Category: Championships

Ullestad makes charge, wins 115th Iowa Amateur

July 27, 20170 commentsChampionships, Iowa Amateur

It wasn’t the start Trevor Ullestad, trailing by three to start the day, was looking for in the final round of the 115th Iowa Amateur at Cedar Rapids Country Club, but the Jewell native kicked it in gear mid-way through his opening nine holes and held on to the lead the rest of the way.

“I topped a three wood on #2,” Ullestad said. “Not sure where that came from. Then I made a pretty bad bogey right after that. But I knew there were plenty of birdies out there. I made a lot of them this week. I tried to keep my head down and recover as best I could.”

Following an impressive, and must needed, eagle on #6, Ullestad birdied both #8-9 to turn in 34 and had erased the deficit to Broc Everett, who led after two rounds.

Three bogeys on the front nine for Everett left him chasing on the back nine holes. After a bogey on #14, Ullestad answered right back with back to back birdies on the next two holes to leave Everett and Bull will fighting for the lead.

A birdie putt on #18 by Everett slid by that would have put somewhat of pressure on Ullestad’s upcoming par putt. Needing only to two-putt from mid-range, Ullestad rolled in the par putt to claim the title.

“My eagle on #6 (was a turning point),” Ullestad said. “That really settled me down and thought I could make a few more birdies.”

Not out of the mix, opening round leader Dennis Bull put on a charge of his own, birding #9, 10 and 11 to get to -4 on the day and briefly tied for the lead. Bull (68) would par in from that point leaving him, along with Everett(74), two strokes off of Ullestad’s 206 (-10) total.

“I knew I had to get it to 10-under-par,” Ullestad said. “I love this course, it’ so important to know where to put the ball on the greens. It’s a great golf course.”

The 115th Iowa Amateur champion commented it was the big stick that was the key for him at CRCC. Ullestad, who plays college golf at Missouri and will be a senior this fall

“I hit driver really well” Ullestad said. “I hit a lot of fairways. My putting wasn’t great, but I made enough of them to make up for that.”

Click here for a full recap of scoring.

College ‘kids’ take charge at 115th Iowa Amateur, Everett leads

July 25, 20170 commentsChampionships, Iowa Amateur

It was college day at the Cedar Rapids Country Club as four of the top five on the leaderboard will be buying books this fall in preparation for classes.

West Des Moines’ Broc Everett (pictured above) made the biggest statement, playing in the morning wave, of the second round of the 115th Iowa Amateur at CRCC.

Everett, who will be a senior on the golf team at Augusta University, matched Dennis Bull’s opening round 65 (-7) and leads the way at -10. His round included a total of seven birdies, an eagle and a pair of bogeys (bookends of a four birdie in a row stretch).

“I didn’t really have any expectations coming into the rounds,” Everett said. “I just tried to take it one shot at a time and early in the round I began to hit it really well. I was able to cruise my way in.”

By cruise he meant, continuing to add to his birdie count on the day.

“I had some kick-ins (on the back nine),” Everett said. “I made a couple nice putts as well. I know the course is going to play tougher tomorrow, which is great. I think we will see the Cedar Rapids Country Club we all expected tomorrow. On a Donald Ross course you have to stay below the hole and in the right spots. I hope for a carefree day tomorrow.”

Jewell’s Trevor Ullestad, who plays college golf at Missouri and will also be a senior this fall, posted another fine round of 69 (-3) to go along with his 68 yesterday and sits at -7.

Sitting at -5 and five strokes off the lead after two days is Alex Moorman (Centerville), who now plays at Iowa after transferring from Kansas this past spring.

Lurking at -4 is Frank Lindwall (Cedar Rapids), who will play for Iowa State beginning this fall. The lone ‘Mid-Am’ in the top five is opening round leader Dennis Bull (Norwalk), who is at -4 as well for the tournament.

The two-day cut was 153 (+9), which included the low 60 scores and ties.

Click here for a full recap of scores.

Bull charges out to the lead at 115th Iowa Amateur

July 24, 20170 commentsChampionships, Iowa Amateur

When the afternoon wave of the 115th Iowa Amateur arrived at Cedar Rapids Country Club and glanced at the leaderboard, some may of thought they were in Pamplona. However at CRCC, the Bull was out front and remained there throughout the day.

Playing in the morning group of tee times, Norwalk’s Dennis Bull made a run through the course in route to a sizzling 65 (-7). Bull’s round included 5 birdied, an eagle (#9) and no bogeys.

Cedar Rapids’ Jordan Even and Jewell’s Trevor Ullestad both posted fine scores, 68 (-4), to stay within striking distance of Bull. Even, an employee at CRCC, used his knowledge of the course to put six birdies of his own on the scorecard. Unfortunately he also made a pair of bogeys. Ullestad made six birdies of his own against two bogeys. A total of five players sit just four back of Bull’s lead at 69 (-3).

With the help of ideal scoring conditions, a total of 16 players broke par in the opening round. Play resumes tomorrow morning, where the field will be cut to the low 60 scores and ties after the second round.

Click here for a full recap of scoring.

Nate Dunn to Defend Iowa Amateur Title Against Tough Field

July 19, 20170 commentsIowa Amateur, News

Follow live scoring from the 115th Iowa Amateur

ANKENY, IOWA – Nate Dunn will be defending his Iowa Amateur title on home turf this year in a field of prestigious players. In addition to his win last year, he won the Iowa Amateur Championship in 2004 and 2014. Dunn was the Player of the Year in 2007 and won the IGA Match Play Championship in 2015.

The Iowa Golf Association is excited to come back to Cedar Rapids Country Club for the 115th Iowa Amateur Championship July 24 through July 26. Cedar Rapids Country Club hosted the Iowa Amateur in 1984, 1955 and 1929. Pairings for the first round of the 115th Iowa Amateur Championship were released on Tuesday and can be found at https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/899233.

This year’s field is full of decorated players who are seeking to add an Iowa Amateur to their list of Championship titles. The field was extended from 144 players to 156 players to accommodate the surplus of entrants.

The current field includes 51 players who have received exemption status due to their outstanding performances in past championships. On that list you will see names like Mike McCoy, Gene Elliott, Jon Olson, J.D. Anderson, Nate Dunn, Tripp Kinney, Andrew Wood and Jon Brown.

Tripp Kinney is going into his second year at Iowa State University and plays for the Cyclone Men’s Golf team. Kinney won the IGA Match Play Championship in June. Andrew Wood won the Iowa Junior Amateur in June as well. He just graduated from Linn-Mar High School and has committed to play on the University of Northern Iowa Men’s Golf team in the fall.

J.D. Anderson won the Iowa Mid-Amateur Championship last May. He also has an Iowa Four-Ball Championship title as well as multiple wins in sanctioned point events over the years.  He is currently third in the 2017 Player of the Year point standings.

McCoy and Elliott teamed up to win the IGA Four-Ball in late May. McCoy has won five Iowa Amateur titles in addition to being Player of the Year an impressive eleven times. Elliott has won three Iowa Amateur Championships and four Player of the Year titles. Elliott has won Player of the Year for the last two years running and is currently second in this year’s standings, buoyed by a recent win at the Iowa Masters. Both McCoy and Elliott are Iowa Golf Hall of Fame members and are major competitors within and outside the state.

Brown is currently leading this year’s Player of the Year point standings by twenty points. He won Player of the Year titles in 2006 and 2004 and won the Iowa Amateur in 2006. He recently finished second to Elliott at the Iowa Masters.

Jon Olson won the Iowa Amateur Championship in 2012 and was the IGA Player of the Year in 2014. He also won the IGA Match-Play Championship in 2011 and has won the Iowa Mid-Amateur Championship three times (2011, 2014, 2015).

Play gets underway Monday at 7:30 a.m.  All players will play two rounds and then the low 60 & ties will make the cut to the final round on Wednesday.  You can follow live scoring here.

Back-To-Back Wins for Heinz, Kerrigan

July 18, 20170 commentsChampionships, IGA Women's Four-Ball

Jenny Heinz and Karli Kerrigan shot a 67 in the final round at the 7th IGA Women’s Four Ball to clench yet another championship title at Brown Deer Golf Club in Coralville. Heinz and Kerrigan shot a 65 in the opening round for a total of 132 (-10) and won the open division by six.

The duo won the Iowa Women’s Four-Ball last year at Jester Park Golf Course, where they won in extra holes. Heinz was IGA Women’s Player of the Year for 2016 and Kerrigan has just finished her freshman year at the University of South Dakota.

Katie Hansen and Kelly Nelson beat out Janelle Carter and Julie Buerman In the second round by three strokes by posting another 69 to finish runner-up.

Rose Kubesheski continued to show her great play along with her teammate Margene Grady to win the Senior Division by eight strokes. Kathy Fortune and Mary Sauter were only two strokes back going into the second round, but Kubesheski and Grady shot an impressive 69 to clench the title.

Kubesheski won the Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur at Clarinda Country Club last weekend. She also won the senior division of the Iowa Women’s Four Ball last year with teammate Robin Webb. Kubesheski was the Senior Play of the Year last year and is currently leading the senior women’s point standings for this year.

The next IGA event for women will be the Iowa Women’s Amateur that will be held at Hyperion Field Club in Johnston from July 31 – August 2. Registration deadline for that event is July 24.

Heinz, Kerrigan Set Sights On A Second Victory

July 17, 20170 commentsChampionships, IGA Women's Four-Ball

Jenny Heinz and Karli Kerrigan fired a 65 in the first round of the Iowa Women’s Four-Ball at Brown Deer Golf Club in Coralville. Heinz and Kerrigan hold a four stroke lead in theC hampionship Division going into the second round tomorrow morning

The Heinz/Kerrigan side won the Iowa Women’s Four-Ball last year after tying for first in regulation and then winning after play was forced to extra holes. Though a back-to- back win by Heinz and Kerrigan may be in sight, with two teams hot on their heels in second, their work is not done yet.

Julie Buerman and Janelle Carter shot a 69 this afternoon, putting them in a second place tie with Kelly Nelson and Katie Hansen going into round two tomorrow. Buerman and Nelson went head-to- head in the final match at the Forever 39 Match-Play just last month. Buerman went five and three in her final match against Nelson to clench her Forever 39 champion title.

Rose Kubesheski and Margene Grady shot a 72 giving them a four stroke lead in the Senior Division. Behind them is Janis Owens and Ila Gilbert with a 76. Kubesheski won the Senior Women’s Amateur last weekend at Clarinda Country Club in Clarinda.

Round two tee times begin Monday at 7:30 a.m.

Click here for a recap of scores.

Kubesheski wins 6th Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur title, third in a row

July 9, 20170 commentsChampionships, Iowa Senior Women's Amateur

When the dust had settled in Clarinda, a familiar face was still sheriff of the territory.

For the third year in a row and sixth time overall, Rose Kubesheski took home the trophy from the 52 Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur. Kubesheski fired a final round 73 (+4) to outdistance opening round leader Kathy Fortune by six strokes. Kubesheski made a total of three birdies to help her pull clear of the competition. Hitting it close with her short irons was the key for the champion.

“I hit some really good wedge shots today,” Kubesheski commented.

Another fine round was turned in by Janece Schwartzkopf (73) to capture low Super Senior (60 and older) honors, as well as finishing in 3rd place overall.

Click here for a full recap of scoring.

Steady play key for Kinney all week, Snelling wins Women’s Match Play Championship set

June 28, 20170 commentsChampionships, IGA Match Play, Wmn's Match Play

The 29th IGA Match Play and 6th IGA Women’s Match Play Championship began on Monday, June 26, at The Harvester Golf Club, Rhodes. All players played an 18-hole qualifying round on Monday morning to determine seeding into match play.

On the Men’s side, Gene Elliott was medalist of the qualifying round with 66 (-6) and earned the #1 seed into match play on Tuesday morning. J.D. Anderson, playing along side Elliott on Monday, earned the #2 seed with a 67 (-5) of his own.

A total of 16 men will teed it up this morning (Wednesday) and those surviving into quarterfinal matches this afternoon are Jon Olson/Josh Black, Tripp Kinney/Sam Zoske, Charles Jahn/Jon Brown and Conner Koberg/Aaron Stevens.

Semifinals, which were played Thursday morning, saw Tripp Kinney (pictured above) come out on top against Josh Black (5&4). In the other semifinal, Conner Koberg outlasted Jon Brown (1 up). Both Kinney and Koberg, who squared off in the finals, play golf for Iowa State University. Black and Brown have long since exhausted their eligibility.

In the final match, Kinney used a quick start to race to a 3 up lead after only five holes. He made the turn 4 up and never looked back, cruising to a 6&5 victory over his good fiend and teammate.

“My goal this week to just stay steady through all my matches,” Kinney said. “I just wanted to make a ton of pars. I did a really good job sticking to my game plan. It’s a tough golf course and it got windy.”

Click here for complete brackets and starting times for the 29th IGA Match Play.

Snelling wins 6th IGA Women’s Match Play title

Jenny Heinz, last year’s runner-up, shot 80 (+8) to secure medalist in the qualifying portion of the women’s side and was the #1 seed into match play.

The finals of the 6th IGA Women’s Match Play featured Emily Snelling against Tenley Moretti. Snelling defeated Karli Karrigan on Wednesday morning, while Moretti dispatched defending champion Julie Buerman.

In the final match, Snelling (pictured right) outlasted Moretti (left) 3&2 in a hard-fought, back and forth match.

“I am glad I won the 15th hole (to win the match),” Snelling commented.

Click here for a complete recap brackets in the 6th IGA Women’s Match Play.

Iowa Junior, Girls’ Junior Amateur champions crowned

June 21, 20170 commentsChampionships, Girls' Junior Amateur, Iowa Junior

The 2017 Iowa Junior, Girls’ Junior Amateur is concluded on Thursday at Ames’ Coldwater Golf Links. This two-round event featured the best players, both boys and girls, from across the state. Coldwater GL proved to be a firm, but fair, test for players as scores for those in divisions that played two days reflected the challenge.

Cole Davis (74-75) played steady golf to win the Boy’s 14-15 Division, defeating Conner Van Weelden (73-76) on the first playoff hole. Ashley DeLong outdistanced runner-up Grace Vandersee to win the Girls’ 14-15 division.

In a battle to the end, Andrew Wood battled back on day two to capture the Iowa Junior Amateur (Boy’s 16-18) title. Wood posted rounds of 75-74 to slip by first round leader Jake Marvelli (71-79) by a single shot. A total of 8 players finished with in four strokes off the lead. Brooke Boardman left no doubt in the Girls’ 16-18 Division, as she posted rounds of 82-78 to win the 2017 Junior Girls’ Amateur crown.

Check a full recap of scoring from all division by clicking here.

Boys’ 11 & Under, Girls’ 11 & Under Division
From left – Girls’ 11 & Under Champion Meghan DeLong,
Boys’ 11 & Under Champion Evan Smith and Runner-up Gavin Drake.
Girls’ 12-13 Division
From left – Girls’ 12-13 Champion Maura Peters
and Runner-up Rebecca DeLong.
Girls’ 14-15 DivisionFrom left – Girls’ 14-15 Champion Ashley DeLong
and Runner-up Grace Vandersee.
Girls’ 16-18 Division
From left – Girls’ 16-18 Champion Brooke Boardman,
Runner-up Casey Noble and Third Place Hanna Zikuda.
Boy’s 16-18 Division
From left – Boy’s 16-18 Champion Andrew Wood,
Runner-up Jake Marvelli and Third Place Brock Barnhart

Luett, Lierz move on to U.S. Junior Amateur

June 19, 20170 commentsChampionships, USGA

It took a great score.

Jacob Luett (Clinton) and Hank Lierz (St. Joseph, Mo) fired rounds of 66 and 67 respectively on Monday, June 19, at Otter Creek Golf Course and qualify for the U.S. Junior Amateur.

Luett, who’s medalist-winning performance featured six birdies and only one bogey, commented that he tried to give himself a lot of look at birdies. Luett headed to play at Missouri S&T this fall.

“I just tried to give myself chances,” Luett said.

Lierz, fresh off his Missouri Junior Match Play title, found five birdies to go along with a lone bogey of his own at Otter Creek GC. Lierz will be a junior in high school this fall.

“I like course,” Lierz said. “I hit a lot of greens and made a few birdies. You could hit a lot of fairways out here and get wedge in your hands. I hit it well, which was nice.”

The U.S. Junior Amateur will be played July 17-22 at Flint Hills National Golf Club, Andover, KS.

Click here to see a full recap of all scoring.

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