×

Red-number day

Vance leads; Scorecard costs Brooks his share

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE • Troy Underhill putts onto the 12th green at Elmwood Country Club during Saturday’s opening round of the Times-Republican City Golf Tournament. Underhill parred the hole and finished in with a 3-under-par 67 to end within one shot of the leader going into today’s final 18 holes at the American Legion Memorial Golf Course.

Marshalltown High School senior Nate Vance shot a 4-under par 66 Saturday at Elmwood Country Club to lead the first round of the Times-Republican Marshalltown City Golf Tournament.

Vance would have had to share the lead with Bob Brooks, but Brooks signed his scorecard for 67 when his actual score was 66.

The rules of golf permit a player who signs an incorrect scorecard to continue play with the higher score. Had Brooks signed his card for a lower score than his actual score, he would have been disqualified.

Troy Underhill shot a 3-under par 67 to tie with Brooks for second place after 18 holes.

The final round will be played Sunday at the American Legion Golf Course.

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE • Bob Brooks follows the path of his birdie attempt on the 17th green at Elmwood Country Club during Saturday’s opening round of the Times-Republican City Golf Tournament. Brooks, who set the course record of 59 on Tuesday, shot a 67 and is tied for second place.

In all, the low 16 scores and ties will vie for the title, giving players who shot as high as 73 a shot for the win.

John Detrich and Tony Giannetto are tied atop the Super Senior Division with 74s.

In the Ladies Division, Sam Bryngelson shot out to a 6-stroke lead over LeAnn Ainley and Jackie Zimmerman with a first-round score of 88.

Vance was out early Saturday morning and countered a single bogey with five birdies for his 66. He missed only three fairways and hit 14 greens, cooking up the perfect recipe for Elmwood’s short but risk-filled 18 holes. He missed short birdie putts on 9 and 14, his only error coming on number 11 when his tee shot “ended up right next next to a tree,” he said.

“A stress-free round,” Vance added.

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE • Four-time T-R City Golf Tournament champion Sam Zoske, left, reacts after his eagle putt on the 18th hole just misses its target on Saturday at Elmwood Country Club.

Underhill, playing late in the day, said his “wedge game was really good,” hitting 15 of 18 greens, overcoming bogeys on 2 and 3 before adding 5 birdies to one on the opening hole for his 67.

He added, “I missed a couple of short putts including a 3-foot birdie try on 9.”

Brooks, who fired an 11-under par 59 Tuesday to set a new Elmwood course record, bogeyed the 18th when he “tried to hit the driver too hard,” had to play out of the trees on the left side and punched his second shot just over the green. His downhill chip shot slid past the hole before trundling off the front of the green, and his putt back for par nicked the right edge of the cup but failed to drop.

At 68, two strokes back of the leaders, was long-hitting Donnie Eicher who bogeyed 1 and 18 and “left four birdie putts about three inches short,” he said, adding he could have shot 7 or 8 under had his putting been as good as his tee ball. Eicher said he missed only two fairways all day.

Tied at 69 are defending champion and four-time winner Sam Zoske and MHS sophomore Cole Davis, who hit 10 greens and said his short game was “stellar.” Zoske has not won back-to-back city titles and half of his championships were closed at Elmwood. In 2009 and 2011, Zoske won at the American Legion Golf Course in the tourney’s final day.

Zoske drove the fourth and 18th greens but the round was marred by a double-bogey 5 on the 112-yard par-3 12th. His long downhill eagle putt on 18 looked down into the hole but just slid by, leaving him with a kick-in birdie 3.

Green superintendent Bill Benda shot 70 to put him fifth place. Tied at 71 are Pete Kelly, Kip Hilderbrand, JD Pollard, Jeff Schneider and Rob Christensen. Pat Ryan, Todd Weaver and Tate Carlson are next with 2-over 72s.

Leading the first flight is Nathan Van Becelaere with 74 followed by Trent Davis with 75.

Three players with 79 are tied for first in the second flight: Cody Hilderbrand, Jon Bru and Travis Stewart.

In the third flight, Brian Ferneau, Theron Schutte, Riley Wirth and Zach Underhill lead with scores of 82.

Pat Hala and Brett Ferneau shot 85 to lead the fourth flight; the fifth flight is paced by Mike Ward, Curt Bousum and Paul Waldron.

For Chad Moler, the 112-yard 12 hole was the perfect salve for a round that had included a triple-bogey and a double-bogey. Moler fired his gap wedge into the hole for an ace, the ball hitting a few inches wide but rolling in for his first hole-in-one. His excitement was dulled a little when he double-bogeyed the par-5 13th hole. Moler ended up with 76, good for a tie for third in the first flight.

Sunday’s final round the the Legion course begins at 7:30 a.m. with the final group in the championship flight slated to tee off at 1:20 p.m.

https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/3389468199186644424

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.38/week.

Subscribe Today