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

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.

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.

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.