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Strong Field Set for 107th Iowa Amateur at Sunnyside Country Club
One of the strongest fields in recent memory will compete for the 107th Iowa Amateur Championship. One hundred and sixty-five of Iowa’s top amateur golfers from all parts of the state will converge on Sunnyside Country Club in Waterloo on July 27-29 to compete for Iowa’s oldest and most prestigious amateur title.
Clear Lake native Mike Oimoen, who recently finished his college eligibility at Alabama-Birmingham, will defend the title he won last year in a playoff over Iowa State golfer Michael Wuertz of Davenport at Davenport Country Club.
The field includes six other past champions and seven former Players of the Year. Out of the current top 20 in the IGA’s Player of the Year rankings, 19 will be competing at Sunnyside.
Eight-time IGA Player of the Year and Four-time Iowa Amateur Champion Mike McCoy comes into the championship ranked 19th in Golfweek’s World Amateur Rankings. The West Des Moines Insurance executive has been playing a national schedule in 2009 with hopes of a Walker Cup berth on his mind. McCoy’s last win in the Iowa Amateur came in 1998 at nearby Beaver Hills CC in Cedar Falls.
Other past champions in the field include Gene Elliott of West Des Moines (2000), Nate Dunn of Cedar Rapids (2004), Brian Verduyn of Clive (2005), Jon Brown of Urbandale (2006), and Jared Walahoski of Urbandale (2007).
Former Player of the Year winners that will be competing include Boone’s Jim Curell (1979), McCoy (1983, 92, 93, 94, 96, 2001, 05, 08), Mike Ketcham of Waukee (1985), Ron Peterson of Des Moines (2000), Elliott (2002), Brown (2004, 06) and Dunn (2007).
Waukee native and Iowa State golfer Ben Herrera comes into the championship ranked 2nd in the IGA Player of the Year standings. Herrera has played extremely well all summer, with a win at the Fort Dodge Amateur and Runner-up finishes at the Carroll Amateur and Iowa Masters.
Also expected to compete is J.D. Anderson of West Des Moines. Perennially a top finisher in IGA events, Anderson has two victories in 2009. He teamed with Ron Peterson to win the IGA Four-Ball and won last week’s Lake Creek Amateur in Storm Lake.
Iowa State’s Nathan Leary of Waterloo leads a strong contingent of local players who will compete. Leary, currently ranked 1st in the IGA Player of the Year rankings, tied for 2nd Low Amateur at last week’s Waterloo Open, won the Hunters Ridge Am and was a semifinalist at the IGA Match Play.
Recent Waterloo Christian graduate Jonathan Tink is in the field. This spring Tink became just the third Iowa prep to win three straight High School individual state titles when he won the 1A title at Spring Valley in Livermore.
University of Northern Iowa golfers are well represented. Leading the way is IGA Match Play Champion Tyler Johnson of Belle Plaine. Kyle Bermel, Jared Doerfler, Troy Hoffman, Mason Linn and Matt Sargent are also scheduled to compete.
The Iowa Amateur was last played at Sunnyside Country Club in 1985 when Dana Kain of Ames finished four shots ahead of Mike Ketcham. Current Sunnyside Head Pro Steve Reilly finished tied for 6th.
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Championship Facts
107th Iowa Amateur
PAR AND YARDAGE: Rds 1 & 2 - 6,703 yards, Par 72 Final Rd - 6,756 yards, Par 72
HOLE BY HOLE: Rds 1 & 2 - Front 9 - 3,343, Par 36 Back 9 - 3,360, Par 36 Final Round - Front 9 - 3,368, Par 36 Back - 3,388, Par 36
ARCHITECT: The current course at Sunnyside Country Club was designed by E. Lawrence Packard and opened for play in 1970. Packard's most famous work includes four courses at the Innisbrook Golf Resort in Palm Harbor, FL.
SUNNYSIDE CC AND THE IOWA GOLF ASSOCIATION: 2009 will mark the second Iowa Amateur Championship played at the current Sunnyside CC. The first, in 1985, was won by Dana Kain of Ames. In recent years, Sunnyside CC has played host to two U.S. Mid-Am Qualifiers (02, 07), a U.S. Senior Open Qualifier (04), a U.S. Amateur Qualifier (06), the Iowa Mid-Amateur (05) and last year's IGA Club Team Championship.
THE FIELD: The IGA accepted 165 entries into the Iowa Amateur. The field is cut to the low 60 and ties for the final round.
SCHEDULE OF PLAY: Monday, July 27th: First round, 18 holes Tuesday, July 28th: Second round, 18 holes (field cut to the low 60 and ties after second round) Wednesday, July 29th: Final round, 18 holes - Awards Ceremony following play
MISCELLANEOUS HISTORY: Art Bartlett holds the record for most Iowa Amateur victories with seven (7).
Rod Bliss Jr and Rod Bliss III are the only Father-Son combo to each win the Iowa Amateur
John Jacobs and Bob McKee are the only players with titles in three different decades
Jack Webb defeated brother Don Webb in the 1949 Iowa Amateur Championship Match
The Iowa Amateur switched from Match Play to Stroke Play in 1960
The Iowa Amateur was not held from 1943-1945 due to World War II.
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