Category: Championships

Spirit Hollow to Host 2018 Iowa Cup Matches

Amateurs Look to Defeat PGA Professionals in Ryder Cup-style Event

Spirit Hollow, recently selected as the #1 Course You Can Play in Iowa by GolfWeek magazine, will play host to the 2018 Iowa Cup Matches. This tournament features the Top 20 available Iowa Section PGA Professionals against the Top 20 available Iowa Golf Association amateurs.

The tournament, to be played May 2-3, 2018, features Ryder Cup-style events, beginning with Four Ball matches on Wednesday morning. After lunch, players will again hit the links to play Foursome matches featuring alternate shot play. On Thursday morning, the competitors will tee it up for Singles matches to determine who claims the 2018 trophy.

“Last year’s contest ended with the PGA Professionals claiming the trophy, but this year, I’m pulling for the amateurs,” commented Spirit Hollow General Manager Jim Wyffels. “But no matter who wins, I know they will all enjoy our playing conditions, as the course is in the best shape it has ever been.”

“Having worked at Spirit Hollow before becoming the Executive Director of the Iowa Section PGA, I could not be more pleased that we will be playing there,” commented Greg “Mase” Mason. “Their ranking as the #1 course in Iowa is well-deserved.”

The morning matches on Wednesday commence at 9 a.m., with afternoon matches beginning at 1:30 p.m. On Thursday, the singles matches tee times are from 8-9:30 a.m. The public is invited to attend and watch the PGA Pros vs the Iowa Golf Amateurs.

Team IGA
Dusty Drenth
Trent Lindenman
Scot Cook
Ethan Mechling
Gene Elliott
Scott Hart
Brian Allison
Wes Buntenbach
Jeff Collett
Logan Schweinefus
Ron Peterson
John Siela
Bret Taylor
Rob Christensen
Terry Cook
Joe Bates
Tom Norton
Justin Pansegrau
David Combs
Scott Briggs

Team IPGA
Brian Lorenz
Chad Proehl
Sean McCarty
Darin Fisher
Judd Gibb
Chris Black
Tracy Vest
Ryan McClintock
Matt Erger
Jay Giannetto
Jeff Schmid
Clark Smith
Chad Callan
Aaron Krueger
John Bermel
Steve Hutton
Jeff Smith
Monte Meyer
Ben Montgomery
Justin Smool

 

Iowa Amateur adds qualifying with lower fee, reduces field to 132

The Iowa Golf Association has made some changes to it’s flagship event, beginning in 2018.  The Iowa Amateur will hold two qualifiers to identify golfers who will join the exempt players into the final field at the Tournament Club of Iowa.

The payment structure has been adjusted to encourage more players to try to qualify.  Those who enter a qualifying event will pay $85.  The players that make it through qualifying to play in the championship proper will then pay an additional $65 fee ($150 total).  Players who are exempt will enter the championship proper at TCI directly and will pay the full $150 entry fee at the time they enter.

Additionally, the field size at the championship proper at TCI will be reduced from 156 to 132 players.  This was done to to insure adequate pace of play during the championship, allow for more flexibility with weather and also to insure the necessity of the qualifying events.

“In the past, when we would bring 156 players to the championship proper, we would schedule qualifiers and then either cancel because we only had 156 total players enter, or we would have 80-90% of those in the qualifiers making their way through to the championship, which seemed a bit silly,” stated IGA Executive Director Chad Pitts.  “This would cause undue strain on the member courses that had agreed to host when we would cancel a qualifier.  Sometimes, that meant they could have hosted another outing or event on those days.”

“Granted, we may still have to cancel or have a very high qualifying rate even with reducing the field to 132, but the chances of it happening are drastically reduced”, added Pitts.

The qualifying events will take place at Coldwater Golf Links in Ames on July 11 and Amana Colonies GC in Amana on July 13.  The championship proper will be contested at Tournament Club of Iowa in Polk City from July 23-25.  You can find entry information here.

 

IGA adds three Point Events

The Classic at Elmwood, the Joe August Match Play and the Mason City Amateur are now point events.

The Iowa Golf Association Board of Directors recently approved a recommendation of the Rules & Competitions Committee to sanction these new events for the annual Player of the Year races.  They are categorized as an “Additional Sanctioned Point Event”.

The Classic at Elmwood Country Club in Marshalltown is a new event that will be played under the stableford format.  It will be contested during the last weekend in April, making it the kick-off event for annual point races.  Stableford is a format in which golfers play traditional stroke play, but earn points per hole based on their scores with the highest point total being declared the champion.

The Joe August Match Play began in 1948 in Marshalltown, but has been held annually at Ames Golf & Country Club since 1993.  It is a Four-Ball Match Play event in which teams of two play a stroke play qualifying round and are then placed into a bracket based on their qualifying score.  They play match play over the weekend until a champion is declared.  The Joe August Match Play (named after the Iowa Golf Hall of Fame member) will fall into the mid-July weekend where the retired Lake Creek Amateur once was held.

The third event added to the list of sanctioned point events is the Mason City Amateur.  It will be held over Labor Day weekend, making it one of the final opportunities for players to earn points toward the respective Player of the Year races.  The tournament has been played since 1951, moving around a bit on the calendar.  Previously played as a 1-day, 27-hole tournament, now that it is a point event, the event will be staged over two days and 36 holes.  Past champions of the Mason City Amateur include Iowa Golf Hall of Fame members John Jacobs and George Turner, and 2008 Iowa Senior Amateur champion Joel Yunek.

These events are additional to IGA conducted championships and USGA qualifiers, which are also point events for determining the Players of the Year.  This brings the total of “Additional Point Events” to 13.

Entry applications will be available for The Classic at Elmwood on March 1st.  The Joe August and Mason City Amateur entry applications will be available as soon as possible.  You can view information on all Additional Sanctioned Point Events at this site.

2018 IGA Championship, USGA Qualifying schedule announced

A full slate of terrific venues will be featured as part of the 2018 IGA Championship schedule. A link at the bottom of the page will allow you to view the entire schedule, including USGA Qualifiers.

In 2018, the Iowa Amateur will be contested at Tournament Club of Iowa, Polk City, which most recently hosted the 2017 Director’s Cup Matches. While this will mark the first Iowa Amateur held at TCI, they are no stranger to IGA “Majors”, having hosted the IGA Match Play three times (2006, 09, 15) and the Iowa Senior Amateur in 2013.

Tournament Club of Iowa is the only Arnold Palmer Signature Course in the state of Iowa. In 2003, Arnold Palmer and his team created TCI’s beautiful course layout in the 500 acres that cuts through the dramatic bluffs and running ravines between Big Creek Dam and Saylorville Lake. The Iowa Amateur will be held Monday – Wednesday, July 23-25.

The Iowa Women’s Amateur will be played at Burlington’s Spirit Hollow Golf Course (pictured above). Spirit Hollow GC hosted the U.S. Open Local Qualifier last year and last hosted the Iowa Women’s Amateur in 2007.

The terrain at Spirit Hollow is varied and elevation changes abound. Over 15,000 trees line the ample fairways.  Natural streams meandering throughout the course create a water hazard on eleven holes. Course conditioning is top notch with bent grass tees, fairways and greens. The greens are smooth, firm and fast. The Iowa Women’s Amateur will be held Thursday – Saturday, July 19-21.

The Preserve, Moravia, will host the men’s and women’s IGA Match Play Championship on Wednesday – Saturday, June 27-30. The Preserve is designed to suit golfers of every age and skill level, with a perfect blend of great golf and natural landscapes. The 7,000-yard course meanders through scenic prairie and oak savannas, and is Audubon-certified in recognition of its sustainable practices. The Preserve, which opened in 2008 and is part of the state of Iowa’s Honey Creek Resort, most recently hosted the 2015 IGA Four-Ball Championship.

The IGA will return to Burlington Golf Club, site of the 2017 Iowa Senior Amateur, for the 2018 Iowa Mid-Amateur Championship on Friday – Saturday, May 11-12. Burlington Golf Club, which can play up to 6,515 yards, is the oldest continuously operating golf club west of the Mississippi River.

Since 2013 the Herman Sani Tournament presented by Coppola Enterprises has rotated between Echo Valley Country Club and Hyperion Field Club.  2018 marks a return to Hyperion Field Club. The tournament will be held on its traditional dates – Fri-Sun, August 10-12. The championship features professional and amateur golfers with proceeds from the tournament going to the IGA’s Herman Sani Scholarship Fund.

Des Moines Golf & Country Club, now internationally known for hosting the 2017 Solheim Cup, will host the Iowa Senior Amateur Championship from Mon – Wed, Aug 20-22.  The exact course rotation has yet to be finalized at the 36-hole facility (the Solheim Cup rotation used a mix of holes from the North & South courses).  Des Moines Golf last hosted the state’s top senior event in 2010 and it is sure to be a big draw in 2018.

The Iowa Wife-Husband Championship will be held at Lake Panorama National Golf Course in Panora, which hosted in 2016 and 2017. The championship, set for Sept. 14-16, was previously held at Burlington Golf Club (2003-15) and Brooks Golf Course in Okoboji prior to that. 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.

The IGA will administer several USGA Qualifiers in 2018. Glen Oaks Country Club will host U.S. Open Local Qualifying in May, The Harvester Golf Course will host U.S. Senior Open Qualifying on the heels of the Champions Tour’s Principal Charity Classic in early June while Cedar Rapids Country Club will host U.S. Junior Amateur Qualifying in mid-June. Beaver Hills Country Club will host U.S. Amateur Qualifying in early July and Sunnyside Country Club in Waterloo will host U.S. Senior Amateur Qualifying in late July.  The U.S. Mid-Amateur qualifier has yet to be placed but should be announced soon.

In addition to those championships and USGA qualifiers already listed, the IGA will conduct events at the following venues – Spirit Hollow GC (Iowa Cup Matches), Veenker GC in Ames (IGA Four-Ball), Amana Colonies GC (Senior Match Play), Jester Park GC in Granger (Father/Son, Parent/Child), Otter Creek GC (IGA Women’s Four-Ball), Ames G&CC (Women’s Club Team), Sunnyside CC (Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur) and The Ridge GC in Sioux Center (IGA Club Team). The Women’s Forever 39 Match Play site has yet to be confirmed but will be announced soon.

The IGA will also host the Junior Girls’ 4-State in 2018 at Coldwater Golf Links in Ames.  This event features 5-girl teams from four states – Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska – with each state rotating as host each year.

IGA Member Play Days will be scheduled and announced at a later time.

Entries to all IGA Championships and Member Play Days will be available on March 1, 2018.  Entries are 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 2018 IGA Championship & USGA Qualifying Schedule

Des Moines Golf & CC wins IGA Club Team, Prairie Links GC takes Net Division

From left – Ben Herrera, Alex Bair, Luke Miller and Patrick Breitbach.

Conditions were tough at the 12th IGA Club Team Championship at Blue Top Ridge at Riverside.

Des Moines Golf & CC (2) edged their fellow club members by a single shot 218-219. The team of Luke Miller, Ben Herrera, Patrick Breitbach and Alex Bair formed the winning team from DMG. Ottumwa Country Club finished in third place at 219 (+3). In the Gross Division, won my DMG (2), is scored by counting the low three scores of the four on each team.

In the Net Division, Prairie Links Golf Course shot 209 (-7) to win by three over Dyersville Country Club (2). Prairie Links GC’s team consisted of Chris Wagner, Patrick Sexton, Tony Wagner and William Buss. In the Net Division, the three low scores (net) on each hole are counted towards the team total.

Just Pansegrau, of St. Andrews Golf Course, was the low individual with a 69 (-3), including a sizzling 31 on the back nine.

Click here to see a full recap of scoring.

Burkholders win Wife-Husband title by eight shots

Forest City’s Julianna and Reed Burkholder (pictured above) played 36 holes of fantastic golf to win the 57th Iowa Wife-Husband Championship contested at Lake Panorama National Golf Club. The Burkholders posted back-to-back rounds of 69 to win by eight strokes over Jeff and Molly Cleven of Cumming (+2 overall). Chris and Peggy Garrett and Aaron and Julie Stevens tied for third place at 149 (+5)

Following their opening round 69 (-3), which included six birdies, the Burkholders got off to a quick start in round two, going birdie-eagle on the first two holes. From there the couple cruised to their eventual six-shot victory. This marks the first outright victory in the event for the Burkholders as they shared the title in 2015.

In the Super Senior Division, Jeanette and Raymond Fredericksen (pictured above) defeated Char and Steve Maaske on the first hole of a playoff for the title. The Fredericksens posted consistent rounds of 79-80 (+15). Opening co-round leaders, Carroll and John Dethrow finished third at +18.

Click here to see a full recap of scores from the event.

Elliott posts final round 66, wins third Iowa Senior Am title overall

West Des Moines’ Gene Elliott (pictured above) got off to a hot start and never looked in the rear view mirror until late in the day in the final round of the 39th Iowa Senior Amateur. Elliott blistered Burlington Golf Club for a 66 (-6) to win by eight shots over Burlington’s Scott Briggs and Muscatine’s Tom Norton.

“I played very well today,” Elliott said. “I have played nine days in a row (counting rounds at the U.S. Senior Amateur in Minnesota). That’s a lot of golf for me. I am not a guy who does that, but that’s the way things worked out.”

Truth be told, Elliott, after being defeated in the round of 32 on Tuesday at the U.S. Senior Amateur, forgot he was actually still entered in the Iowa Senior Amateur, which began on Wednesday.

“I almost wasn’t here for several different reasons,” Elliott admitted. “I totally forgot it (Iowa Senior Amateur) after I got beat. I was so shellshocked from losing my match. If I would of won that match I wouldn’t of been here. My wife and a good friend John Harris told me to just come down here and get it out your system and forgot about what happened up in Minneapolis. Fortunately things worked out.”

The win marks a second consecutive victory, third overall for Elliott in this event.

“I felt good about my game all day,” Elliott said. “I missed a couple of birdie putts that I thought I made or made good putts on. I got on a roll and felt like I could birdie every hole, which was nice. I didn’t check the leaderboard until the 16th fairway. I saw a good lead and figured just stay upright and I would be ok.”

In the Super Senior Division Marshalltown’s Rob Christensen held off a charging Jim Butler (Ft. Madison) to win. Christensen posted a 73 (+1) in the final round to finish at 220 (+4) for the one stroke victory.

Click here for a recap of scoring

Briggs take lead at 39th Iowa Senior Amateur

A packed leaderboard is what you’ll find at Burlington Golf Club after two rounds of the 39th Iowa Senior Amateur Championship. A total of 5 players are within three or less shots of the lead.

In the lead is Burlington’s Scott Briggs (pictured above) at 143 (-1). Chasing him going into tomorrow’s final round is Gene Elliott (144), John O’Neill (145) Joe Palmer (146), Terry Cook (146) and Tom Norton (146). Briggs and Palmer shared low round of the day with 69 (-3). Briggs’ round included five birdies today, while Palmer made four birdies and an eagle.

It’ll be a race to the finish you could say as Palmer, Elliott and Cook represent the top three in the IGA Senior Men’s Player of the Year race.

In the Super Senior Division a trio of golfers share the lead at 147 (+3). Tied at the top are Jim Butler (Ft. Madison), John Peters (Muscatine) and Rob Christensen (Marshalltown), who will battle for the title in tomorrow’s final round. Ft. Dodge’s Dave Sergeant sits four back of the lead.

Sergeant and Christensen represent 1st and 2nd in the IGA Super Senior Men’s Player of the Year standings.

Click here for a full recap of scoring.

John O’Neill makes his par on #17 during the second round.

Joe Palmer will look to catch Scott Briggs in tomorrow’s final round.

Elliott makes six birdies, leads 39th Iowa Senior Amateur

West Des Moines’ Gene Elliott (pictured above), fresh off an appearance in the Round of 32 at the U.S. Senior Amateur, didn’t let off the gas in the opening round of the 39th Iowa Senior Amateur at Burlington Golf Club. Elliott’s opening round 69 (-3) leads by one shot over Burlington’s own John O’Neill. Gary Ellis (Norwalk) and Tom Norton (Muscatine) shot 72 (E) and are three strokes back of the pace.

Elliott was able to string together a total of six birdies on the day, including 4 in a ten-hole stretch.

O’Neill, who grew up just a pitching wedge away from the first hole at BGC, put that ‘knowledge’ of BGC to work. His day began with 13 straight pars and included 16 pars overall mixed in with a pair of birdies.

In the Super Senior Division (65 and older) another ‘local’ is atop the leaderboard. Fort Madison’s Jim Butler put together a 71 (-1) round of his own that included five birdies. Butler managed only three pars on the front nine, but still turned in 35 (-1) thanks to four birdies. John Peters (Muscatine) sits just three back of Butler at 74 (+2).

Click here for a recap of scoring.

BGC welcomes 39th Iowa Senior Amateur

The 39th addition of the Iowa Senior Amateur Championship begins today (Aug. 30) at Burlington Golf Club.

BGC is a Packard designed championship golf course that has hosted several state amateur events in the past. According to those who have played the course, it is fun for the eye as it winds up and down the hills of the Mississippi River bluffs. Many of the holes at BGC demand approach shots to slightly elevated greens. The course also includes a handful of risk/reward holes.

Defending champion Gene Elliott is in the field as well as many other of the top players from the IGA Senior Player of the Year race. Last year, Elliott chased down Jay Gregory at Ames Golf & Country Club to win this event. Elliott arrives at BGC from a Round of 32 appearance at the U.S. Senior Amateur earlier this week.

Click here to follow scoring updates from the event.

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