Pictured left to right at the Brokers International, Ltd. office in Panora are LeRoy Oxley, tournament director, John Dinnebier, LPN general manager and director of golf, Troy Christensen, Iowa Section PGA executive director, and Roger McCarty, CEO of Brokers International, Ltd.
By Susan Thompson
August 3, 2010
The entry deadline for the Brokers International Ltd. Iowa Open is Aug. 10, and entries continue to come in each day. The 144-player field is open to professionals and amateurs who live in Iowa, as well as golfers with Iowa ties. The tournament will be at Lake Panorama National, where it was held from 1985 to 1998.
One of the biggest names to commit to playing in the annual tournament is Jerry Smith, who has earned $2.3 million as a professional golfer since turning pro in 1987. Smith will participate in both the pro-am tournament Aug. 19, and in the open division of the regular tournament Aug. 20-22. (Click Here to register to play!)
A number of other well-known professional and amateur golfers also will be playing. Spectators are encouraged. Posters promoting the tournament, along with a supply of free tickets for spectators, have been placed at golf courses and businesses throughout central Iowa.
A contract between the Iowa Section PGA and Brokers International Ltd. brings the tournament to the LPN for five years. The Panora insurance marketing company committed $25,000 annually to the event, making it the major sponsor.
Five additional corporate sponsors each have committed $5,000 to help cover tournament expenses. Those are Allianz, American Equity, Aviva, Menadue Development, which owns The Port and Lakeside Inn, and People’s Trust and Savings Bank.
Sun Mountain Sports, which markets golf outerwear, bags, carts and accessories, is the putting green sponsor. Golf TEC, which uses video technology to analyze golf swings, will sponsor the driving range. Twenty-six businesses have paid a $200 fee or committed to in-kind contributions matching that amount to become hole sponsors.
Troy Christensen, executive director of the Iowa Section PGA, attended a meeting Aug. 2 at the Brokers International office in Panora to review final plans for the event. “In my 12 years of working for the Iowa Section PGA, I’ve never seen a community come together like this to support this tournament,” he said. “Everyone here has done a wonderful job.”
New this year is the addition of a senior division for players 50 years of age and older on or before Aug. 20, 2010. Seniors will be competing for $5,000 added sponsorship along with senior division entry fees.
Not only is the senior division new, but many other new things have been added to make the tournament enjoyable for both players and spectators.
For instance, signs listing all the Iowa Open champions since the tournament began will be posted along the cart path leading to the first tee. Art Bartlett won the first two Iowa Open tournaments in 1927 and 1928 and will be among 57 players honored.
Players will be introduced each morning as they tee off. On the final day, players’ names also will be announced as they arrive on the 18th green. Tents scattered around the course will house coolers filled with fruit and water for the players.
Members of the Panora fire department will assist with parking. The parking lot west of the LPN pro shop will be reserved for players. Spectators and volunteers can park in the east lot, at the LPN maintenance building, or at Boulder Beach. Volunteers will shuttle people from these parking areas.
Dr. Tim Pearson of Panora Chiropractic & Acupuncture will have a tent between the 1st and 10th tees throughout the tournament to provide assistance to players for a small fee. The Guthrie County Hospital also will have a tent in the same area, staffed by two nurses to assist with medical issues for players and spectators.
Representatives of the Panora Chamber of Commerce will be at the registration area to assist players and their families. Housing is being offered in private homes.
Two special events have been planned for players’ spouses – a pool party at Prairie View Bed and Breakfast Aug. 20 and a Lake Panorama pontoon ride that includes lunch on Aug. 21. Participants will travel in limos provided by Brokers International.
As of Aug. 2, 28 teams had entered the pro-am tournament, leaving openings for four teams. A “draw party” that includes a catered barbecue will take place at Boulder Beach Wednesday evening, as names of pros are drawn to match with the amateur teams. The tournament begins at 12:30 p.m. Thursday.
The entry fee for a four-person team is $1,000. Each team gets four $125 gift certificates to redeem at a FootJoy sales tent, eight tickets to the draw party, and breakfast and lunch the day of the pro-am.
The top 10 pros and teams will receive prizes. The first place pro will receive $1,500, and the first place team will receive $1,000 in LPN pro shop certificates. All pros will receive an appearance fee. Team pictures will be taken at the beginning of the tournament and presented to participants at the end of the tournament.
Larry and Mary Hills are coordinating the pro-am tournament and hole sponsorships. To become a sponsor, or sign up a team for the pro-am, contact them at 641-755-4016 or larmar@netins.net.
More than 150 volunteers, who will wear red shirts and white caps sporting the Brokers International Ltd. Iowa Open logo, will work throughout the tournament. A kick-off event for volunteers will be held at Spikes Aug. 18 beginning at 5:30 p.m. Work schedules will be posted in the LPN pro shop a week in advance of the tournament. For information, contact Roxie Ruth at 515-987-3635, or Kathy DeLucca at 641-755-3116.
The three-day, 54-hole tournament will begin Aug. 20 at 8 a.m. Everyone will play both Friday and Saturday, with tee times assigned and the players in groups of three. Sunday’s final round will be limited to a set number of players with the lowest combined score for the first two days. Enter Now!
All players who make the cut for the final round will be guaranteed a check. Although the final prize amounts won’t be determined until that day, it’s anticipated the winner will receive at least $4,000. That compares to the $1,200 the top player won in 2009.
An awards ceremony will be held on the 18th green as soon as the final group has played in and the winner determined. More details are available at www.IowaOpen.com.
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