 Championship players and 33 Open players) comprised the largest field in recent history.

Blazing fast speeds and tricky greens made for difficult putting, especially through the afternoon as greens firmed up. The back nine, including the iconic over the water Par 3, Hole 13, proved itself to be the most challenging stretch of the course. However, Par 4 Hole 14 was the most difficult hole of the day, playing 1.38 strokes over par on average. It was the only hole on the course that did not let in a birdie. Instead, it totaled 25 double bogeys, the most by far of any hole during the first round.

The Championship Division is led by Cedar Fall’s Hannah Bermel, Ames’ Eden Lohrbach, and Washington’s Kiki Bruner, all tied at (+3) 75. The Open Division is led by Des Moines’ Tish Boothe at (+4) 76.

Round two play tees off at 9 a.m., on Monday, July 17.

Follow along with live scoring here

The final round of the 98th Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship concluded Wednesday afternoon at Cedar Rapids Country Club. Ruby Chou (right) tapped in for her par on the final hole and joined her sister, Joy Chou, as an Iowa Women’s Amateur Champion.

“I’m super excited to have my name right next to Joy on the trophy now,” Ruby said. “I know we both work hard every day to get to where we want to be, but golf is hard sometimes. I can’t believe I made it, and I can’t wait to show it to Joy and my parents.”

After each round, Joy gave Ruby pep talks over the phone to help keep her stay focused.

“Joy and I talked about what happened and she kept telling me to do my best and don’t think too much on the course,” Ruby said. “She told me to go out there and have fun playing the tournament.”

Joy mentioned to Ruby that she would be busy and wouldn’t be able to make it to the final round, but Ruby still had hope she might.

“She told me she was not going to be there,” Ruby said. “I had feeling that she would show up. I told myself to keep it up so that I could show her that I won the tournament.”

As the flag stick went back into the 18th hole, Ruby looked up to see her sister standing over the green.

Going into the final round, Ruby had a four-shot lead over fellow Iowa State Cyclone, Warda Amira Rawof. After the front nine, Chou was two-over and was holding on to a two-shot lead.

“I was two-over on the front nine, but I knew all of my bogeys were from three-putts,” Ruby said. “I just needed to calm down and play smart.”

After Chou made a double on 12 and a bogey on hole 13, the two teammates were tied.

“On the back nine I made double and then a bogey, which put me in a tie with Warda,” Ruby said. “I told myself it was going to be okay, and I needed to stay positive.”

Positivity was key for Chou. After sticking a wedge from 86 yards out, Chou tapped in her birdie and got back on track.

“After my birdie on 14, I told myself, ‘You got this’ and I finished strong,” Ruby said.

That she did. Chou parred the final four holes to close out the tournament and win by two-shots.

Eden Lohrbach pushed herself back into contention with the lowest final round score. Lohrbach fired a 72 to move back into third place and put the pressure on Rawof and Chou. Lohrbach has now finished inside the top-three in back-to-back Iowa Women’s Amateur Championships.

Amber Henson and Hannah Bermel tied for fourth place with 226, 54-hole tallies. Henson carded the second-lowest round of the day with a 73, and Bermel’s 76 secured a spot inside the top-five.

Rose Kubesheski won the Open Division in dominating fashion, as she earns her third victory of the season. With a final round 73, Kubesheski increased her two-shot lead into a 10-shot win over fellow U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship qualifiers, Michelle Klein and Laura Leszczynski (all pictured above).

Klein and Leszczynski tied for second with 240 tallies. Klein carded rounds of 78 and back-to-back 81’s and Leszczynski kept it consistent with three-straight rounds of 80. It was a strong week for these ladies as they head to the Senior Women’s Amateur Championship in two weeks.

Defending Open Division champion, Kelly Nelson, finished in fourth place with a 249 total. Nelson was two shots ahead of Kelly Grimes who posted the second-lowest final round total with a 75, to round out the top-five.

Next on the Iowa Golf Association’s schedule is the 57th Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at Lake Panorama Golf Course in Panora. Follow to see if Leszczynski will defend her title or will someone else hoist the trophy this year.

Championship Division
1. Ruby Chou +3 71-72-76=219
2. Warda Amira Rawof +5 71-76-74=221
3. Eden Lohrbach +8 72-80-72=224
T4. Hannah Bermel +10 75-75-76=226
T4. Amber Henson +10 72-81-73=226

Open Division
1. Rose Kubesheski +14 76-81-73=230
2. Michelle Klein +24 78-81-81=240
3. Laura Leszczynski +24 80-80-80=240
4. Kelly Nelson +33 82-84-83=249
5. Kelly Grimes +35 88-88-75=251

Ruby Chou (above) broke out of the first-place tie on Tuesday and leads the 98th Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship, held at Cedar Rapids Country Club. The Iowa State Cyclone carded an even round of 72 to give herself a four-shot advantage over fellow Cyclone, Warda Amira Rawof. 

“I made smarter decisions today,” Chou said. “I had quite a few birdies, which is pretty good. There are quite a few holes where I only have nine-irons left, which is pretty easy for me, but I didn’t hit it well, so I am going to keep working on it after today.”

Elite ball-striking is key at a Top-100 course in the nation. Chou has been sticking to hitting fairways and making smart decisions on the greens. 

“Putting the ball in the fairways first is important and having good speed for my putting is important too,” Chou said. “Some of the holes have some greens that have a lot of slope.”

The two Cyclones will be paired together in the final round, as they sit in the top-two positions. Rawof, who posted a 76 Tuesday afternoon, will look to get it going again tomorrow and make a run at her teammate. 

Coming into the clubhouse with the low round of the day, Tatum Depuydt raced up the leaderboard into third place. The 2021 Iowa Junior Girl’s Amateur Champion fired a one-under round of 71 to get back into contention.

Hannah Bermel and the current IGA Junior Girl’s Player of the Year leader, Bella Pettersen, round out the top-five in a tie for fourth place. Pettersen recorded three birdies en route to a 74 on the day. Bermel joins Pettersen with three birdies and posted a 75 to stay in contention.

Three U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship qualifiers are on top in the Open Division after two days. Rose Kubesheski remains the leader by two with Michelle Klein and Laura Leszczynski right behind. 

Kubesheski tied Klein with the second lowest round in the Open Division today. The two competitors were bested by Leszczynski by one shot today after posting an 80 in the second round. 

Kim Fensterman and defending Open Division champion, Kelly Nelson, are tied for fourth place going into the final round. Nelson carded an 84 during her round today, and Fensterman posted 87 for her round two total. 

The final round of the 98th Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship begins Wednesday morning. Follow the live scoring feature to see who will walk away with the Championship Division and Open Division titles.

Championship Division
1. Ruby Chou -1 71-72=143
2. Warda Amira Rawof +3 71-76=147
3. Tatum Depuydt +4 77-71=148
T4. Hannah Bermel +6 75-75=150
T4. Bella Pettersen +6 76-74=150

Open Division
1. Rose Kubesheski +13 76-81=157
2. Michelle Klein +15 78-81=159
3. Laura Leszczynski +16 80-80=160
T4. Kim Fensterman +22 79-87=166|
T4. Kelly Nelson +22 82-84=166

Two teammates lead the way after round one of the 98th Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship. Warda Amira Rawof and Iowa State University teammate, Ruby Chou, carded one-under rounds to begin their title run at the top-notch Cedar Rapids Country Club (shown above). 

Rawof had the recently crowned Western Women’s Amateur Champion, Taglao Jeeravivitaporn, on the bag today as her caddie. The duo teamed up to record three birdies to only two bogeys and will look to break out of the tie with Chou.

Chou knocked in five birdies during her round today. Going into the last five-hole stretch on her front nine, Chou was two-over par and looking up at Rawof on the leaderboard. Chou fought back and went three-under on those holes. 

“After that double, I told myself to calm down because this course has lots of birdie chances that we can get,” Chou said. “Those next five holes to finish my front nine, I didn’t think too much, and I just played them.”

The 2022 IGA Women’s Match Play Champion, Anna Jensen is in a three-way tie with Eden Lohrbach and Amber Henson for third place. The three competitors sit one shot back of Rawof and Chou after even-par rounds. 

Rose Kubesheski continued her dominate play this season after a four-over round of 76 to begin her week in the Open Division. Kubesheski leads by two shots over Jesup’s Michelle Klein, who posted six-over 78. 

Kim Fensterman took third place with a 79 on the day. The Cedar Rapids native is in home field territory and will look to push the leaders all week. The 2021 IGA Senior Women’s Player of the Year, Laura Leszczynski, is not far behind after an eight-over round 80. 

Defending Open Division champion, Kelly Nelson, will head into round two in a tie for fifth place alongside Kim Kieckhaefer. The two competitors carded 10-over rounds of 82 and round out the top-five in the Open Division. 

The second round of the 98th Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship will take place Tuesday morning.

Championship Division
T1. Warda Amira Rawof -1 71
T1. Ruby Chou -1 71
T3. Anna Jensen E 72
T3. Eden Lohrbach E 72
T3. Amber Henson E 72

Open Division
1. Rose Kubesheski +4 76
2. Michelle Klein +6 78
3. Kim Fensterman +7 79
4. Laura Leszczynski +8 80
T5. Kelly Nelson +10 82
T5. Kim Kieckhaefer +10 82

Ames’ Joy Chou (above) did it again at the 97th Iowa Women’s Amateur hosted by Dubuque Golf and Country Club. Chou took control and crushed the field this week. Her margin of victory was nine shots, including a 72 in the final round to propel her into one of her biggest wins this season.

Eden Lohrbach, also of Ames, took hold of second place and had her best round of the week. Lohrbach fired a 75, but Chou’s 10-over total was too much. Lohrbach, a 15-year-old, played solid golf all week long and gave herself a shot at an Iowa Women’s Amateur victory.

Clear Lake’s Emily Snelling finished in third place with rounds of 78-78-76. Snelling recorded back-to-back 38’s during her round. Brooke Newell, of Anita, earned fourth place and Christi Imsland, of Manchester, took fifth place, only one shot apart from each other.

Waterloo’s Kelly Nelson held on to her second-round lead and topped Dubuque’s Rose Kubesheski by four shots in the Open Division. The course played hard this week, but Nelson was able to play her game and close out the win. Nelson carded two 81’s and a 78 in the second round, giving her a 240 total for the week.

Kubesheski finished in second place by two shots over Laura Leszczynski, of St. Mary’s. Kubesheski went four over in her last five finishing holes, but those played as some of the hardest holes this week. Leszczynski had something going early, recording three birdies in her first 10 holes, but bogeys and doubles started to show up on the scorecard.

Rockwell City’s Kathy Fortune and Jesup’s Michelle Klein round out the top five. Fortune finished at a tally of 250 and Klein carded a 251 this week.

It was a good ending to such a great tournament all the way around and Chou will now place her name once again with some of the strongest women golfers in Iowa.

Championship Division
1. Joy Chou 75-73-72-220
2. Eden Lohrbach 77-77-75-229
3. Emily Snelling 78-78-76-232
4. Brooke Newell 80-76-78-234
5. Christi Imsland 80-78-77-235

Open Division
1. Kelly Nelson 81-78-81-240
2. Rosalie Kubesheski 80-82-82-244
3. Laura Leszczynski 85-78-83-246
4. Kathy Fortune 88-82-80-250
5. Michelle Klein 85-83-83-251

After round one at the 97th Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship hosted by Dubuque Golf & Country Club, Hannah Bermel (right), fifth-year senior at the University of Northern Iowa, will head into the second round with a two-shot advantage over the defending champion, Joy Chou. 

Bermel recorded two birdies to go along with her 3-over round of 73 today. Chou, a senior golfer at Iowa State University, posted a five-over round of 75 and recorded two birdies. A costly double on the 10th hole puts Chou at a two-shot disadvantage. 

Coming in third place is Tabitha Schumacher, who is new face to the IGA this season. Schumacher carded a 76 and is only three shots behind after she birdied her last hole of the day. Fourth place is the 15-year-old, Eden Lohrbach of Ames. Lohrbach fired a seven-over round of 77 and is only four shots back of Bermel.

Rosalie Kubesheski, of Dubuque, sits at the top of the Open Division leaderboard heading into round two. The 2020 Senior Women’s Player of the Year has a one-shot lead over Kelly Nelson, of Waterloo. Kubesheski carded a 10-over round of 80 and will look to improve her one-shot lead in tomorrow’s round. 

You can follow the live leaderboard by clicking this link. Stay up to date with the latest Iowa Golf Association information by following us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Championship Division
1. Hannah Bermel +3 – 73
2. Joy Chou +5 – 75
3. Tabitha Schumacher +6 – 76
4. Eden Lohrbach +7 – 77
5. Emily Snelling +8 – 78

Open Division
1. Rosalie Kubesheski +10 – 80
2. Kelly Nelson +11 – 81
3. Kim Fensterman +14 – 84
T5. Michelle Klein +15 – 85
T5. Amy Olberding +15 – 85
T5. Janece Schwartzkopf +15 – 85
T5. Laura Leszczynski +15 – 85