(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 25^th to 30^th.

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 6^th 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

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.

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

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

Photo Credit: 2015 Getty Images

This week, the Solheim Cup returns to the United States for the 15^th edition of the matches. This year, Des Moines Golf and Country Club hosts the matches between Teams U.S.A. and Europe as they square off for the coveted crystal that the Americans brought back to the States in 2015. In the last match up, Team U.S.A. mounted the largest comeback in the history of the event, overcoming a 10 – 6 deficit heading into Sunday’s single matches, to win 14 ½ to 13 ½. The Americans look to retain the cup for the first time since 2009 when they picked up their third consecutive win.

Click here to read more about you need to know this week.

Photo courtesy of The Solheim Cup/LPGA Communications.

USA Solheim Cup Captain Juli Inkster announced today that six-time USA Solheim Cup veteran Paula Creamer will replace the injured Jessica Korda at the 2017 Solheim Cup, being conducted next week in West Des Moines, Iowa.

Inkster chose Creamer as her alternate when she selected her team on Sunday night and informed the European team as required by the captain’s agreement. However, she did not publicly reveal her choice until after Korda withdrew on Monday due to a forearm injury.

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A transcript of today’s announcement will be posted at https://asaptext.com/orgs/lpga/210