Category: Championships

Things move quick at 9th IGA Women’s Match Play Championship, Semifinals set

July 1, 20200 commentsChampionships, Wmn's Match Play

Things moved quick at Talons of Tuscany Golf Club in Ankeny on Wednesday as Round of 16 and quarterfinal matches took place in the 9th IGA Women’s Match Play Championship.

Mason City’s Sydney Eaton, who won this event in 2018, did the ‘quickest’ work on Wednesday as she defeated Carroll Dethrow, of Nevada, 6&5 and then dismantled Indianola’s Kelly Grimes 8&7 in the afternoon. Eaton, the #1 seed, will face Onawa’s Samantha Knight, the #5 seed, in the semifinals, who quickly defeated Ila Gilbert 9&8 and then bested Brooke Newell 1 up to move into Thursday’s semifinal.

The other semifinal match will see Indianola’s Leanne Smith, the defending champion, who defeated Margene Grady (7&5) and Nicki Clayton (2&1), face off against Karli Kerrigan, of Ankeny. Kerrigan took down Jan Sewright in the Round of 16 (5&4) and then battled Jordan Amelon, coming out on top after a marathon 22 hole fight in the afternoon. Smith earned the #2 seed as defending champion and Kerrigan earned the #3 seed following stroke play qualifying.

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Four remain at 32nd IGA Match Play Championship

July 1, 20200 commentsChampionships, IGA Match Play

Four players remain after the third day of action at the 32nd IGA Match Play Championship at Talons of Tuscany Golf Club in Ankeny.

In the George Turner Region, Ankeny local and #16 seed Connor Peck defeated #32 seed Ian Johnston 4 & 3 during the morning’s Round of 16 matches and followed it up with a victory over #8 seed Joe Palmer in 19 holes to secure his place in the semifinals. Peck will face off against #4 seed and 2017 IGA Match Play Champion Tripp Kinney, of Des Moines. Kinney bypassed #13 seed Brock Barnhart and #21 seed David Combs en route to the semifinals.

On the other side of the bracket in the Steve Spray Region, #34 seed Andrew Huseman is set to face off against four-time IGA Champion and #38 seed J.D. Anderson in Thursday’s semifinals. Huseman is hot off of a victory last weekend at the Fort Dodge Amateur and overtook #50 seed Brian Verduyn and #10 seed Anthony Ruthey to claim his spot in Thursday’s semifinal match. Anderson defeated #11 seed Cale Leonard in Wednesday’s Round of 16 match, and then closed out a 1 up victory over #19 seed Ben Epperly to advance to the semifinals.

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9th IGA Women’s Match Play sees mixed bag of results in Round of 32

June 30, 20200 commentsChampionships, Wmn's Match Play

With the top seven seeds earning byes in the the Round of 32 of the 9th IGA Women’s Match Play Championship, a mix bag of results was the story of the day – some close matches and some lopsided victories at Talons of Tuscany Golf Club in Ankeny.

In the category of nail-biters – Carroll Dethrow (2 up), Ila Gilbert (1 up) and Jan Sewright (1 up) all earned wins into the Round of 16 to be played on Wednesday morning. Meanwhile Kelly Grimes (8&6), Kathy Fortune (9&8), Leighann Larocca (5&4), Margene Grady (8&7), Nicki Clayton (9&8) and Rose Kubesheski (9&7) has less stress to deal with in earning their spot in the Round of 16.

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Only 16 remain at 32nd IGA Match Play Championship

June 30, 20200 commentsChampionships, IGA Match Play

Day two of the 32nd IGA Match Play Championship saw the field cut from 64 down to 16 after morning and afternoon matches. Three-time IGA Match Play Champion, Jon Brown, who was the #64 seed into match play, stunned #1 seed and stroke play medalist Dusty Stewart in the morning, winning 6&5. Brown would fall to #32 seed Ian Johnston in the afternoon in a back and forth match. Johnston will meet Conner Peck, the #16 seed Wednesday morning.

2020 Southeast Amateur Champion, Anthony Ruthey continued his fine play, winning convincingly in the morning and afternoon. Ruthey will meet Caleb Peters in the Round of 16 on Wednesday. Peters, the #26 seed knocked off #7 seed Charlie Hoyle in the afternoon to punch his ticket in the Round of 16.

Other Round of 16 matches tomorrow morning at Talons of Tuscany Golf Club in Ankeny include Joe Palmer/Jake Patterson, Tripp Kinney/Brock Barnhart, Timothy Lin/David Combs, Andrew Huseman/Brian Verduyn, Tony Newkirk/Ben Epperly and J.D. Anderson/Cale Leonard.

Click here for a full recap from Tuesday’s matches

Eaton, Kerrigan share medalist honors at 9th IGA Women’s Match Play Championship

June 29, 20200 commentsChampionships, IGA Senior Match Play

Mason City’s Sydney Eaton and Ankeny’s Karli Kerrigan, who both shot 77 (+5), shared medalist honors of the stroke play qualifying round of the 9th IGA Women’s Match Play Championship being contested at Talons of Tuscany Golf Club in Ankeny.

Eaton earned the #1 seed into match play by way of the USGA recommended tie-breaker procedure. Kerrigan will be the #3 seed, as defending champion Leanne Smith, of Indianola, will be the #2 seed.

Eaton, the 2018 IGA Match Play Champion, made a pair of birdies during her round on Monday, while Kerrigan made three. Round of 32 matches will be held Tuesday morning, as Seeds #1-#7 will receive opening round byes and Seeds #8-#32 will face off.

Click here to view tomorrow’s Round of 32 matches

Stewart earns medalist honors at 32nd IGA Match Play Championship

June 29, 20200 commentsChampionships, IGA Match Play

Ottumwa’s Dusty Stewart set the pace during stroke play qualifying for the 32nd IGA Match Play Championship on Monday. Stewart blistered Talons of Tuscany Golf Club, in Ankeny, making six birdies on his way to a round of 67 (-5) in hot and windy conditions.

Defending champion Jon Olson, of Ankeny, posted a fine round himself – turning in a score of 68 (-4) to earn the #2 seed into match play. Truth be told, Olson would have been the #2 seed regardless as defending champion.

With the IGA’s COVID procedure of not holding a playoff and utilizing the USGA recommended tie-breaker procedure the cut into match play came at a score of 78 (+6) with two players, Bo McBee and Jon Brown, earning the final two spots. Brown won the event most recently in 2018 and three times overall.

Click here to view Tuesday’s Round of 64 matches

Huseman repeats at Fort Dodge Amateur; Cook, Yunek win divisions

June 29, 20200 commentsChampionships

Fort Dodge Amateur champions Andrew Huseman (left, Open Division) and Terry Cook (Senior Division) stand together after winning Sunday’s Fort Dodge Am titles. Joel Yunek (not pictured) was the Super Senior champ. (Photo provided by Eric Pratt/Fort Dodge Messenger)

Andrew Huseman’s father, Bill, likes to keep his distance during tense moments while following his son on the golf course.

When Andrew needs either advice or a word of encouragement, though, dad is always just a few steps away — ready and willing.

The 25-year-old Huseman held off Nate McCoy by a single stroke on Sunday to secure his second consecutive Fort Dodge Amateur championship in the Open Division. There were some tense moments down the stretch, and the former Ankeny Centennial standout — the grandson of the late Hall of Fame Fort Dodge Senior High coach and athletic director Dutch Huseman — had to do a little late scoreboard watching with McCoy right on his heels.

Click here to read more from Eric Pratt of the Fort Dodge Messenger

Junior Girls’ 4-State Team announced

June 22, 20200 commentsChampionships

Iowa will be represented by the following players at this year’s 4-State Junior Girls’ Championship, being held at Country Club of Missouri, Columbia, on June 30 – July 2. The 4-State Junior Girls’ Championship is composed of a golf team from Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri. Each team consists of six girls and two coaches from each state. The format of the event is a “Ryder Cup Style” match play (Four-Ball, Foursomes, Singles).

Team Iowa
Britta Snyder, 18, Ames
– Heading to play at Baylor in August
– Finished t-12 at the AJGA Tournament of Champions (November 2019)
– Won the AJGA Randy Wise Junior Open (August 2019)
– Qualified for the 2020 USGA Women’s Four Ball Championship (October 2019)
– Won 2019 IGHSAU 3A State Tournament (May 2019)
– First time participant of Jr. Girls 4-State

Anna Nacos, 17, Washington
– Finished 2nd at Iowa PGA JT Fall Classic (September 2019)
– Finished t-4 at Pepsi Little People’s Golf Championship (July 2019)
– Finished 3rd 2019 IGHSAU 3A State Tournament (May 2019)
– First time participant of Jr. Girls 4-State

Rylee Heryford, 15, Newton
– Won Iowa PGA Junior Tour Mid-Summer Classic (July 2019)
– Won 14-15 age division Iowa Girls’ Junior Amateur (June 2019)
– Finished 3rd at 2019 IGHSAU 4A State Tournament (May 2019)
– First time participant of Jr. Girls 4-State

Anna Jensen, 19, Dubuque
– Heading to play at the University of Northern Iowa in August
– Finished 5th at the 44th Iowa Girls Jr. PGA Championship (June 2019)
– Finished t-3 at AJGA Preview at Meadowbrook (May 2019)
– Finished runner-up at 2019 IGHSAU 3A State Tournament (May 2019)
– Second time participating in Jr. Girls 4-State (2019)

Lauren Sease, 18, Ankeny
– Heading to play at Wartburg in August
– Finished runner-up at Iowa Junior Open (August 2019)
– Finished 4th at Iowa Girls’ Junior Amateur (June 2019)
– Finished 10th at 2019 IGHSAU 4A State Tournament (May 2019)
– First time participant of Jr. Girls 4-State

Ellie Braksiek, 18, Cedar Rapids
– Heading to play at Iowa State in August
– Finished T-18 at 95th Iowa Women’s Amateur (July 2019)
– Finished runner-up at AJGA Preview at Meadowbrook (May 2019)
– Finished 5th at 2019 IGHSAU 3A State Tournament (May 2019)
– First time participant of Jr. Girls 4-State

Great weather, great memories at IGA Father/Son & Parent/Child Championship

June 22, 20200 commentsChampionships, Father-Son / Parent-Child

It was all smiles at this year’s IGA Father/Son & Parent/Child held at Jester Park Golf Course, in Granger.

The pair of John & Tanner Dinnebier didn’t miss a beat on Saturday, winning the overall Father/Son title with their round of 69 (-3). One shot behind was Derek & Terry Hannah, who closed with three birdies on the back nine to finish runner up with their round of 70 (-2).

In the Father/Son – Young Adult Division, the duo of Rocky & A.J. Sposato were crowned champions following their round of 81 (+9). Finishing in a tie for second were the teams of Brad & Benjamin Krohn, and Chad & Henry Baker, who posted rounds of 82 (+10).

In the Parent/Child – Open Division, Rebecca & Troy Delong played steady golf on Saturday, claiming the title with their round of 77 (+5). On their tail was the team of Bo & Bob Anderson, who carded three birdies on the back nine en route to their round of 78 (+6). Nate & Allison Pettitt captured the Parent/Child – Young Adult Division title with their round of 88 (+16).

On the Jester Park GC Par 3 course several champions were also crowned. That list included Ben & Tate Pettitt in the Father/Son – Junior Division 8 & under with a score of 62 (+8), Jeff & Grant Osby in the Father/Son – Junior Division 9 & 10 years old with score of 59 (+5), Erik & Payton Bjorseth in the Parent/Child – Junior Division 8 & under with a score of 74 (+20) and Nick and Maicy Baker were repeat winners in the Parent/Child – Junior Division 9 & 10 years old with a score of 61 (+7).

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Champions crowned in 14-15, 16-18 Division of Iowa Junior, Girls’ Junior Amateur

June 19, 20200 commentsChampionships, Girls' Junior Amateur, Iowa Junior

Hunter Johnson, of Ankeny, rose to the occasion to win the Boys’ 16-18 Division of the 2020 Iowa Junior Amateur Championship, held at Spirit Hollow Golf Club in Burlington.

First-round leader Clayton Phillips held the early lead through 15 holes, and then a few late bogies opened the door for Johnson, who sealed the deal in dramatic fashion with an eagle on the par-5 eighteenth. Johnson posted consistent rounds to the tune of 73-73 for a tally of 146 (+2). Matthew Briggs, of Burlington, was in contention all afternoon, and birdied the last for a two-day total of 75-73-148 (+4) to finish Runner-up. Phillips finished in third with a score of 149 (+5) for the week.

Newton’s Rylee Heryford outlasted the field to secure her victory in the Girls’ 16-18 Division. The day began with a crowded leaderboard, with Paige Hoffman, of West Des Moines, and Allison Nuss, of New Hampton, and Heryford all beginning the day within one stroke of another. Heryford birdied the last, finishing four ahead of the field with a 75-77-152 (+8) total. Hoffman and Nuss played tough, but a few setbacks on the back nine led them to shooting rounds of 81 & 80 respectively, settling into a tie for second at 156 (+12).

The action came down to the final hole in the Boys’ 14-15 Division, with Indianola’s Jackson Overton hanging on to win with a bogey on the eighteenth, finishing with rounds of 81 & 90 for a 36-hole total of 171 (+27). Finishing one behind was Calen Bishop, of Johnston, who posted rounds of 82 and 90 for a total of 172 (+28). Rounding out the podium was Knoxville’s Evan Smith, who finished up with a tally of 177 (+33).

The Girls’ 14-15 Division was a footrace on Thursday morning, with Meghan Delong, of Clear Lake, surviving a strong comeback bid from Katelyn Vaassen, of Dubuque, to win by one stroke. Delong managed to maintain her grip on the lead, posting rounds of 90 & 89 for a two-day total of 179 (+35). Vaassen rallied on Thursday, improving 14 strokes from her opening round, firing a round of 83 for a 36-hole total of 180 (+36). Burlington’s Lauren Briggs finished in third place after posting 89-98 for a tally of 187 (+43).

Click here for full results

See photos below of 16-18, 14-15 Divisions

2020 Iowa Junior Girls’ Champion Meghan Delong in the 14-15 Division.

2020 Iowa Junior Champion Jackson Overton (left) and runner-up Caleb Bishop (right) in the 14-15 Division.

2020 Iowa Girls’ Junior Amateur (16-18 Division) champion was Rylee Heryford. Tied for runner-up were Allison Nuss & Paige Hoffman. Pictured (from left to right) are Hoffman, Nuss and Heryford.

2020 Iowa Junior (16-18 Division) champion Hunter Johnson (right) and runner-up Matthew Briggs (left).

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