AUGUST 25, 2017 –
There are three big events taking place involving Iowa golfers this weekend – the USGA Senior Amateur in Minneapolis, the Briarwood Amateur and the Iowa Open. Click the links below to view scoring, tee times and other info for all three.
2017 Briarwood Amateur (Briarwood Golf Club)
A pair of college golfers advanced to the U.S. Amateur on Monday at Finkbine Golf Course in Iowa City.
Alex Moorman of Centerville, who plays collegiately at Iowa, and Daniel Sutton, who is from England but plays at Kansas, each posted 36-hole totals of 6-under 138 to claim co-medalist honors and the only two spots into the field at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles in mid-August. Sutton shot identical rounds of 69 while Moorman posted 71 in the morning 18 and then fired 5-under 67 in the afternoon.
Garrett May (Rock Island, IL) shot 4-under 140 (68-72) to earn 1st alternate status while Luke Miller of Clive (71-71) was at 2-under 142 and is the 2nd alternate. May plays collegiately at Baylor while Miller is a mid-amateur.
This year marks the 80th Annual Iowa Masters Golf Tournament. The Iowa Masters is an invitational golf tournament sponsored by Veenker Memorial Golf Course and Facilities Planning and Management of Iowa State University. The Iowa Masters is one of the Iowa Golf Association’s “major” tournaments that determine the IGA Amateur, Senior Amateur and Super Senior Amateur of the Year awards. The Iowa Masters is also a World Amateur Golf Rankings event.
The tournament is scheduled to be contested over 54 holes with all competitors playing both Friday and Saturday. Following the second round, a cut is made to determine the field for the final round.
The Iowa Masters has historically been the standard by which other tournaments around the state pattern themselves. The committee that runs the Iowa Masters dedicates themselves to preserving the history of the tournament while continuing to improve it for the benefit of amateur golfers.
Click here to follow the action this weekend
WILLIAMSBURG, IOWA – Julie Buerman of Cedar Rapids won her final match against Kelly Nelson of Waterloo this afternoon, finishing first in the championship flight at the Forever 39 Match Play Championship at Stone Creek Golf Course in Williamsburg, Iowa.
Buerman shot a one over 37 in the stroke play round during the morning of the first day, putting her just one stroke behind the leader Nelson and giving her the second seed in the Championship Flight. That afternoon she went on to win her first match against Robin Webb of Clive with a two up finish after the ninth hole.
She continued to dominate on the second day and won her morning match against Rose Kubesheski of Dubuque with a one up finish on the ninth. Despite windy conditions in the afternoon, Buerman was able to win her match against Nelson five and three. Her final score was a four-under 32 and the course record at Stone Creek Golf Course. “I was making lots of putts. I could just see the line and have the distance on just about every green,” said Buerman.
Buerman, who also coaches the Girl’s Golf team at Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids has won this event twice in the last three years. “I think it is a more relaxed tournament. There are a great group of ladies who play in this tournament and that always makes it fun,” said Buerman. “It is just a different atmosphere and it is great.”
Jennifer Corkrean of Ankeny, was the champion of the first flight after beating out Lora Winter of Walford in the final match two and one. Nicki Clayton of Greenfield won the second flight with a four and two final match against Mary Nelson of Ankeny.
“It was just a great course and kept well. I am really looking forward to coming back here,” said Buerman. Stone Creek Golf Course was a gracious host during this event and prove to be a great venue that fostered competitive play and a fantastic challenge for the field.
WILLIAMSBURG, IOWA – Kelly Nelson from Waterloo, Iowa fired a solid even par this morning to place her at the top of the leaderboard in the Iowa Golf Association’s Forever 39 stroke play qualifier. She finished the afternoon strong and won her match against Kathy Fortune from Rockwell City, Iowa.
The Forever 39 Match-Play event is being held at Stone Creek Golf Course in Williamsburg, Iowa. The nine-hole course was ranked Top 25 in the nation by Golf Digest in 2011. “The course is great! I wish it was in Waterloo! It is just so great to be out here and to play competitive matches with ladies who all really want to win,” said Nelson.
Kelly Nelson played at University of Northern Iowa from 1993 to 1997. “I’ve really been playing well all summer long. I have been focusing a lot on my short game and it just showed today.” said Nelson. She ended the day with only three bogeys.
Play will continue tomorrow with round two of match play in the morning and a final round of match play in the afternoon.
ELLIOTT WINS TRANS-MISS SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP – Click here for full recap
Round two recap…
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – Gene Elliott shot a brilliant 5-under-par 66 on Wednesday at Eldorado Country Club to take the 36-hole lead of 2017 Trans-Mississippi Senior Amateur Championship. The bogey-free effort propelled him into a six-shot lead in the 54-hole stroke play event.
A native of Des Moines, Iowa, the 55-year-old Elliott owns an equipment company that serves municipalities throughout seven Midwest states. He’s also one of the more accomplished senior amateurs in the entire country. Paired with his opening round 72, Elliott’s second round 66 moved him to 4-under 138 for the championship.
Click here to read more here, including live scoring.
Chris Rager of Sioux City won the rain-shortened Tri-State Masters on Sunday at Green Valley Golf Course.
Read a full recap by the Sioux City Journal’s Barry Poe here.
Players faced difficult scoring conditions all weekend at The Preserve at Rathbun Lake, but in the end Alex Moorman, Terry Cook & David Studer handled the tough setting the best.
Moorman, of Centerville, won the title in the Open Division by six shots. He opened with a 3-under 69 on Saturday and then shot a 2-under 70 on Sunday morning. The tournament format calls for a final 9 holes on Sunday afternoon for those that make the championship flight, and Moorman fired a 1-under 35 on the front 9. J.D. Anderson, of Johnston, finished in second (70-75-35).
Cook, of Johnston, earned his title in the Senior Division with a playoff victory over Joe Bates, of Albia. Cook went 76-73 (seniors don’t play a final 9 holes) while Bates reversed that with a 73-76. Cook then won on the first playoff hole.
David “Doc” Studer won the inaugural playing of the Super Senior Division (65+) at the Southeast Iowa Amateur. “Doc”, of West Des Moines, opened with a 2-over-par 74 and closed with a 77 on Sunday. He finished well in front of second place Tim Taylor (85-77) of Ankeny.
MAY 22 –
Chris Rager battled the elements and came out victorious at the Tri-State Masters this weekend. Click here to read more.
Alex Moorman, Terry Cook and David Studer won titles at the Southeast Iowa Amateur this weekend. Click here to read more.
A school record performance propelled Iowa State to just it’s second NCAA golf finals appearance since 1950 on Wednesday. The Cyclone men put together a stunning 21-under-par 263 at the UT Golf Club in Austin, Texas to finish in 3rd and claim one of the five qualifying spots into the finals. The team was led by senior Nick Voke, who lit up UT Golf Club with a school record and course record 10-under 61 during the final round.
Voke’s course record performance also earned him medalist honors at the regional. He is the first Cyclone golfer ever to accomplish that feat. The win also gives him five for his career, which is the most ever at Iowa State. His 61 included 8 birdies, 1 eagle and no bogeys.
In the final round alone, Iowa State counted Voke’s 61, Ruben Sondjaja’s 66, and Denzel Ieremia & Tripp Kinney’s 68s. Sam Vincent shot a 1-over 72. Sondjaja finished T10 individually.
The Iowa Hawkeye men were playing in the regional in Baton Rouge, LA but were unable to mount the charge needed to make the NCAA finals. They finished in a tie for 10th and were led by Carson Schaake, who place T35 individually.
Iowa State now advance to the finals held at Rich Harvest Farms outside Chicago. The championship will be contested May 26-31. The first three days are traditional team stroke play to determine the low 8 teams that will move on to team match play. The Cyclones last made the NCAA finals in 2014 at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchison, Kansas.