January 7, 2008

A total of 6 golfers with ties to the state of Iowa, either by growing up in the state or playing college golf, will compete in the first event of the Gateway Tour Desert Winter Series in Buckeye, Arizona.  Jon Olson of Ames, Andrew Corderman of Sac City and Rusty Grant of Clive will tee it up and play for a total purse of $126,000 at The Raven Golf Club at Verrado from January 8-10.  Also competing in the first event will be PGA Tour veteran and Oskaloosa native Jerry Smith as well as former Iowa State golfer Rodney Hamblin and Drake golfer Kane Hanson. 

As with most professional golfers, these players experienced much success in state-level amateur championships.  Olson was the champion of the IGA Public Links Championship in 2003 while Hamblin made it to the quarterfinals of the 2005 IGA Match Play.  Jerry Smith had tremendous success as an amateur in Iowa in the mid-80's including winning the 1986 Iowa Amateur, IGA Match Play and Amateur of the Year titles.  

The Desert Winter Series consists of 7 tournaments and a concludes with the Winter Series Championship March 6-9.  All events are scheduled in and around the Phoenix area.  The regular tournaments are 54-hole events while the series championship consists of 72 holes.  The mission of the Gateway Tour is to provide an environment for golfers to build the skills necessary to compete on the PGA Tour. 

Many former Gateway Tour members have gone on to success on the PGA Tour.  They include 2005 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Sean O’Hair, PGA Tour winners Notah Begay and J.B. Holmes, Joey Snyder III, Kevin Stadler, Charley Hoffman, Bubba Watson, and Ty Tryon. Nine former Gateway Tour players from the 2006 Nationwide Tour earned their 2007 PGA Tour cards as well.

Follow the players as they hone their games and try to take the next step in their professional golf playing career.  Click here to visit the Desert Series website.

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