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Strong finish leads to win
After a horrendous start to his final round, Jon Olson of Ankeny rallied to win the 26th Iowa Mid-Amateur Championship at Centennial Oaks Golf Club in Waverly. He defeated Nate Steege of Cedar Falls on the second playoff hole after both finished at two-under par 142 for 36 holes.
After a double bogey start on the first hole that included two penalty shots and a tee shot that went out of bounds on the third, Olson rebounded. After settling himself he finished with a front nine 40, then caught fire on the back nine. He birdied ten, thirteen and then the final three holes to shoot 31 and force the playoff with Steege. Jeff Collett of Ottumwa, who entered the final round tied with Olson and Steege for the lead, shot a final round 72 to finish one shot out of the playoff.
The two penalty shots on the first hole for the eventual champion sould have only been one. After Olson had addressed his ball to tap in a short putt, the ball moved. After consulting a rules official, he realized he had neglected to replace it to its original position, thus resulting in two penalty strokes.
The play of the final group is all the more impressive considering the terrible conditions the players faced in the final round. Cold, windy and rainy conditions made scoring extremely difficult at Centennial Oaks GC.
Results
Round 2 Pairings
Course Statistics
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