Category: Championships

May wins weather-shortened Fort Dodge Amateur

June 26, 20230 commentsChampionships, News

May, Davis, Brooks crowned in Sunday-only format after rain washes out opening round

Zach May (right) made the choice to stay in Iowa this summer instead of returning to his home country of New Zealand.For the soon-to-be Iowa State University sophomore golfer, that decision paid off in a big way here Sunday, as May was crowned the open division winner of the 75th annual Fort Dodge Amateur.

Thanks to a 33 on the front-nine at the Fort Dodge Country Club, May finished at 2-under to hold off a handful of the top amateurs in the state — including Zac Jenkins and Nate Juffer, who tied for second at even par.

Sean Davis repeated as the Senior Division winner with a 1-over 72, while Bob Brooks was crowned the Super Senior winner with a 1-under 70 round.

Click here to read more from coverage by the Fort Dodge Messenger

Blomme, Peters take home 2023 Iowa Junior Amateur titles

June 22, 20230 commentsGirls' Junior Amateur, Iowa Junior

Bettendorf’s Maura Peters (above right) and Bettendorf’s Ethan Blomme (above left) took home the titles at the Iowa Junior Amateur  Championship contested at Pheasant Ridge Golf Course in Cedar Falls.

Peters (left), a future University of Iowa Hawkeye golfer, led the girl’s field from start to finish, carding rounds of 73-72-72 to total (+1) 217 and win by five strokes.

“I knew I had a little bit of wiggle room but at the same time I wanted to make sure I was still performing as well as I could,” Peters said. “I definitely think my putting was where I was able to save the most strokes.”

Great lag putting made for a ‘pretty stress-free’ round and Peters was able to keep the momentum rolling with key putts throughout the round.

Ames’ Eden Lohrbach finished runner-up in the girls’ division with (+6) 222, followed by Sumner’s Chloe Bolte with (+10) 226. Bolte’s even third-round 72 was key to moving up the leaderboard.

On the boy’s side, Blomme (right), who recently qualified for the USGA U.S. Junior Amateur, overcame a one-stroke deficit in his final round to win by two. With three under-par rounds of 69-67-69, Blomme finished at (-11) 205 despite back spasms which flared up on his final day.

Two Advils allowed Blomme to stay ‘in attack mode’. Blomme explained,

“Especially around the greens, I was just dying every single putt in the hole. Just no mistakes, no three putts,” he said.

A strong iron showing gave Blomme multiple tap-in birdies during his final round, helping him to secure his win.

Ankeny’s Drew Hensen finished second in the boys’ tournament with (-9) 207, followed by Gilman’s Cody Weaver at (-7) 209.

Did you know?
A lot of factors play into a round of golf, and not all of them have to do with hitting the ball. Peters is a strong supporter of Target fruit snacks, while Blomme listens to Drake and Stevie Wonder before his round to “take a little stress off.”

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Hensen continues to lead Iowa Junior, Peters grabs top spot in Girls’ Junior Amateur

June 20, 20230 commentsChampionships, Girls' Junior Amateur, Iowa Junior

Scores are in from the second round of the Iowa Junior Amateur Championship at Pheasant Ridge Golf Course in Cedar Falls – and there were some good ones being posted.

Ankeny’s Drew Hensen (left) remains the leader of the Boys Division at 9-under. Bettendorf’s Ethan Blomme has taken the second position all for himself at 8-under. Ankeny’s Jacob Eagan follows at 7-under. Ames’ Joey Currans and Gilman’s Cody Weaver are tied for fourth at 3-under apiece.

In the Girls Division, Bettendorf’s Maura Peters (right) keeps her lead at +1 with an even par second round. Ames’ Eden Lohrbach is in pursuit at +5, followed by Marion’s Morgan Rupp at +7. Sumner’s Chloe Bolte has moved into fourth place at +10.

Players have one more round on Wednesday to make their move and take home the Iowa Junior Amateur title. Click here to follow along with live scoring.

Hensen leads Iowa Junior, Peters and Lohrbach share top spot at Girls’ Junior

June 19, 20230 commentsChampionships, Girls' Junior Amateur, Iowa Junior

Scores are in from the opening round of the 2023 Iowa Junior Amateur Championship at Pheasant Ridge Golf Course in Cedar Falls. Ankeny’s Drew Hensen leads the Boys Division with a (-5) 67, but Cedar Rapid’s Caden Postma, Bettendorf’s Ethan Blomme, and Knoxville’s Evan Smith are only two strokes behind with rounds of (-3) 69. A total of 13 players are at par or better, including defending champion Indianola’s Preston Bily who carded a (-2) 70.

In the Iowa Girls’ Junior Amateur, Bettendorf’s Maura Peters leads alongside Ames’ Eden Lohrbach with rounds of (+1) 73. Peters scored three birdies and four bogeys in an up-and-down round, while Lohrbach managed fifteen pars on an uneventful scorecard. Abbie Lindeman, of Grundy Center, and Morgan Rupp, of Marion, are tied for third at (+4) 76.

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Champions crowned at 2023 Father-Son & Parent-Child Championship

June 19, 20230 commentsChampionships, Father-Son / Parent-Child

There’s nothing quite like the Father-Son & Parent-Child tournament, hosted annually at Jester Park Golf Course in Granger. Urbandale’s Bo and Dewell Anderson topped the Father-Son Open Division with a 4-under 68. Luke and Monte Meyer, of Cedar Falls, and John and Tanner Dinnebier, of West Des Moines, tied for second with a pair of (-3) 69s.

Cedar Rapid’s Andy and Grayson Tiedt won the Father-Son Young Adult Division, despite Grayson being only ten years old. The pair fired a (+4) 76. Bo and Elijah Anderson (77) and Jameson and Sean Honts (78) rounded out the top three.

Bettendorf’s Ben and Maura Peters completed a three-peat, winning the Parent-Child Open Division again with a (-2) 70. Allison and Trace McArtor, Geri and Blake Huser, and Taylor and Mike Phillips tied for runner-up with (+3) 75s.

Kylynn and Ryan Bishop, of West Des Moines, won the Parent-Child Young Adult Division, shooting (+22) 94. Gianna and Nicol Jones followed with (+32) 104, and Michael and McKinley Billings finished third with (+42) 114.

Jester Park’s Par-Three Course saw familiar faces leading the Junior Divisions, but also some new ones. In the Father-Son 9 & 10 Division, Ottumwa’s Aaron and Beckham O’Brien won big with (+9) 63. The rest of the division tied, remarkably, at (+17) 71.

From West Des Moines, the Combs’ dominated the Father-Son 8 & Under. Carter and David placed first with (+8) 62, and Emmett and David placed second with (+11) 65.

Huxley’s Pat and Jordin Wynja defended their title in the Parent-Child 9 & 10 Division, carding a (+12) 66.

The Pettitt’s found success in the Parent-Child 8 & Under Division. Ben and Hayden Pettitt, of West Des Moines, won the division with a (+4) 8. Wade and Brooklyn Pettitt, of Waukee, finished runner-up with a (+13) 67.

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Henson / Heryford capture 13th IGA Women’s Four-Ball title

June 16, 20230 commentsChampionships, IGA Women's Four-Ball

The side of Amber Henson, of Marshalltown, and Rylee Heryford, of Newton, (above) claimed victory at the 13th IGA Women’s Four-Ball Championship at Pinnacle Country Club, shooting (-2) 70 on both days to win by one stroke. The side of Erika Holmberg and Maura Peters, both from Bettendorf, and the side of Swisher’s Addison Berg and Cedar Rapid’s Jane Petersen tied for the runner-up position with totals of (-3) 141.

In the Senior Division, the team of Laura Leszczynski and Michelle Klein (right) ran away with the title, totaling a (-4) 142 and a 12-stroke victory over the next lowest team featuring Nicki Miller and Julie Hartman. Kelly Grimes and Sue Harmon rounded out the top of the leaderboard at (+3) 155. Adding to an already fantastic tournament, Harmon recorded her first ever hole-in-one during her final round on the par 3 second hole. A celebration for everyone!

This was the second IGA Championship held at Pinnacle Country Club, in Milan, IL, which is one of thirteen IGA member clubs in Illinois. They last held the IGA Club Team championship in 2010. Erin Strieck, Head PGA Professional at Pinnacle, is also the President of the Iowa PGA Section—and the section’s first ever female president.

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Peck wins 2023 Carroll Amateur by one

June 12, 20230 commentsChampionships

Defending champion Ankeny’s Connor Peck (right) finished victorious at the Carroll Amateur held at Carroll Country Club this past weekend — but it wasn’t easy. Windy conditions kept the leaderboard in constant motion throughout the 36 holes on Sunday, and it took the final hole to decide the order of the top-four finishers.

Peck, John Spellerberg, of Bellington, NE, and Ankeny’s Hunter Johnson, all in the final pairing, began their final hole of the tournament tied at 5-under. While Peck birdied to round out his winning (-6) 207 total, Spellerberg bogeyed and Johnson double-bogeyed to card totals of (-4) 209 and (-3) 210, respectively. Meanwhile, Cedar Fall’s Owen Sawyer, also in the final pairing, slid his way into a runner-up title with a birdie, finishing with (-5) 208. Spellerberg finished in third, Ankeny’s Nate McCoy finished in fourth after an impressive tournament-low 6-under final round, bouncing back with eight birdies from his +5 second eighteen, and Johnson finished in fifth.

While only the Open Division’s Championship Flight played 54 holes, the other divisions were also intense. In the Senior Division, Council Bluffs’ Sean Davis took home the title with a (E) 142, followed by Urbandale’s Ron Peterson (+1), Cedar Fall’s Mike Sawyer (+2), and Ankeny’s Bill Matzdorff (+2). A division-low first round (-2) 69 helped Davis secure his win.

Gowrie’s Tom Schill championed the Super Senior Division, starting the weekend off with a blistering (-6) 65. Des Moines’ Dave Gaer (+3) and West Des Moines’ Bob Brooks (+5), both with IGA wins under their belt this season, finished in second and in third, respectively, both unable to close the gulf between themselves and Schill from the first round.

Open Division flight winners included Des Moines’ Willis Gaer (+4), Solon’s Sam Zoske (+8), Winterset’s Chad Hein and Atlantic’s Jake Olson (tied at +17), and Spencer’s Kaden Miller (+23).

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Watson wins 60th Forever 39 Match Play Championship

June 7, 20230 commentsChampionships, Forever 39 Match Play

From left – Erin Schaffer (First Flight Champion), Fiona Watson (Overall Champion), Kelly Nelson (Second Flight Champion) and Jan Sewright (Third Flight Champion).

Fiona Watson left little doubt in the 60th Women’s Forever 39 Match Play Championship hosted by Echo Valley Country Club in Norwalk.

Watson (right), who earned medalist honors following a 33 (-3), made short work of #8 seed Janece Schwartzkopf in her opening round match of the Championship Flight, winning 4&3. Watson earned her way into the final match with a win over Robin Webb 3&2. Watson met Laura Leszczynski in the finals, who defeated Kelly Grimes (3&2) and Leanne Smith (3&2) in her route to the finals.

In the finals, Watson led from the word go and never looked back after winning two of the first three holes, leading to another 3&2 victory with the help of three birdies in eight holes.

Erin Schaffer defeated Kathy Fortune 2 up to win the First Flight and Kelly Nelson defeated Leighann Larocca 4&2 to take the Second Flight victory. Jan Sewright defeated Cindy Morrison 2 up in the final match of the Third Flight.

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Anderson wins third career Southeast Iowa Amateur title

June 5, 20230 commentsChampionships, News

Johnston’s J.D. Anderson (right) won the neck-to-neck 2023 Southeast Iowa Amateur at The Preserve on Rathbun Lake in Moravia, feeding on a strong first round performance. Anderson withstood a strong challenge by West Des Moines’ Grant Smith, who carded the lowest final round score, to win by one.

Six birdies and only one bogey gave Anderson the solo lead heading into the final round at a 5-under 67. West Des Moines’ Gene Elliot and Minnetonka’s Conor Schubring also made the final pairing with a pair of first-round 68’s, but were unable to match their performance on Sunday.

In the end, the battle was between Anderson and Smith. Smith went on a roll early with four birdies in the first six holes, but ended up 1-over during the rest of his round. Anderson exchanged birdies and bogeys on his scorecard, ultimately finding a birdie on the final hole to clinch the win and avoid a playoff.

In the Senior Division, Tony Newkirk of Des Moines defended his tournament title, winning by one over Norwalk’s Terry Cook. Newkirk and Cook finished the weekend (-6) 138 and (-5) 139, respectively. Bob Brooks, of West Des Moines, continues his domination this season with his third straight win in the Super Senior Division, setting a new Super Senior tournament record with his (-10) 134. Brooks finished seven strokes ahead of runner-up David Studer, of West Des Moines. Defending champion Marshalltown’s Pat Ryan finished third, firing (-1) 143.

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Weissenburger wins 2023 Lake Creek Amateur by one

May 29, 20230 commentsChampionships

From left – Connor Peck (3rd), Jake Weissenburger (1st), Nate McCoy (2nd), and Freddie Bullock (5th) were among the Open Division top finishers at the 45th Lake Creek Amateur at BVU Lake Creek in Storm Lake. Not pictured – Hunter Johnson (4th).

Clive resident Jake Weissenburger pulled off a one stroke win at the Lake Creek Amateur on Sunday, May 28. He finished the tournament with a 7-under 137 to claim the title by one stroke over Ankeny’s Nate McCoy. With six birdies and one eagle, his final round 66 edged out McCoy’s 67.

Firm, fast greens and strong afternoon winds above 15 miles per hour kept conditions challenging. Despite heading into the final day tied with Weissenburger and McCoy for the lead, Ankeny’s Connor Peck finished in third place with a 2-under 142, unable to recover from three bogeys on holes 7, 8, and 9 in the final round.

History repeated itself in the Senior Division. Bret Taylor, of Booneville, defended his title shooting 75 and 67 for a 2-under 142. Taylor again triumphed over Winterset’s Kirk Macumber, who carded a 1-under 143 two-round total. Des Moines’ Tony Newkirk and Ankeny’s Bill Matzdorff tied for third with 146 tournament totals.

West Des Moines’ Bob Brooks realized a commanding lead in the Super Senior Division, winning by six strokes with a 148 two-round total over Carroll’s Jim Madsen, who fired a 154.

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