Category: Championships

Buerman wins IGA Women’s Mid-Am Series Event #1

June 8, 20200 commentsChampionships

For the second consecutive year, Julie Buerman (above left) started out her season with a victory. The Cedar Rapids resident successfully defended her title at the IGA Women’s Mid-Am Series Event #1 with a final score of 54 points. The stableford scoring event was played at Irv Warren Golf Course in Waterloo and featured 34 players from around the state.

Buerman’s round featured two birdies, worth four points each, to counterbalance two bogeys. She played flawless on the final nine holes, as she recorded eight pars and a lone birdie coming on the par 4 11th hole.

Rose Kubesheski, of Dubuque, and Janece Schwartzkopf, of Stuart, tied for second with 48 points each. Kelly Nelson, of Waterloo, and Kathy Fortune, of Rockwell City, rounded out the top-five as they tied for fourth with 46 points each.

In the net division, Janece Schwartzkopf (above right) captured first place with 59 points to finish four points ahead of Buermann, while Kathy Fortune finished in third place with 53 total points. Noreen Christians, of Urbandale, Sharon Delgado, of Urbandale, Soni Hansen, of Grimes, and Janis Owens, of Creston, finished in a four-way tie for fourth place at 52 points.

Click here for full results

Palmer wins fourth Senior Match Play, Gorbell captures Super Senior crown

May 31, 20200 commentsChampionships, IGA Senior Match Play
Richard Gorbell (left) and Joe Palmer took home the big honors at the Senior Match Play at Veenker on Saturday

MAY 30, 2020 – Joe Palmer, of West Des Moines, won his fourth IGA Senior Match Play Championship on Saturday afternoon after a 3 & 2 defeat of Tom Schill, of Gowrie, in the final match at Veenker Memorial Golf Course in Ames. Palmer joins Gene Elliott as the only four-time champions of the event.

Richard Gorbell, of Cedar Falls, won his first IGA Super-Senior championship when he defeated defending champion Steve Kahler, of Marion, in 19 holes.  Gorbell did it with a birdie on the first extra hole.

Palmer and Schill’s championship match got off to a fast start – fast as in time and not necessarily quality of golf. The two played the first 8 holes in 60 minutes before being slowed by some public groups of golfers on 9. Palmer had managed to secure a 1 up lead thru those fast first eight holes. 

“We were going too fast and I think our golf kind of suffered”, said Schill. 

When forced to take a bit of extra time is when Palmer took control. He won that 9th hole to go 2 up, then won 10 and 11 as well. His tee shot on the tough uphill par-3 11th was a thing of beauty. Palmer landed it just past the hole and it ran out to the back of edge of the green. That’s where the natural slope of the green took over and the ball slowly trickled back toward the hole, settling about 4 feet away for a birdie. 

Schill tried to swing the momentum with wins at 12 and 14, but another beautiful iron shot on the par-3 13th by Palmer threw a speed bump in the middle of Schill’s comeback plan. The back and forth across holes 11 thru 14 left Palmer at 3 up heading to the 15th tee. 

The two would tie the 15th after a nifty up and down from Palmer, then tie the 16th, giving Palmer his fourth crown. 

In the Super-Senior championship match defending champion Kahler nearly pulled off the repeat but Gorbell was just a bit too much down the stretch. 

Kahler held a 1 up lead thru 14 holes but Gorbell would birdie the difficult 15th and 16th holes to take a 1 up lead heading into 17. After a tie there the two went to the last where a subpar pitch shot from Gorbell led to Kahler’s par being enough to send it to extra holes. 

The two went to the back 9 for extra holes and it seemed as though Kahler would have the advantage after the tee shots because Gorbell’s ball settled in the right trees.  But a terrific recovery shot left Gorbell with about 50 yards into the hole which he would say later “was basically the same shot I just messed up on 18”. 

He didn’t mess it up this time. He flew his sand wedge to about 10 feet short of the hole, leaving a terrific look at birdie. After Kahler failed on his birdie chip Gorbell stepped up and drained it for the win.

In the President’s Bracket Brian Persson, of Elk Run Heights, defeated Iowa Golf Hall of Fame member Mike McCoy, of Norwalk, 1 up.  Other flight winners included Tim Greteman, of West Des Moines, (First Flight), Greg Kramer, of Urbandale, (Second Flight) and Richard Jones, of Fort Dodge (Third Flight).

Click here to view complete results

IGA Championship Season, Senior Match Play set to go May 28th

May 14, 20200 commentsChampionships

The IGA Rules and Competitions Committee has recently approved moving forward with the IGA Senior Match Play Championship at Veenker Memorial Golf Course on the originally scheduled dates of May 28th thru 30th.  The format of the event will be modified slightly.

The altered format will include no shotgun starts.  All play will be started in tee times off the 1st hole. Stroke Play qualifying will be held on day 1 (May 28th), with matches being played on days 2 and 3 (May 29 & 30).  We will determine brackets (flights) of 16 rather than 32 in order to finish play on the originally scheduled dates. All players will play on day 1 and have a match on the morning of day 2.  All bracket play will be single elimination. 

Many other policies will be in place for the championship, in lieu of the COVID-19 pandemic. The specifics of those are being finalized and will be communicated to all players in days leading up to the championship.

We are excited to host the first event of 2020 and get things moving forward again.  If you are considering participating in the Senior Match Play we extended the entry deadline by one day, to Thursday, May 21st.  Click here to sign up.

 

IGA postpones events until May 28th

April 15, 20200 commentsChampionships, IGA Four-Ball, IGA Senior Match Play, Iowa Mid-Am

IGA postpones Mid-Amateur, Women’s Mid-Am series, Four-Ball events

The Classic also postponed

APRIL 15, 2020 – The IGA Executive Committee, upon recommendations from the Rules & Competitions Committee, recently determined to postpone the first three IGA events on the calendar – the Iowa Mid-Amateur Championship, the first Women’s Mid-Amateur Series, and the IGA Four-Ball Championship.  In addition, officials at Elmwood CC have determined to postpone The Classic, the first sanctioned point event of the year.

The IGA Senior Match Play, scheduled for May 28th thru 30th, was discussed but it was determined not to postpone this event at this time.  The committee will meet again on or around May 1st to determine if that event should be postponed.  This essentially means that IGA events have been postponed until May 28th.

The new dates for the postponed events are as follows:

  • Women’s Mid-Amateur Series event #1 (Irv Warren GC, Waterloo) – Sat, June 6th
  • IGA Four-Ball (Whispering Creek GC, Sioux City) – Wed, Thurs, Aug 19-20
  • Iowa Mid-Amateur (Sunnyside CC, Waterloo) – Thurs, Fri, Sept 3-4
  • The Classic (Elmwood CC, Marshalltown) – Sat, Sun, Sept 19-20

We are grateful for these host clubs and courses and their willingness to work with us to establish new dates for these championships.  They are tremendous supporters of our events and they have been wonderful to work with during these unusual times.

Anyone who has already entered any of these events and has determined that the new dates would not work for them will be issued a full refund.  Please email Nate McCoy at [email protected].  If you can still play or are not sure yet if you can still play on the new dates, we ask that you remain in the field until you determine for certain that you cannot play, at which point a full refund will be issued.

For those that have not yet entered, entries are open for all of these events.  We encourage you to get signed up to play at (click here to do so).

Finally, we hope that all of you and your families are doing well and staying healthy.  We very much look forward to seeing everyone on the golf course this summer.

Update on IGA Championships (March 30, 2020)

March 30, 20200 commentsChampionships, News, Uncategorized

March 30, 2020

Dear IGA Members and Iowa golfers,

We hope this email finds you and your families safe and healthy. Like all of you, we are looking forward to things getting back to normal. Hopefully, that is sooner rather than later but the truth is, no one can really say for sure.

Many of you participate in IGA Championships and might be wondering whether we plan to cancel or postpone any events. On Friday, our Board of Directors met and discussed this, in consultation with recommendations from our Rules & Competitions Committees.

It was determined not to postpone any of our championships at this time. We do have a plan in place, should we need it, to postpone events until June 1st. We will make a decision whether to go forward with that plan – or any variations thereof – around mid-April. Our first championship is the Iowa Mid-Amateur slated for May 8-9 at Sunnyside CC in Waterloo. (link to entire schedule) Should that happen, we will notify our membership via email, website notices and social media posts. We have established potential new dates with our host clubs for all events in May (Mid-Amateur, Women’s Mid-Am Series, Four-Ball, Senior Match Play), meaning none would be canceled.

As time passes if it looks like we won’t be able to hold any championships until later than June 1, we would have to make decisions on what events to cancel and which ones to postpone. At that point, there would not be enough space on the calendar to hold everything in that tight of a window. Obviously, the further that “go-date’ gets pushed back, the more events will be subject to cancellation. We hope it doesn’t come to that but we will have plans in place nevertheless.

If an event is postponed and a current entrant cannot play on the new dates, we will refund that entry fee in full. If an event is canceled, all entrants will be refunded their entry fees in full.

If you have any questions please reach us at [email protected] or call our office at 515.207.1062. We are (mostly) working from our homes at this time, but there is one person in to cover the office during our normal hours.

Finally, we encourage all of you to follow the best practices recommended by the WHO and CDC in all your daily activities, whether that includes playing golf or not. Courses have implemented strict restrictions on social distancing and you should strictly adhere to those. Stay at least 6 feet away from your playing partners at all times, including the tee boxes and greens. Try to walk rather than ride, but if that isn’t possible, do not share a cart (unless it is with someone from your own household). Remember, it’s just as much about how other people might feel as it is about your own comfort level.

Please be assured that when IGA Championships do take place, we will adhere to the letter and spirit of all guidelines outlined by the experts. We will be committed to ensuring the safety of our players and volunteers at all times.

Take care, everyone.

-IGA Staff and Board of Directors

IGA All-Time Wins Ranking

March 17, 20200 commentsChampionships
From Left: John Jacobs, Mike McCoy, Jon Brown, Gene Elliott, Joe Brown

You can now view a ranking of all the player’s who have won at least two IGA sanctioned point events.

IGA Hall of Fame Committee chair Jon Brown and IGA staff worked throughout the winter to put together this comprehensive ranking.  Mike McCoy leads with 35 total victories.  Gene Elliott is second with 26 and Jon Brown third with 24.  View the complete ranking here.

The IGA Player of the Year award started in 1960.  Based on research, it was clear that five events stood out as the most important prior to 1960 – the Iowa Amateur, Iowa Masters, Northwest Amateur, Iowa Open and Herman Sani Tournament – therefore, for the purposes of the ranking, those events are counted from their inception.  Since 1960, a win was only counted as a point event win if it took place in a year in which the event was recognized as a point event.  For instance, the Tournament of Champions in Atlantic was a recognized point event from 1960 to 1983 then again from 1985 to 1989, therefore the 1984 event and from 1990 onward are not counted.

For events that included both professionals and amateurs, only the overall champion was awarded with a win for the purposes of the rankings.  “Low Amateur” designation was not a win, expect that special circumstances were needed for the Waterloo Open because the Pro Division and the Amateur Division have truly been two separate tournaments throughout the years.  The pros played exclusively on Irv Warren Golf Course and the amateurs playing a mix of South Hills GC, Gardner GC, and Irv Warren GC.  Additionally, for many years, the pros played only 36 holes while the amateurs were playing 54.  Therefore, only the winners of the Amateur Division were considered to have won a Point Event because that is what the IGA recognized.

We are still working to include every player who has won just one IGA point event. We hope to have that done by the end of March.

2019 IGA Annual Awards Banquet Recap and Photos

December 18, 2019Comments Off on 2019 IGA Annual Awards Banquet Recap and PhotosChampionships, News, Uncategorized

The 2019 IGA Annual Awards Banquet took place Friday, December 13th at Echo Valley Country Club in Norwalk.  It was a wonderful night with many deserving honorees in various categories.

See the 2019 IGA Annual Awards Banquet Photo Gallery

 

The following individuals and courses were honored –

PGA Pro of the Year – Aaron Krueger, Wakonda Club

Club Manager of the Year – John Dinnebier, Briarwood Golf Club

9-Hole Superintendent – Kory Brown, Ballard Golf and Country Club

18-Hole Superintendent – Ryan Lux, Echo Valley Country Club

9-Hole Course of the Year – Holstein Country Club

18-Hole Course of the Year – Cedar Rapids Country Club

Phil Josleyn Inspriational Player of the Year – Jim Campbell, Albia

Click here to read more about these Annual Award winners

Player of the Year – Tripp Kinney, Des Moines

Senior Player of the Year – Gene Elliott, West Des Moines

Super Senior Player of the Year – Jim Campbell, Albia

Read more about the Men’s Players of the Year (Kinney, Elliott, Campbell)

Women’s Player of the Year – Amelia Mehmet-Grohn, Ames

Senior Women’s Player of the Year – Kelly Grimes, Indianola

Read more about the Women’s Players of the Year (Mehmet-Grohn, Grimes)

Junior Girls’ Player of the Year – Paige Hoffman, West Des Moines

Junior Boys’ Player of the Year – Matthew Garside, Bettendorf

Read more about the Junior Players of the Year (Garside, Hoffman)

2020 IGA Schedule, USGA Qualifying venues announced

November 22, 20190 commentsChampionships, News, USGA

We are excited to release the 2020 IGA Championship schedule. Many great venues will be featured this year across the state. A link at the bottom of the page will allow you to view the entire schedule, including USGA Qualifiers.

In 2020, the Iowa Amateur makes its return to Davenport Country Club (pictured above), July 27-29. This coming year will mark the sixth time the Iowa Amateur will be held at the club. The last time Davenport Country Club hosted was in 2008 when eventual champion Mike Oimeon of Clear Lake won in a playoff. Since then the golf course underwent a major renovation beginning in 2014.  The goal was to restore the course to its original design as well as uncover some of the hidden features that were once covered up by trees. Davenport Country Club has received national notoriety for being one of the best courses in Iowa according to Golf Digest and currently sites at #159 in the recent GolfWeek list of top 200 Classic Courses.

The Iowa Women’s Amateur will be hosted by Elmwood Country Club in Marshalltown, July 6-8. Elmwood Country Club last hosted the Iowa Women’s Amateur in 2004, when eventual champion Jennie Arsenault won her first of three consecutive Iowa Women’s Amateur titles. Along with hosting the Iowa Women’s Amateur, Elmwood CC has also hosted an Iowa Amateur, IGA Women’s Club Team Championship, Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur and Iowa Mid-Amateur.

Talons of Tuscany in Ankeny, will host the men’s and women’s IGA Match Play Championship, June 29-July 2. Talons of Tuscany, is a privately owned course routed between beautiful rock walled streams and covered bridges.  In recent years the course has been lengthened to more than 6,400 yards making it a formidable but fair test. The opportunity to compete for a championship at this unique venue doesn’t happen every day.

The Herman Sani Tournament, presented by Coppola Enterprises, will be played at Hyperion Field Club in Johnston, August 7-9. The championship features professional and amateur golfers with proceeds from the tournament going to support the IGA Foundation Scholarship Fund.

The 2020 Iowa Senior Amateur will be contested at Crow Valley Golf Club in Davenport. The dates of the championship are Monday-Wednesday, August 24-26. This will mark the first year that the Iowa Senior Amateur will be contested at Crow Valley GC and first year ever that this championship will be played in the Quad Cities.

The Iowa Wife-Husband Championship will return to Sunnyside Country Club in Waterloo. The championship is set for Sept. 18-20. The tournament will remain a 3-day format in which couples choose to play their two rounds on Friday & Saturday, Friday & Sunday or Saturday & Sunday.

In addition to those championships already listed, the IGA will conduct events at the following venues – Sunnyside CC (Iowa Mid-Amateur), Whispering Creek GC (IGA Four-Ball), Veenker Memorial GC (IGA Senior Match Play), Urbandale G&CC (Iowa Forever 39 Match Play), Jester Park GC in Granger (Father/Son, Parent/Child), Spirit Hollow GC (Iowa Junior & Girls’ Junior Amateur), Carroll CC (Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur), Jones GC (IGA Women’s Four-Ball), Elmcrest CC (Women’s Club Team) and Hyperion FC (IGA Club Team).

IGA Women’s Mid-Am Series events and IGA Member Play Days will be scheduled and announced at a later time.

The IGA will also conduct and administer several USGA Qualifiers throughout the state in 2020. Those are as follows:

  • Beaver Hills Country Club, Cedar Falls – U.S. Open Local Qualifying
  • Coldwater Golf Links, Ames –  S. Senior Open Qualifier
  • Finkbine Golf Course, Iowa City – U.S. Junior Amateur Qualifying
  • Lake Panorama National Golf Course, Panora – U.S. Amateur Qualifying
  • Lake Panorama National Golf Course, Panora – U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifying
  • Wakonda Club, Des Moines – U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Qualifying
  • Otter Creek Golf Course, Ankeny – U.S. Mid-Amateur
  • Firethorn Country Club, Lincoln, Nebraska (Nebraska Golf Assoc.) – U.S. Four-Ball Qualifying.

Entries to all IGA Championships and Member Play Days (TBD) will be available on March 3, 2020. Entries will be available for USGA Championships at a later date, which will be determined by the USGA and announced on their website.

Click here to view the entire schedule, including USGA Qualifiers 

Rain washes out singles matches, Iowa Section PGA retains cup

September 27, 20190 commentsChampionships, Iowa Cup Matches

Due to heavy rain Friday morning’s Singles Matches of the Iowa Cup were canceled. With the score knotted at 10-10 after yesterday’s Four-Ball and Foursome play, as winners of last year’s event the Iowa PGA Section retains the Iowa Cup. This is the fourth year in a row the ‘Pros’ have won the Iowa Cup.

Click here for full results from play at Crow Valley Golf Club

52nd Iowa Cup Matches tied going into singles

September 26, 20190 commentsChampionships, Iowa Cup Matches

After morning Four-Ball and afternoon Foursome play the 52nd Iowa Cup Matches, between the Iowa Golf Association and Iowa Section PGA, are deadlocked at 10 points a piece.

A trio of players for the IGA side were part of two winning points, including Jay Thornbrugh, Ben Epperly and Dusty Drenth. Brian Johnson, Chris Black, Jeff Schmid and James Henry were all part of wins in both the morning and afternoon for the Iowa Section PGA.

Singles matches will be contested in the morning at Davenport’s Crow Valley Golf Club with pairings being posted online soon.

Click here for a full recap of today’s action.

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