Category: News

IGA Player of the Year announced – Women’s

Julie Buerman (above) of Cedar Rapids had a terrific golf season.  She posted numerous top finishes which led to her claiming her first IGA Women’s Player of the Year award.

Buerman, 42, was the Forever 39 Match Play in 2017. She also was medalist at the IGA’s Women’s Club Team event, a semifinalist in the IGA Women’s Match Play and finished in third place at the IGA Women’s Four-Ball (with partner Janelle Carter).

Finishing runner-up in this year’s IGA Women’s Player of the Year race was Karli Kerrigan of Ankeny. Kerrigan, 19, teamed up with Jenny Heinz to capture the Iowa Women’s Four-Ball, finished second individually at the IGA Women’s Club Team and was a semifinalist at the IGA Women’s Match Play.

Iowa Women’s Amateur champion Britta Synder, 15 of Ames, finished third in the standings, while Heinz (Cedar Falls) and Leanne Smith of Indianola finished in 4th and 5th place, respectively.

 

Rose Kubesheski (above) is once again the IGA Senior Women’s Player of the Year, and she won it going away in 2017.

Kubesheski, 57, of Dubuque, won the Senior Player of the Year in 2016 and has now been honored four times.  She won her third straight Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur title (and sixth overall). She also qualified for the U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur and claimed the Senior Division of the Iowa Women’s Four-Ball title (with partner Margene Grady).

Kathy Fortune, 59, finished runner-up to Kubesheksi.  Fortune, of Rockwell City, posted top finishes at the Iowa Senior Women’s Amateur (2nd), Senior Division of the Iowa Women’s Four-Ball title (2nd) and Iowa Women’s Amateur – Open Division (3rd).

Other top finishers in the final standings were Janece Swartzkopf (3rd place), Margene Grady (4th place) and Janis Owens (5th place).

​The players will be honored at a ceremony in mid-December.  Details on the event will be released in the coming weeks.​

IGA Player of the Year announced – Men’s

J.D. Anderson (above) has been a model of consistency. His 13 top-ten finishes in the IGA Player of the Year standings since 2002, including 3rd place in 2014 and 2016, can attest to that.

When the dust had settled in 2017, Anderson’s consistency paved the way to his first IGA Player of the Year honor. The 43-year old from Johnston started the year strong with a win at the 32nd Iowa Mid-Amateur, then followed that up with a victory at the Briarwood Amateur and medalist honors at U.S. Mid-Amateur Qualifying. Anderson also added top-5 finishes at the Southeast Iowa Amateur, Northwest Amateur and Herman Sani Tournament.

Two-time defending and four-time overall IGA Player of the Year Gene Elliott of West Des Moines finished runner-up in the standings this year. Elliott, who is 55 years old, continues to more than hold his own against the younger set. His run to the Round of 32 in the U.S. Mid-Amateur kept the race for player of the year interesting down to the wire. Elliott notched wins at the Iowa Masters and 22nd IGA Four-Ball (with partner Mike McCoy). Elliott also finished T5th at the Stocker Cup and T9th at the George L. Coleman Invitational in 2017.

Rounding out the rest of the top five in the IGA Player of the Year were Jon Brown of Clive (3rd), Dusty Drenth of Davenport (4th) and Trevor Ullestad of Jewell (5th).


For the second year in a row and third overall, Gene Elliott (above) earned his way to IGA Senior Player of the Year, but it wasn’t decided until the final hour.

Elliott’s performance (Round of 32) at the U.S. Mid-Amateur gave him enough ‘bonus’ points to overtake Joe Palmer for the award. Elliott won the IGA Senior Match Play, the Iowa Senior Amateur and made it to the Round of 32 of the U.S. Senior Amateur. While not counting towards his point total for IGA Senior Player of the Year, it should be noted that Elliott also won the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship (Montreal, Quebec) and was T2nd at The (British) Seniors Amateur Championship (Sunningdale, England).

Palmer, 55 of West Des Moines, who won the award in 2014, had an extremely successful summer of his own. He won the Senior Division of the 32nd Iowa Mid-Amateur, 22nd IGA Four-Ball (with partner Terry Cook), Fort Dodge Amateur, Waterloo Open and Herman Sani Tournament.

Terry Cook of West Des Moines (3rd), Bret Taylor of Booneville (4th) and Ron Peterson of Urbandale (5th) made up the rest of the top five in this year’s standings.


Rob Christensen (above) won the 2017 IGA Super Senior Player of the Year, a new honor started by the IGA this year.

Super-Seniors are those that are 65 and older and have seen an increased level of participation in recent years, therefore the IGA felt it was time to recognize the top players from that division.

The first year of the award was a tight race that came down to the final event, the Iowa Senior Amateur. Heading into that championship in early September, Christensen, Dave Sergeant and David Studer were all within 10 points of each other. Christensen prevailed and won the Super Senior Division of the Iowa Senior Amateur to take the POTY award. The 66-year old from Marshalltown also won the Super Senior division of the Carroll Amateur and Briarwood Amateur. He finished second in the Super Senior Division of the Iowa Masters.

Sergeant, 72 of Fort Dodge, finished just behind Christensen in the standings. He won the Super Senior Division of the Fort Dodge Amateur and finished second in that division of the Briarwood Amateur. He was 4th at the Iowa Senior Amateur (SS division) and 3rd at the Carroll Am (SS division).

Other top finishers in the Super Senior Division were Studer of West Des Moines (3rd), Tim Taylor of Ankeny (4th) and Mike Mumma of Jefferson (5th).

​The players will be honored at a ceremony in mid-December. Details on the event will be released in the coming weeks.​

Follow players with Iowa ties at 2017 Web.com Tour Qualifying

The Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament is the premier way to gain status on the following year’s Web.com Tour.

Each year, several worthy players take their shot at advancing through pre-qualifying, First Stage and Second Stage at various sites across the country — all leading up to Final Stage, which will be held this year at Whirlwind GC (Devils Claw and The Cattail) in Chandler, Arizona.

Players who advance to Final Stage are assured a Web.com Tour card for the following season, and the top 45 finishers (and ties) at Final Stage are assured a healthy number of starts in the first part of the 2018 Web.com Tour season.

Those who participated in First Stage Qualifying with ties to Iowa include:
Zach Steffen – Maricopa, AZ (Ak-Chin Southern Dunes GC)
Josh Manske – Lakeland, Florida (Grasslands G&CC)
Steven Ihm – Lantana, Texas (Lantana GC)
Matt Jennings – Nebraska City, Nebraska (ArborLinks)
Nick Voke – Nebraska City, Nebraska (ArborLinks)
Ruben Sondjaja – Nebraska City, Nebraska (ArborLinks)
Brian Bullington – Nebraska City, Nebraska (ArborLinks)
Nate Barbee – Nebraska City, Nebraska (ArborLinks)
Nate Yankovich – Nebraska City, Nebraska (ArborLinks)

SECOND STAGE:
These players qualified for the second stage of Q-school:
Jack Newman – Dothan, Alabama (Highland Oaks)
Josh Manske – Plantation, FL (Plantation Preserve GC)
Steven Ihm – Plantation, FL (Plantation Preserve GC)
Vince India – Brooksville, FL (Southern Hills Plantation Club)
Brad Hopfinger – McKinney, Texas (TPC Craig Ranch)
Matt Jennings – McKinney, Texas (TPC Craig Ranch)
Nick Voke – McKinney, Texas (TPC Craig Ranch)
Nate Yankovich – Brooksville, FL (Southern Hills Plantation Club)

FINAL STAGE:
These players will participate in the final stage of Q-school:
Vince India
Brad Hopfinger
Steven Ihm
Brady Schnell
*Iowan Travis McAlister (Ankeny) is caddying for Maverick McNealy at final stage

Click here to follow all the action.

Elliott wins 2017 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship

(Photo by Golf Canada/ Bernard Brault)

– Iowa native cards even-par 70 to claim the John Rankin Memorial Trophy and earn an exemption into the 2018 U.S. Men’s Senior Amateur –

KAHNAWAKE, Que. – Iowa’s Gene Elliott carded an even-par 70 during the final round to claim the 2017 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship at Kanawaki Golf Club and hoist the John Rankin Memorial Trophy.

The native of West Des Moines,, finished at 3-over (283) for the championship, which was good enough for a 2-shot win over third-round leader Doug Hanzel of Savannah, GA.

“I am so thrilled – this is tough competition,” said Elliott, who recently competed in the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship where he fell in the round of 32. “Senior golf is tough; these guys are good. You win very little in golf at all and when you do it’s very special. To win in Canada, I couldn’t be more thrilled.”

(Photo by Golf Canada/ Bernard Brault)

Elliott may be new to the senior circuit having just turned 55 in February, but he’s enjoyed a stellar competitive golf career throughout the years. Among his many accomplishments, he’s amassed more than 20 titles in his home state of Iowa and also won the prestigious Porter Cup in 1998.

The veteran had high praises for the host club of Kanawaki.

“I hit the ball well today. I hit a lot of greens this week. I didn’t have many 3-putts,” he added. “But this Kanawaki, it’s a tough little bugger. It looks like you can get after it, but it gets after you. It’s a wonderful place to host a championship.”

With the win, Eliott earns an exemption into the 2018 U.S. Men’s Senior Amateur Championship at Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore., from August 25th to 30th.

He’s also committed to returning to Canada to defend his title at next year’s Canadian Men’s Senior Championship, which will take place September 4-7 at Gowan Brae Golf & Country Club in Bathurst, N.B.

“I can’t wait to get to New Brunswick,” he laughed. “I have no idea where it is or how to get there, but I’ll be there.”

Hanzel, who finished runner-up, never could get things on the right track during Thursday. His 5-over round of 75 included four bogeys, a double bogey and just a single birdie.

A trio of Americans tied for third. Allen Barber of Yorktown, VA, Paul Simson of Raleigh, NC and Jack Hall of Savannah, GA, all finished at 7-over (287).

Doug Roxburgh, an honored member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, was the top Canadian finisher. The Vancouver native finished tied for 6th at 8-over (288). Roxburgh won the Canadian Junior Boy’s Championship in 1970 and Canadian Amateur titles in 1972, 1974, 1982 and 1988. He also claimed the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship in 2014.

Additional information, including complete scoring info for the 2017 Canadian Men’s Senior Championship can be found here.

Gene’s wife, DaLena, served as his caddie during the event. (Photo by Golf Canada/ Bernard Brault)

 

Listen to Elliott’s post-round interview below

Anderson, Cook take titles at Briarwood Amateur

J.D. Anderson and Terry Cook were the victors at the 2017 Briarwood Amateur.

Anderson, of Johnston, won the Open Division by three shots over David Combs of West Des Moines and Brian Allison of Norwalk.  Anderson opened the 36-hole event with a 5-under-par 67 then closed with a 68 to finish at 9-under 135.  Combs went 71-67 while Allison reversed that with 67-71 as they both finished at 6-under-par 138.

The win moves Anderson into first place in the IGA Player of the Year points race.  He currently has an 85 point lead (1005 to 920) over Gene Elliott of West Des Moines.

On the Senior side, Cook, of West Des Moines, played impressively over the two days.  He fired an even-par 72 to open then finished strong with a 3-under 69.  His 3-under total of 141 was two shots clear of Jay Slings of Ankeny and Ron Peterson of Urbandale.  Cook is currently 3rd in a tight race for the IGA Senior Player of the Year.

Click here to view full results of the 2017 Briarwood Amateur.

Iowa Women’s Am Champ Snyder on a roll

Britta Snyder won the Iowa Women’s Amateur Championship in dominating fashion a few weeks ago (click here to read about that win).  That performance seems to have propelled her to a higher gear.

The 15-year old from Ames has won two straight AJGA championships, giving her three wins in her last three events (Iowa Women’s Am win being the first).

She won her first AJGA title on August 10th at the Junior at Forest Lake just outside of Detroit, Michigan.  Snyder fired a final round 1-under par 70 to finish three shots clear of second place.  She shot 72-75-70 to finish a 4-over par 217 over the Forest Lake Country Club layout. (view complete results here)

Two weeks later she won the Randy Wise Junior Open at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club in Grand Blanc, Michigan (ended Aug 24) with scores of 75-72-73 (4-over 220).  It was good enough for a two shot victory. (view complete results here)

The victories have propelled her to the top of the IGA Junior Girls’ Player of the Year standings.  She has already verbally committed to play collegiately at Baylor University.

Iowans at USGA Senior Amateur

Gene Elliott, of West Des Moines, and Sam Billmeyer, of Ankeny, are in the field this weekend at the USGA Senior Amateur Championship, being played at the Minikahda Club in Minneapolis.  This marks the first year Elliott was eligible to play in the 55 or older event.

While Billmeyer made it through the qualifying round held at Briarwood Golf Club, Elliott was exempt due to his top-500 ranking in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.  An additional Iowan has at least a chance of getting into the field as well – Joe Palmer, of West Des Moines, is first on the alternate list for the USGA and could possibly be asked to play if someone is forced to withdraw.  Palmer plans to be on-site and ready should that happen during the first day of play.

The championship begins with stroke play qualifying on Saturday, August 26th.  The top 64 after 36 holes of qualifying make the match play draw.

You can follow all the scoring by clicking here.

2017 Solheim Cup Breaks Previous Attendance Record

Above – Thousands cheering for their team at Des Moines Golf and Country Club on #17.

After a full week of incredible golf, celebration and patriotism at Des Moines Golf and Country Club, the official attendance for the 2017 Solheim Cup has been tallied. The global golf event attracted 124,426 fans from August 14-20, 2017. This number surpasses the last attendance record for the Solheim Cup, set in 2009 at Rich Harvest Farms in Illinois. Additionally, the large crowds on Friday broke the event’s single-day attendance record.

“Watching the crowds stream into Des Moines Golf and Country Club was a thrill,” said Chris Garrett, Tournament Director. “Running the Solheim Cup was a dream realized for me. Knowing we were able to bring in record crowds and create more fans of golf, the LPGA and the Solheim Cup make the success of the event even sweeter.”

The record-breaking crowd was comprised of thousands of ticket holders from around the globe. More than 50 percent of attendees came from outside of the state of Iowa including fans from more than 25 countries. Those patriotic fans were big spenders too. Fans purchased more than $2 million in merchandise – breaking yet another event record.

Click here for more on the 2017 Solheim Cup

Elliott birdies four holes coming in, qualifies for U.S. Mid-Amateur

West Des Moines’ Gene Elliott (pictured above) continued his great play this summer with a 69 (-3) at White Deer Run Golf Club, Vernon Hills, IL, to qualify for the U.S. Mid-Amateur.

Elliott’s score was good enough to tie for the final two qualifying spots. Elliott now moves on to the Atlanta area where the championship proper will be held (Capital City Club and Atlanta National Golf Club), October 7-12.

Elliott’s round at White Deer Run Golf Club included five birdies, with four of those coming in a five-hole stretch on his way in (#13-17).

Click here to see a recap of scoring from the qualifier.

What a week – Team USA wins 2017 Solheim Cup

Team USA won the 2017 Solheim Cup for a second year running, as they refused to let the European’s create history by not letting their five point lead slip.

Wins from Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Lizette Salas, Gerina Piller, and Danielle Kang, combined with halves from Lexi Thompson and Angel Yin and were enough to see USA win 16 ½ – 11 ½.

However, early in the day, there was plenty of blue on the board to cause Juli Inkster some concern, as the European’s looked to re-write the record books. However, Inkster’s team remained calm and ultimately Sorenstam’s side had left themselves too much to do heading into the singles.

Click here to read more

Scroll to top