Cale Leonard turned his one-shot lead into a five shot lead going into the final round of the Iowa Junior Amateur Championship, held at Finkbine Golf Course in Iowa City. Leonard sits at the top of the leaderboard at four-under par after a 69 in the second round.

“I have been hitting the ball well and hitting a lot of greens,” said Leonard. “Trying to stay below the hole as much as possible here and making a few putts. I am just playing well out here.”

Out of both division, Leonard (right) is currently the only player under par this week. With a five-shot cushion, Leonard is just going to try and continue his consistent play and hold his ground. 

“I am not going to try to change anything, just keep hitting fairways and making putts and make the best score I can,” shared Leonard. “It’s not terribly hard (here) off the tee, thee greens are definitely the toughest. You have to make sure you get the right number on your approach shot and keep it below the hole.”

Preston Bily, of Indianola, jumped up to second place after carding an even par round. Bily is five shots behind Leonard but ended his day going three-under in his last 11 holes. Calen Bishop and Owen Howe are tied for third place at two-over par. Hayden Moore rounds out the top-five after a 72 in today’s round. 

Everything is going right for Bella Pettersen (pictured at top of page) this week as she leads the Girls’ Division by eight shots. The Finkbine native carded a two-under 70 in the second round that included three birdies and only one bogey. 

“My ball striking has been working well for me this week. I have been working hard to get it back to where it was since my arthritis,” shared Pettersen. “My putting is probably my biggest downfall, but I really pulled it together today.”

Ball striking and putting are very important at Finkbine, and with a little home course advantage, Pettersen was able to take advantage of her opportunities. 

“This being my home course, I know how it plays each day and what pin locations you can go after and which ones you can’t. You just have to pick the spots that you really want to hit at and you know you can make those putts.” 

Addison Berg, who recently won the IGA Women’s Four-Ball Championship with Pettersen, finds herself in second place at 11-over par. Berg got off to a slow start in round two, but was able to get it back with a two-under 34 on her back nine. 

The IGA Parent-Child Champion, Maura Peters, finished day two in third place after recording a four-over 76. Lauren Briggs, of Burlington, pushed herself into the top-five with a 75 in today’s round. Erika Holmberg holds fifth place going into the final day at 15-over par. 

The final round of the Iowa Junior Amateur Championship at Finkbine Golf Course will begin Wednesday morning.

Iowa Junior Amateur Championship
1. Cale Leonard 71-69=140
2. Preston Bily 73-72=145
T3. Owen Howe 73-73=146
T3 Calen Bishop 74-72=146
5. Hayden Moore 75-72=147

Iowa Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship
1. Bella Pettersen 77-70=147
2. Addison Berg 77-78=155
3. Maura Peters 80-76=156
4. Lauren Briggs 82-75=157
5. Erika Holmberg 80-79=159