The Iowa Golf Hall of Famer added another one to his resume. Norwalk’s Mike McCoy (above right) finished off the 43rd Iowa Senior Amateur Championship to win by a grand total of five shots over Curtis Holck, of Ankeny and a fellow Iowa Golf Hall of Famer, Gene Elliott, of West Des Moines.

“We have a great field, I knew with Gene, Jon, Joe and Curtis and all these good players, I was going to have to play well (to win),” McCoy said. “It was definitely one that I wanted to win, being my first Iowa Senior Am (I’ve played in). I usually had a conflict this week in the past.”

The Preserve Golf Course on Rathbun Lake played difficult during the last two rounds. The wind started to kick up and made many players rethink their shots. McCoy, who didn’t play a practice round, took it slow and played it safe at the beginning.

“I played a little defensively, but I stayed patient,” McCoy said. “I felt a little freer yesterday and got off to a good start today and I was just going to keep playing aggressively. I only made one bogey the whole tournament, so I was pretty pleased with that.”

During the week, McCoy (left) recorded 12 birdies and one lone bogey in the first round. To maneuver your way around this golf course and with only one bogey is an outstanding achievement. Now to add to the already impressive resume, McCoy will take this win and confidence into the U.S. Senior Amateur.

Holck and Elliott, who finished in a tie for second place, played good golf all week long. Elliott was the leader after round one, shooting a four-under 68, but did not break 70 in his last two rounds. Holck fired back-to-back rounds of 71 to begin his tournament and followed them up with a 68 in the final round today.

A four-way tie to round out the top-five between Joe Palmer, Tim McKnight and another Iowa Golf Hall of Famer, Jon Brown. All three competitors finished the week at four-under-par with a 212 tally. McKnight was tied for first with Elliott after the first round, but as the conditions grew more difficult, the scores started to climb.

Palmer recorded rounds of 70, 72 and a 70 in the final round. Palmer was making noise all week, recording 11 birdies, but bogeys continued to pop up on his card. Brown was in second place after the first two rounds, but a double in each round hurt his chances at a first Senior Amateur. Brown made the most birdies out of any player this week (14) and even threw in an eagle during his second round.

In the Super Senior Division, Robert Pomerantz (above left) came back after being down two shots and defeated Rob Christensen. The course played tough, and the weather conditions did not help the players this week Pomerantz commented.

“Never having played the golf course until last Thursday when I came down here for a practice round,” Pomerantz said. “We had tornados, hail and rain during my practice round, but I got a look at the holes and what have you and obviously you want to stay out of the heathers. I did a good job, I only hit it in there one time and was able to find it and take an unplayable and proceed to not make a double bogey.”

Rob Pomerantz (right) hold the new permanent Super Senior Amateur trophy provided by a generous donation by Rob Christensen (left), in which the trophy is now named after.

Pomerantz (right) posted a two-over 74 in his first round but turned it up a notch and had back-to-back under-par rounds of 71 to finish off the tournament. Pomerantz made many birdies, but a cold putter would not end his chance this week.

“This is the first tournament that I have won, and I have won a few, that I haven’t putted well,” Pomerantz said. “I putted very poorly this tournament and I gave away untold shots on the green and I made two bogeys on par-five where you can toss the ball closer.”

Heading into the last three holes, Pomerantz was tied with Christensen. He knew he had to make something happen and ended the final three hole stretch at two-under-par with birdies on holes 16 and 17.

“I felt good coming off the golf course yesterday, score wise, and I said try not to mess up,” Pomerantz said. “I did early, but I got it back and then I was pretty good for a long stretch of holes. Playing in competition is so much different than just playing with your friends.”

Christensen may have finished in second place, but he had a great week of golf. Christensen carded two rounds of 75 and fired a 68 in the second round of the tournament, giving him a two-shot lead. A rough stretch of holes early for Christensen was the downfall for his round today. After a 40 on the front nine, Christensen was able to fight back and shot one-under on his back, but it was not enough to earn the victory.

Rick Gorbell, of Cedar Falls, and Jim Butler, of Fort Madison took third place at four-over par. The two finished with a 220 tally and stayed in contention all week long. Butler was the first-round leader, but as the wind picked up in the second round, bogeys started appearing on his card. Joe Ward rounds out the top-five coming in the fifth place position with a 221 tally.

The next Iowa Golf Association event on the schedule is the IGA Women’s Mid-Am Series Event #3 at A.H. Blank Golf Course in Des Moines.

Senior Division
1. Mike McCoy 70-67-68-205
T2. Curtis Holck 71-71-68-210
T2. Gene Elliott 68-72-70-210
T4. Joe Palmer 70-72-70-212
T4. Jon Brown 72-67-73-212
T4. Tim McKnight 68-71-73-212

Super Senior Division
1. Rob Pomerantz 74-71-71-216
2. Rob Christensen 75-68-75-218
T3. Rick Gorbell 74-74-72-220
T3. Jim Butler 69-78-73-220
5. Joe Ward 72-73-76-221

Our second-round leader at the 43rd Iowa Senior Amateur Championship is Iowa Golf Hall of Famer, Mike McCoy (above) of Norwalk. The conditions were tough for everyone, but the players seemed to be on point. In today’s windy round, McCoy put together a low round of 67, and managed to make five birdies. Out of 36 holes, McCoy has only recorded one bogey.

After a slow start to yesterday’s round, McCoy been seven-under in his last 28 holes at The Preserve on Lake Rathbun. McCoy, who leads the IGA in total career wins (35) has never held the Senior Amateur trophy. Tomorrow could be the day he takes the trophy home with him.

Iowa Golf Hall of Famer, Jon Brown of Adel, is tied for second place alongside Indianola’s, Tim McKnight. Both McCoy and Brown fired rounds of 67 today and Brown is only two shots back. Neither Brown nor McCoy have won this event and doing so would just add to their already impressive resumes.

McKnight was tied for the lead after yesterday’s round, but three bogeys in the middle of today’s round slowed him up. A confidence booster of back-to-back birdies at the end of his round today should fire him up going into tomorrow’s round.

A man who has won this championship five times sits alone in fourth place. Gene Elliott, of Norwalk, was tied with McKnight for the lead after today’s round, but the wind played a factor for both players. Elliott had a rough patch in the beginning of his round, but a two-under back nine helped get his round back to even figures. Elliott knows what it takes to win this event, even if he is down three shots.

In the Super Senior Division, the leaderboard is shuffled, and Marshalltown’s Rob Christensen currently leads at one-under through 36 holes. Christensen was able to find success in today’s round, recording three birdies and an eagle on the final hole of the day. A round of 68 pushed Christensen into first place with a two-shot lead heading into the final round tomorrow.

Not far off the lead is Joe Ward, of Polk City, and Robert Pomerantz, of Des Moines. Ward and Pomerantz are tied for second place at one-over-par and are two shots back. Ward posted a 73 in today’s round and had two bogeys on his final holes. Pomerantz recorded four birdies today, but three bogeys set him back to one-under on the day.

In fourth place is Pete Kelly, of Marshalltown, who shot a 75 today. Kelly’s first round 71 put him in second place, but a 39 on the back nine today pushing him back. Not out of the race by any means, Kelly will still have some work to do to pick up three shots on Christensen.

Tied for fifth place is our overnight leader, Jim Butler and the current leader in Super Senior Player of the Year, Pat Ryan. Butler fired a 69 in the first round but made too many early mistakes today and carded a 78. Ryan started quick with two straight birdies, but those would be his final birdies of his round today. Both players. Are four shots back and will have to come out strong in the final round tomorrow.

You can follow the Seniors and the Super Seniors as they push for the 43rd Iowa Senior Amateur Championship title. Click this link to view the live leaderboard!

Senior Division
1. Mike McCoy 70-67-137
T2. Jon Brown 72-67-139
T2. Tim McKnight 68-71-139
4. Gene Elliott 68-72-140
T5. Curtis Holck 71-71-142
T5. Joe Palmer 70-72-142

Super Senior Division
1. Rob Christensen 75-68-143
T2. Joe Ward 72-73-145
T2. Robert Pomerantz. 74-71-145
4. Pete Kelly 71-75-146
T5. Jim Butler 69-78-147
T5. Pat Ryan 72-75-147

Two rounds of 68 lead the first round at the 43rd Iowa Senior Amateur at The Preserve Golf Course on Rathbun Lake. Gene Elliott, of West Des Moines and Tim McKnight, of Indianola are the leaders heading into the second round.

Elliott was the first to post 68 and finished with a bogey-free scorecard. The key to success for Elliott was birdies on the par-fives. He played the par-fives at four-under par and missed his chance to birdie all of them with a putt on hole 18.

McKnight played his first nine at one-under par but stepped on the gas once he turned to the back-nine. Birdies on 11, 14 and 17 pushed McKnight into a tie with the Iowa Golf Hall of Famer and the two competitors will tee it up together in tomorrow’s second round.

In third place after day one is Tom Christensen, of Waterloo. Christensen posted a three-under round of 69 and sits one shot behind the leaders. Norwalk’s Mike McCoy and Joe Palmer will play together tomorrow after posting two-under ton Thursday afternoon.

Fort Madison’s, Jim Butler holds a two-shot lead heading into the second round of the Super Senior Division. The 69-year-old posted a round equal to his age today and recorded five birdies. Butler got off to a quick start with three birdies in his first four holes. An even 36 on his back nine kept him from running away with the tournament early.

Tied for second place is Dan Dalziel, of Cedar Rapids, and Pete Kelly, of Marshalltown. The two fired rounds of 71 and will play alongside Butler in tomorrow’s round. Dalziel was two-over through his first six holes but continued to fight and ended his round in red-figures. Kelly started making birdies quick after three in his first six holes, but three bogeys on the back-nine set him back two shots.

A four-way tie for fourth place round out the top-five between Sam Aossey, of Cedar Rapids, Marshalltown’s Pat Ryan, Polk City’s Joe Ward and Bruce Neeley, of Independence. All four competitors carded rounds of 72 and sit three-shots back.

ACE ALERT – Lineville’s Jay Gregory (above) recorded a hole-in-one today on #13.

Senior Division
T1. Gene Elliott -4 68
T1. Tim McKnight -4 68
3. Tom Christensen -3 69
T4. Mike McCoy -2 70
T4. Joe Palmer -2 70

Super Senior Division
1. Jim Butler -3 69
T2. Dan Dalziel -1 71
T2. Pete Kelly -1 71
T4. Sam Aossey E 70
T4. Pat Ryan E 70
T4. Joe Ward E 70
T4. Bruce Neeley E 70