He’d yet to win the Class 4A individual state golf championship while helping the Bobcats claim the team title. He hadn’t yet signed his National Letter of Intent to golf at Loyola University Chicago or play in all 23 collegiate meets for the Ramblers.

Two years later, with all that experience and achievement in tow, Vance is back on top of the T-R City Open at the turn.

Vance shot a 66 on Saturday at Elmwood to carry a three-stroke lead into today’s final 18 holes of play at the American Legion Memorial Golf Course, leading MHS senior-to-be Cole Davis and a cast of familiar faces in the 32nd annual T-R City Golf Tournament.

Vance opened with a bogey on the first hole but never again strayed above par on Saturday, carding five birdies and the rest pars for a 34-32–66 that places him atop the field going into the final round. The only pressure that exists for Vance this weekend is any he’s putting on himself to win his first City Open title, and the heat that will come from the talented group of golfers in the 17-man championship flight today.

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE - Four-time City Open champion Sam Zoske blasts out of the bunker in front of the 17th green on his way to a par during the first round of the Times-Republican City Golf Tournament on Saturday at Elmwood Country Club.

“I’m excited because I was a member at the Legion for however many years, so I feel like that’s my original home course,” said Vance, soon to be a sophomore at Loyola. “I think Elmwood did a good job of making it challenging, I had a good group and we had fun. It’s always fun to play in a tournament when you’re not always stressed to the max.”

It will help Vance, he said, having a final foursome that also includes Davis, fellow 2018 MHS graduate Tate Carlson and four-time City Open champion Sam Zoske.

“Obviously it makes tomorrow a bunch of fun to be in the last group, a decent amount of people come out and watch, and we’ve got a great group so we’re going to have a bunch of fun,” Vance said.

His hope, though he never voiced it, would be to hold onto the lead he carried into the final round at the Legion two summers ago. Bob Brooks shot 67-67–134 to catch him when Vance carded 66-70–136. Zoske went 69-68–137 to place third from the next-to-last foursome, but he’ll savor his spot in the final group if he wants to give Vance and the rest of the young guys around him a run for the money.

“Sometimes it’s almost easier [playing from behind],” said Zoske, who tied Carlson for third with an even-par 70 on Saturday. “I don’t think Nate’s won a City and he’s played in a lot of events, he’s a very good golfer and this isn’t a huge deal for him, but at the end of the day it’s always kind of fun to win your first City growing up here.

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE - Four-time City Open champion Sam Zoske blasts out of the bunker in front of the 17th green on his way to a par during the first round of the Times-Republican City Golf Tournament on Saturday at Elmwood Country Club.

“It’s kind of a big deal regardless of that, so when you’ve got somebody behind you putting a little pressure on you, a one- or two-stroke swing early in the round makes you feel a little uneasy. We’ve got to come out and put a little pressure on him early, whether it’s me or Tate or Cole, just to get him thinking about it.”

The first group from the championship flight tees off at 12:10 p.m., while the final foursome is off at 12:50 p.m. Zoske suggests that any one of the 17 golfers in contention can make a run at the title, whether it be the defending champion Davis, sophomore-to-be Grant Greazel (who beat Zoske for the Elmwood CC men’s club championship), or reigning Super Senior champion Rob Christensen.

“We’ve had some really good players play in this the past 12 years, but I really truly believe on the top side this is probably the strongest field with these kids and all the guys from Elmwood that play well,” Zoske said. “I honestly believe this is as strong of a top end since I’ve been there. I think anybody can win it, but that comes down to how well Nate plays.”

The City Open’s record round at the Legion was the 7-under 63 shot by Matt Steddom in 2005 during his run of four consecutive titles. It might take that kind of number to catch Vance, Carlson said.

“It’s his home course, so I think I’ll have to go pretty low,” he said. “I was in the last group last year, it’s a pretty good environment.”

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

Each of the final four golfers showed the kind of game that could get them down there, but only Vance avoided the bogeys that brought the rest of the field back up toward par. Vance dodged the penalty strokes that prevented Zoske from joining him atop the leaderboard while also getting hot with the putter in his hand.

“Better than I have been this summer,” Vance said of his putting. “It always helps when you don’t play a hole well and you roll in a 10-footer for par, so I got lucky a couple times doing that.”

Both Davis and Carlson dropped in an eagle during their round — another opportunity Zoske missed — as Davis found his way free of the trees on the left side of the 13th fairway to get within 15 feet and sink his eagle putt. Carlson had a ho-hum eagle on the par-5 seventh hole and followed it up with a birdie on No. 8 to get to 2-under before making the turn.

Carlson also closed the round with back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18.

Davis finished with three birdies, the eagle at 13 and offset it all with four bogeys.

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

“I didn’t hit it the best, just kind of scrapped it around and made a bunch of pars,” he said. “I seem to always play better when the competition’s a little more tough that I’m playing with, and Nate and I always feed off each other. We’re competitive but friends.

“We’ll just go after it tomorrow, chase Nate down. Gonna have to probably shoot 64, which is doable at the Legion.”

Zoske wasn’t far off shooting that on Saturday, save for an out-of-bounds tee shot on the par-4 fourth hole and a double bogey on the par-5 13th thanks to another penalty stroke. He rebounded on both occasions, however. His provisional tee shot on No. 4 reached the green and he dropped the putt for what could have been an eagle 2 instead of a par 4. He followed up 13 with back-to-back birdies on 15 and 16.

“I fought on the front nine and there were a few putts I didn’t make, so plus-1 was fair making the turn and on the back side I really felt confident,” Zoske said. “I saw the scores, birdied 10, had some really good vibes coming in and just hit a really unfortunate shot on 13. That’s a three-stroke swing, but I’m happy with the way I finished.

“That (eagle/par on 4) was a lot of motivation to just keep your head and I knew the course as playing a little more difficult than it does typically and you’ve just got to keep your head and keep playing.”

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

That was the formula for Chad Plaehn, who found his way into the final group of the championship flight after shooting 44-34–78. He had no birdies on the front side and remedied that with three on the back nine, joining Jeff Schneider and three-time Senior Champion Pat Ryan in a tie for 15th place.

Greazel shot a steady round of 72, while JD Pollard, Tom Weis and Christensen shared sixth place with their 73s. Joel Ethington shot 74 to reach the championship flight for the first time since 2011, while Jeff Miller finished in at 75. Troy and Zach Underhill both shot 76 to tie for 11th, and Lee VanCleave carded 77 to join Riley Wirth in 13th place.

Zach Underhill is the only first-time qualifier for the championship flight. This marks the 27th time Ryan has been in the running for T-R City Open titlist in its 32 years.

“I’m excited for tomorrow,” said Vance. “I always love a good finish at the Legion.”

PLAYS OF THE DAY

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

The shot of the day belonged to Steve Ruddick, who scored a hole-in-one on the par-3 16th hole. Ruddick also birdied the par-3 sixth and shares the lead in the second flight with Jim Carlson going into today’s final round at the Legion. Both shot an 84.

Todd Weaver chipped in for an eagle 2 on the par-4 18th, but fellow first flight qualifier Sam Weatherman made it look better by dropping his tee shot on the 18th to within two feet for a tap-in eagle. Both golfers also birdied the par-4 ninth.

HENSON’S TITLE DEFENSE

Marshalltown High School sophomore-to-be Amber Henson has a stranglehold on the race for the women’s title. Henson, who won last year’s tournament by nine strokes at a record-low age of 14, carries a 13-stroke lead into today’s final round at the Legion after shooting 40-41–81 on Saturday.

Henson had birdies on the par-3 sixth, the par-4 ninth and the par-5 13th but struggled to stave off the bogeys that buoyed her score.

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

“It’s exciting and nice to have a good lead going into tomorrow,” she said. “I was kind of nervous coming into today and started out a little rough. I three-putted the first hole but then I got my game back together toward the end.

“I’m usually a pretty good putter so I don’t really three-putt that often and it just annoys me when I do because you can lose a lot of strokes with putting. It just bugs me. I had a lot of one-putts towards the end so that kind of brought my round together.”

Henson said she stuck her driver in her back and left it there for a better portion of the day, which helped her recover her round. She was back out on the driving range afterward working out the kinks, anticipating the need for it on Sunday at the Legion.

She has plenty of cushion, too. LeeAnn Ainley was next up with a 94, followed by Norah Wilson (102) and Paula Weaver (107). Kristy Stewart (113), Patty Duff (115), Liz Stewart (125) and Sydney Faltys (130) close out the eight-player women’s division.

“Everyone kind of expects me to win it, so that’s kind of hard,” Henson said, “but I guess there isn’t too much pressure on me. I want to have a better score than I did last year because I struggled at Elmwood.”

Last year’s winning score for Henson included a 90 at Elmwood and a 79 on the opening day at the Legion. Henson and Stewart are the only two women who played in last year’s event, too.

LADIES DIVISION

8:20 a.m.

1. Amber Henson, +10, 81

2. LeeAnn Ainley, +23, 94

3. Norah Wilson, +31, 102

4. Paula Weaver, +36, 107

8:10 a.m.

5. Kristy Stewart, +42, 113

6. Patty Duff, +44, 115

7. Liz Stewart, +54, 125

8. Sydney Faltys, +59, 130

OPEN DIVISION

CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT

12:50 p.m.

1. Nate Vance, -4, 66

2. Cole Davis, -1, 69

3. Sam Zoske, E, 70

3. Tate Carlson, E, 70

12:40 p.m.

5. Grant Greazel, +2, 72

6. JD Pollard, +3, 73

6. Rob Christensen, +3, 73

6. Tom Weis, +3, 73

12:30 p.m.

9. Joel Ethington, +4, 74

10. Jeff Miller, +5, 75

11. Troy Underhill, +6, 76

12:20 p.m.

11. Zach Underhill, +6, 76

13. Lee Vancleave, +7, 77

13. Wirth Riley, +7, 77

12:10 p.m.

15. Chad Plaehn, +8, 78

15. Jeff Schneider, +8, 78

15. Pat Ryan, +8, 78

FIRST FLIGHT

11:30 a.m.

1. Keygan Hansen, +9, 79

1. Sam Weatherman, +9, 79

3. Grant Smith, +10, 80

4. Todd Weaver, +11, 81

11:20 a.m.

4. Aidda Phomvisay, +11, 81

4. John Haney, +11, 81

4. Ross Turbiville, +11, 81

4. Tom Apgar, +11, 81

11:10 a.m.

4. Tyler Stahlin, +11, 81

10. Curt Hoff, +12, 82

10. Darin Shipley, +12, 82

10. Jim Henink, +12, 82

11 a.m.

10. Luke Appel, +12, 82

10. Taylor Wilson, +12, 82

15. Mel Koch, +13, 83

15. Travis Stewart, +13, 83

SECOND FLIGHT

10:40 a.m.

1. Jim Carlson, +14, 84

1. Steve Ruddick, +14, 84

3. Brian Kadner, +15, 85

3. Bryan Herschberger, +15, 85

10:30 a.m.

3. Don Eicher, +15, 85

3. Jeff Tice, +15, 85

3. Mark Wolken, +15, 85

3. Mason Reid, +15, 85

10:20 a.m.

9. Paul Ainley, +16, 86

10. Brayden Fahrni, +17, 87

10. Owen Chaloupeck, +17, 87

10. Mark Finch, +17, 87

10:10 a.m.

10. Joe Hannam, +17, 87

10. Todd Bolar, +17, 87

10. Warren Wolken, +17, 87

THIRD FLIGHT

10 a.m.

1. Colin Schmit, +18, 88

1. Dao Sorlaesith, +18, 88

1. Dave Benz, +18, 88

1. Donny Weeks, +18, 88

9:50 a.m.

1. John Casey, +18, 88

1. Rob Sandvick, +18, 88

1. Trent Upah, +18, 88

8. Gary Bolar, +19, 89

9:40 a.m.

8. Then Baccam, +19, 89

10. Darren Bare, +20, 90

10. Matthew Hannam, +20, 90

9:30 a.m.

12. Aaron Fleming, +21, 91

12. Brad Kadner, +21, 91

12. Brian Wilkie, +21, 91

9:20 a.m.

12. Chuck Misek, +21, 91

12. Joel Chandler, +21, 91

12. Shawn Morris, +21, 91

FOURTH FLIGHT

9:10 a.m.

1. Michael Fosdick, +22, 92

2. Jon Vance, +23, 93

2. Ron Davis, +23, 93

4. Zach Stahlin, +24, 94

9 a.m.

4. Denny Gould, +24, 94

4. Kent Carson, +24, 94

4. Matt Yates, +24, 94

4. Steve Knutson, +24, 94

8:50 a.m.

9. Nick Stanton, +25, 95

10. Don Merschbrock, +26, 96

10. Robert Manceri, +26, 96

12. Don Rhodes, +27, 97

8:40 a.m.

12. Geoff Hubbard, +27, 97

12. Rob Weatherly, +27, 97

12. Thomas Fleming, +27, 97

FIFTH FLIGHT

8 a.m.

1. Thad Lents, +28, 98

2. Bret Ferneau, +29, 99

2. Jerry Summers, +29, 99

2. Justin Sorensen, +29, 99

7:50 a.m.

2. Kim Ruddick, +29, 99

2. Steve Dunham, +29, 99

7. Jeff Welsch, +30, 100

8. Alec Gansemer, +31, 101

7:40 a.m.

8. Jon Bru, +31, 101

10. Kenny Weeks, +32, 102

11. Will Shipley, +36, 106

7:30 a.m.

12. Jason Kelling, +44, 114

13. Cael Sandvick, +46, 116

14. Trent Potter, +47, 117

SUPER SENIOR DIVISION

Noon

1. Tony Giannetto, E, 70

2. Pete Kelly, +2, 72

3. Bruce Weir, +10, 80

3. Mike Anderson, +10, 80

11:50 a.m.

5. Arch Allison, +13, 83

6. Jack Smith, +15, 85

6. Mike Ward, +15, 85

11:40 a.m.

8. Lyle Riddout, +19, 89

9. Allan Knight, +25, 95

10. Gerald Hamilton, +31, 101

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