Iowa Golf Association Announces 2011 Player of the Year Awards

Iowa Golf Association Release

URBANDALE, Iowa — The Iowa Golf Association has announced the recipients of the 2011 IGA Player of the Year, Senior Player of the Year and Junior Player of the Year awards.

Gene Elliott edges Nate McCoy for IGA Player of the Year

Iowa’s prominence on the national golf scene continues to grow and is also having a major impact on the race for IGA Player of the Year. Late season success at both the U. S. Amateur and U. S. Mid-Amateur gave Iowa Amateur Champion Gene Elliott a mere 15 point margin over Dogwood Invitational Champion Nate McCoy.

This is Elliott’s second Player of the Year award. He previously won it in 2002.

The victory in the Iowa Amateur was by far the emotional highlight of the season for Elliott. After battling some health issues which caused him to sit out most of the 2010 season, the 49-year-old from West Des Moines captured the Amateur title on his home course of Glen Oaks Country Club in a dramatic one-hole playoff with Jon Olson.

Elliott also captured victories in the amateur side of the Waterloo Open and at the Briarwood Amateur. He was the medalist at the U. S. Amateur qualifying held in Nebraska but failed to advance to match play. In the U. S. Mid-Amateur he got in as an alternate and then took advantage of the opportunity with a second round of 69 to advance to match play.

Runner-up Nate McCoy, also of West Des Moines, had a breakout season recording four victories highlighted by victory in the prestigious Dogwood Invitational. McCoy posted a remarkable winning score of 22-under-par 266 at Druid Hills GC in Atlanta, Ga. to win over a strong field. Nate also posted wins closer to home in the IGA Four-Ball (with partner Michael Wuertz), in the Iowa Masters and the Herman Sani Invitational.

The third and fourth positions in the point race were occupied by Jon Olson and 10-time Player of the Year Mike McCoy, who also happens to be Nate McCoy’s father.

Olson found himself pursuing a rare triple when he entered the final round of the Iowa Amateur in the lead. The 31-year-old Ankeny resident had already won the Iowa Mid-Amateur and the IGA Match Play but he fell just short when Elliott prevailed in the playoff.

Mike McCoy played mostly on the national stage in 2011, posting an early win in the prestigious Coleman Invitational at the legendary Seminole Golf Club in Florida. He also qualified for the U.S. Amateur and U.S Mid-Amateur. He failed to make match play in the Amateur but the two-time Mid-Am semifinalist won two matches and advanced to the round of 16 before bowing out.

Jim Curell Repeats as IGA Senior Player of the Year

For the second straight year Jim Curell of Boone was the model of consistency, finishing almost every event at or near the top of the leader board. He opened the season in early June with a win in the Senior Match Play at Fort Dodge CC, and sealed the Senior Player of the Year title in August by leading the qualifying for the U.S. Senior Amateur and finishing 2nd in the Iowa Senior Amateur.

Also for the second straight year, Curell edged two-time Senior Player of the Year (2008 & 09) Bill Manske of Algona. Senior “rookie” Todd Sapp of Sioux City was 3rd, Todd Hingtgen of Marion was 4th, and Iowa Senior Amateur Champion Bob Brummel of Orange City rounded out the top five.

Jeffery Swegle Wins Junior Player of the Year

Jeffrey Swegle of West Des Moines became the youngest winner, at age 15, since the inception of this award in 2005. Swegle played a strong schedule of regional and national events in 2011 highlighted by qualifying for the U. S. Junior Amateur. He advanced to match play at the championship which was played in Bremerton, Wash. but lost his first round match.

Jeffrey also tied for 2nd in the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) qualifier in Galena, Ill. and two other top-10 finishes in AJGA events. In July he was one of the youngest competitors in the Iowa Amateur Championship, made the cut and finished tied for 40th.

Decorah’s Nick Nelson finished a very close second in the race with a solid mix of AJGA and IGA events. Nelson finished 5th in the Iowa Junior Amateur, tied for 4th in the Iowa 3A State High School Tournament, and had two top-10 AJGA finishes. Nelson posted impressive finishes in both the IGA Match Play (Round of 16) and the Iowa Amateur where in finished tied for 23rd.

For complete results of all the 2011 Player of the Year races go to www.iowagolf.org. Under the Rules and Competitions tab click on “Player of the Year”.