T-R FILE PHOTO - Cole Davis watches the flight of his tee shot on the 18th hole at the American Legion Memorial Golf Course during the final round of the 2024 Times-Republican City Golf Tournament on Aug. 4, 2024. Davis is the defending champion.

In 2017, Bob Brooks became just the second golfer in the 37 year history of the Times-Republican City Golf Tournament to win the Open Division as well as the Senior title.

The seven Open champions since haven’t even halfway qualified for the Senior Division.

The youth movement has made its mark in the recent history of the City Open, starring three members of Marshalltown High School’s Class 4A state golf championship team from 2017. Individual state champion Nate Vance won the T-R title in 2019, Tate Carlson took back-to-back trophies in 2020 and 2021, and defending champion Cole Davis won in 2018, 2022 and 2024.

Even 2023 City champion Grant Greazel won a thing or two. He was a member of the NJCAA National Championship men’s golf team at Kirkwood Community College the spring prior to winning the City Open, and he was the NJCAA individual medalist the following spring.

Only Davis, however, is teeing it up this weekend in Marshalltown.

Davis is one of only two former T-R City Open titlists entered for the 38th annual rendition of the unofficial Marshalltown championship. Rob Christensen, who three-peated from 1992-94, is the other.

By no means does that make this year’s event a one-man race, but the field is going to have to play well to keep pace with Davis.

Davis shot an average round of 75.9 in 14 competitive meets as a senior on the Creighton University men’s golf team. In 41 rounds, he averaged 4-over-par.

He won last summer’s City Open with a 7-under total of 133, just three strokes shy of his tournament record of 130 in 2022.

Davis and Greazel were the only two golfers to finish under par in last year’s event. However, a number of last year’s golfers from the championship flight are entered again this weekend.

Aaron Fleming, who finished fourth, returns to the tournament, as does reigning Senior champion Brandon Dutton, Taylor Wilson, MHS sophomore-to-be Joe Greazel, Chad Moler, Troy Underhill, Joe Myers, Ty Faltys and David Eichhorn.

Even Christensen returned to the championship flight last summer, finishing 12th overall.

And with a forecast finally devoid of rain or sweltering heat, the elements shouldn’t detract from the strong play Marshalltown golf fans have come to expect from the T-R City Golf Tournament.

There are only four entrants into the Women’s Division this weekend, including defending champion Leiah Paustian. Paustian shot 88-92–180 last summer to claim her first title by a four-stroke margin. Leah Stahlin and Margaret Fehrle return to the field, along with first-timer Morgan Hilderbrand. Hilderbrand, a sophomore-to-be at MHS, was the Bobcats’ third-leading scorer during her freshman season this past spring.

38th Annual Times-Republican City Golf Tournament

Pairings and Tee Times — First Round: Saturday, Aug. 2, at American Legion

8 a.m. — Lom Cavan, Dao Sorlaesith, Then Baccam, Paul Collins

8:12 a.m. — Chad Moler, Brandon Dutton, Jim Carlson, Mark Wolken

8:24 a.m. — Todd Weaver, Troy Underhill, Zach Underhill, Ty Faltys

8:36 a.m. — Jeff Schneider, Jim Bowie, Tyler Stahlin, Devon Driscoll

8:48 a.m. — Mike Anderson, Mike Ward, Scott Riemenschneider, Dan Propst

9 a.m. — Jeff Welch, Jon Bru, Mel Koch, Mike Garret

9:12 a.m. — Curt Hoff, Pat Ryan, Pete Kelly, Rob Christensen

9:24 a.m. — Thomas Fleming, Aaron Fleming, Gavin Misek, Korben McKibben

9:36 a.m. — Steven Alvarez, Nick Buhr, Kelly Cooper, Joel Chandler

10 a.m. — Joe Hannam, Shawn Morris, Jerry Summers, John Caster

10:12 a.m. — Jacob Thiessen, Carter Giannetto, Trae Misek, Mike Peschong

10:24 a.m. — Morgan Hilderbrand, Leiah Paustian, Leah Stahlin, Margret Fehrle

10:36 a.m. — Ray Halverson, Darin Shipley, Will Shipley, Todd Bolar

10:48 a.m. — Bret Ferneau, Brian Ferneau, Joe Gummert, Blake Micllef

11 a.m. — Tayven Dutton, Joe Greazel, Rylan Weaver, Wyatt Stalzer

11:12 a.m. — Joe Myers, Riley Myers, Mike Younkin, Dan Buffington

11:24 a.m. — Owen Chaloupek, Donny Weeks, Chris McWherter, Eric Wilson

11:48 a.m. — Rob VanHorn, Steve Ruddick, Austin Ruddick, Matthew Weise

12 p.m. — Taylor Wilson, Tyler Slagle, David Eichhorn Jr., Cole Davis

12:12 p.m. — Ryan Bennett, John Haney, Trent Upah, John Grier

12:24 p.m. — Dylan Frye, Kenneth Logsdon, Bryan Betts, David Gersema

12:36 p.m. — Kishan Gordham, Logan Krough, Chris Blanchard, Chris Bennett

12:48 p.m. — Brad Kadner, Brian Kadner, Kent Carson, Jeff Tice

1 p.m. — Jose Alcazar, Marcos Nunez, Nick Vesely, Jose Tejeda

1:12 p.m. — Dave Benz, Tom Wahl, Sean Raymond, Antonio Botello

1:24 p.m. — Ivan Hernandez, Aristeo Hernandez, Eden Hernandez, Joel Botello