(Jeff Hayes/USGA)

Gene Elliott (at left), of West Des Moines, has been honored by Global Golf Post as their Men’s Amateur Golfer of the Year, regardless of age considerations.  Elliott excelled on the national stage in 2021, winning the most prestigious championships the two governing bodies present.  Elliott endured stringent testing protocols to travel to Europe in June & July which proved well worth it when he won the British Seniors Amateur by a single stroke at Ganton Golf Club in England.  He earned his coveted first USGA crown when he prevailed 1-up in the championship match at the U.S. Senior Amateur, held at the Country Club of Detroit.

In addition to Elliott’s recognition, other Iowans were named to the various GGP All-Amateur Teams as well.  Elliott was joined by Mike McCoy, of Norwalk, on the GGP Men’s Senior Amateur First Team.  McCoy captured the George C. Thomas Senior Division and the Crump Cup Senior crown in 2021.  He also made the cut at the U.S. Senior Open at Omaha Country Club.  Joe Palmer, also of Norwalk and the champion of the Iowa Senior Match Play and the IGA Match Play, was named to the second team.  Finally, Nate McCoy, of Ankeny, was an Honorable Mention selection for the Men’s Mid-Amateur team.

Click here to read about Elliott’s Amateur of the Year Honor

Click here to view the Men’s Mid-Amateur Selections (N. McCoy)

Click here to view the Men’s Senior Amateur Selections (Elliott, M. McCoy, Palmer)

The Iowa Women’s Forever 39 Match Play Championship at Hillcrest Country Club in Adel began Monday with a round of stroke play qualifying. Fiona Watson found her stride and went low to post a 3-under 33 to earn medalist honors.

Watson continued to play well and knocked off Robin Webb, 4&3, in the first round of the Championship Flight bracket. Laura Leszczynski defeated Jeanette Fredericksen, 3&2, and will play Watson in round two of the match play series. Leanne Smith and Rosalie Kubesheski will also face off after advancing from their round one matches.

In the First Flight bracket, the No. 1 seed, Noreen Christians took down Mary Nelson, 4&3. Christians will play Margene Grady in round two after Grady defeated Michelle Klein in 10 holes. Ann Slechta and Sue Harmon will advance to the second round of the championship.

In the Second Flight bracket, the No. 1 seeded Nancy Olberding knocked off Susan Mitchell in 10 holes and will play Lora Winter in round two. Jan Sewright defeated Donna Vroom, 4&2, and will face off against the No. 3 seed Carroll Dethrow in the second round.

The Third Flight bracket featured No. 1 seed Cathy West, who had a bye in round one, and the No. 2 seeded Jane Suiter defeated Sue Lambert 2&1. Suiter will now face Ardrae Parmenter and West will face off against Nancy Lorenzini.

The second and third round will take place tomorrow and you can follow our live scoring by clicking here.

Championship Flight Advancing:
Fiona Watson
Laura Leszczynski
Leanne Smith
Rosalie Kubesheski

First Flight Advancing:
Noreen Christians
Margene Grady
Ann Slechta
Sue Harmon

Second Flight Advancing:
Nancy Olberding
Lora Winter
Jan Sewright
Carroll Dethrow

Third Flight Advancing:
Cathy West
Nancy Lorenzini
Jane Suiter
Ardrae Parmenter

Click here to purchase the 2021 Iowa PGA Golf Pass today!
(Don’t forget to use coupon code ‘iowagolf’)

It didn’t take long for Ames’ Britta Snyder to feel right at home in college golf. But then again, she’s no stranger to competing on the biggest of stages. The Baylor freshman made her college debut this week at the Schooner Fall Classic where she finished in a tie for third, at -1, 209.  Her tournament rounds of 67, 70, 72, which saw her amass 13 birdies and an eagle, helped Baylor capture their first team title of the season.

Snyder is continuing her strong play from the summer where she won her fourth AJGA title, at the D.A. Points Junior Open and finished runner-up at the AJGA Gateway First Bank Tulsa Junior. She was also slated to compete in her third USGA Women’s Amateur Four-Ball this spring, before the tournament was cancelled due to precautions surrounding COVID-19.

Baylor’s 54-hole score of -7, 833 set a new school record and set the tone for the remainder of the season. They compete next at the Betsy Rawls Invitational, October 10-11, at the University of Texas Golf Club.

Youth on Course recently reached a milestone of over 1,000,000 rounds of golf played!

Click here to watch the congratulatory video featuring Stephen Curry, Tom Watson, Annika Sorenstam and many more.

Youth on Course has been rebranded with a new logo and slogan, but the same great mission.

THE STORY BEHIND THE “Y” IN YOC.

We’re proud to share with you a renewed visual identity for Youth on Course, one which is vibrant yet approachable and aligns with our commitment to transforming the lives of young people through golf.

At the forefront of our brand’s re-emergence is the symbol of the flagstick.

Our flagstick symbolizes what’s possible with opportunity, confidence and the support of a network behind our members at every turn. It serves as a beacon of hope, a connector to our members’ goals and a symbol of our community.  …click to read more

Jon Olson held off a couple of out of state players to win his first Northwest Amateur title on Sunday.  Olson, 40, of Ankeny, shot two rounds of 1-under-par 71 during Sunday’s 36-hole trek around Spencer Golf & Country Club to earn a three shot victory over Brett Benson of Bird Island, MN.  Lucas Schaefebauer of Aberdeen, SD finished in solo third, four shots back of Olson.

The win places Olson in esteemed company amongst some of the greatest to ever play the “Iowa Circuit”.  In Rick Brown’s recent book on the history of golf in Iowa, he identifies “Iowa’s Big Five” tournaments, which includes the Iowa Amateur, Northwest Amateur, Iowa Open, Iowa Masters and the Herman Sani Tournament.  Olson’s win on Sunday gives him titles in four of the five events, joining just six other players to ever accomplish the feat – Jon Brown, Gene Elliott, John Leichty, Mike McCoy, Brad Schuchat, & Steve Spray.  Only the Iowa Masters crown has evaded Olson to this point.  No player has won all five. 

Up by three shots heading into the final round, Olson did not get off to a great start, which was the exact opposite of Benson, his closest pursuer.  Olson made a bogey on his first hole of the final round and then made a double bogey on 3 before coming back with a birdie at four.  Meanwhile Benson was making birdie on three of his first four holes.  That stretch flipped the lead as Olson went from three up to start the afternoon round to two back.  

After that double bogey on three, Olson simply played smart, steady golf.  In addition to the birdie at four, he carded a birdie at 7 to tie Benson heading into the final nine holes.  Schaefbauer, who was three back after three rounds, posted 1 birdie and 8 pars to get within one of the two leaders thru 63 holes.  Olson’s final nine holes were simply better than that of Benson and Shaefbauer.  He shot a 2-under 34 while the others could each muster a 37, giving Olson the final cushion. 

On the Senior side, Chris Kramer of West Des Moines was the champion, shooting rounds of 66-71 to finish six shots clear of Brian Verduyn of Polk City.  Bret Taylor of Booneville finished in solo third.  

The Senior competition of the Northwest Amateur is complete after 36 holes. 

Kramer’s 66 on day one did not include a bogey.  Over the two rounds he managed nine birdies and just two bogeys.  Verduyn and Taylor both posted a 66 in their second rounds to make the move up the leaderboard. 

You can view complete results here.

Ames’ Britta Snyder is competing this week at the 120th Women’s Western Amateur, held at Prestwick Country Club in Frankfort, IL.

Snyder made the 32-player cut to match play after firing rounds of 72-76 in stroke play.  She earned the 25th seed.  In her first round match she defeated Brianne Bolden of Makena, IL on the 21st hole.

In her second round match, Snyder fell to 24 seed Brigitte Thibault 2&1.

Follow the action here.

About the Women’s Western Amateur

Held without interruption since its inception in 1901, the Women’s Western Amateur is among the oldest annual championships in women’s amateur golf. Each year, it attracts many of the top amateur and collegiate golfers in the world.

The field is limited to 120 players. The list of past champions spans more than a century, from legendary stars Patty Berg (1938) and Louise Suggs (1946, 1947) to modern standouts like Brittany Lang (2003), Stacy Lewis (2006) and Ariya Jutanugarn (2012).

The competition begins with 18 holes of stroke play. After a second 18 holes of stroke play, the field is cut to the low 32 players for match play. The match play qualifiers are seeded in a single-elimination bracket to determine the Women’s Western Amateur champion.