Walker posts another strong finish at Iowa Open

Aug. 2—RIVERSIDE — Matthew Walker came to the Iowa Open looking for some positive results.

Those results were hard to find early on Friday during the first round at Blue Top Ridge. The former two-time Ottumwa High School state champion's quest for a second Iowa Open title in four years were in serious peril after two bogeys on the first four holes and a double bogey close out his front nine left Walker at four-over par for the tournament needing something positive just to make the cut for the final round.

"I was able to kind of ride it out," Walker said of his rough start on Friday. "I started hitting the ball better, made a couple putts and overcame some silly mistakes. That's golf. It was a solid comeback that I was pretty pleased about."

Walker not only made the cut, but vaulted up the leaderboard by playing 12-under-par over the final 45 holes of the 89th Iowa Open. Five birdies on Sunday, including four on the final six holes, allowed Walker to earn a top-10 finish matching Dallas native Jeff Swegle and former West Des Moines Valley standout Broc Everett with seven-under-par three-round totals of 209 to tie for eighth place in the 144-player field of Iowa amateurs and professionals from around the country.

"It's just going to take some time to see the results I've been looking for," Walker said. "I had a bit of a lay-off in March and started back up at the beginning of May. I just haven't had the competitive rounds that I've needed to be in contention consistently.

"After my first nine holes, to come back the way I did was good to see. I've done it before, but to see it happen again was really nice."

Walker led a field of players that included plenty of talent from the southeast Iowa area. Jeff Collett added a top-10 finish in the Iowa Open senior's division finishing with a three-round total of 226 (+10) to place sixth continuing a successful season that included winning the IGA Senior Match Play title.

"I was leading the points for the year-long senior player of the year for awhile. I've played more tournaments this year than I think I ever have," Collett said. "It's wearing me down a little bit. There's been a lot of tournament golf and a lot of traveling, but being up there in contention for several titles has felt really good."

Cale Leonard was able to bounce back after a tough opening round in his first Iowa Open on Friday, making the cut on Saturday while vaulting up the leaderboard into the top 30 with a five-under par 67 that included seven birdies throughout the round. Leonard would ultimately finish in a tie for 39th, tying for fourth among amateur players, with a 219 (+3) total.

"I needed something different on Saturday, so I went to a new putter and it seemed to help me out a lot," Leonard said of his second round at the Iowa Open. "I haven't been putting the ball as well as I'd like to. I finally made the switch. I love the putter I normally use, but there are just times where I just don't hit it where I'm looking at. I go to this putter and it helps me get straightened out."

Leonard, like Walker, is hoping to parlay a state championship run at Ottumwa High School into success on the course as he prepares to golf collegiately at Drake University. Walker went from winning a pair of 4A state individual titles for the Bulldogs to becoming a successful golfer for the University of Iowa, helping Walker have some familiarity with the home course of the Iowa Open.

"We played Blue Top Ridge so many times when I was at Iowa. I basically know this course inside and out," Walker said. "It's a really special tournament for me. It's on a course I'm familiar with. It's my state's Open. It's the home of my first professional win. I was hoping to pick up another win here. I just came up a little short."

Matthew Meneghetti sizzled over the weekend. The native of Schererville, Indiana used nine birdies on Sunday to post a seven-under-par 65, pulling away from Zach Steffen by three shots with four birdies on the final five holes to finish with a 199 (-17), adding his name to the list of past champions that includes Masters and British Open champion Zach Johnson (2001-02) as well as Ottumwa natives Art Bartlett (1927-28), Bob Moreland (1981) and Walker (2019).

"It was great to see so many players from around Ottumwa out here playing in this tournament," Walker said. "I saw a lot of Cale. He was in a group about 10 minutes behind me during the first couple of rounds. He's been playing well. So has Jeff. It's nice to see guys from Wapello County and the Ottumwa area out here."

Pella golfer Will Simpson, who entered Sunday's final round in the top 10 overall with the lowest score of any amateur golfer in the field, finished in a tie for 44th after struggling with an 83 on Sunday finishing at 220 (+4) for the tournament. Moravia head golf coach and Preserve at Lake Rathbun head professional Darin Fisher finished in a tie for 56th place with a three-round total of 223.

Batavia native Marcus Giltner posted a seven-over par total of 151 through the first two rounds of the Iowa Open, failing to make the cut for Sunday's final round. Fairfield amateur Nathan Elseman finished with a 161 (+17) two-round total, one shot ahead of Ottumwa graduate Steven Langland.

Leonard has one more tournament this summer to play in before heading to Drake for his freshman season with the Bulldogs. Walker, meanwhile, will be looking for his second Nebraska Open title Sept. 9-11 before heading to Q-school Sept. 27-30 in Lincoln as Walker continues pursuing his dreams of professional golf hoping to see Ottumwa's most recent state champion continue to thrive on the collegiate level.

"Cale and I have been playing a lot of golf together. He's just continued to improve every year. He's got a lot of potential that hopefully he'll continue to reach at Drake," Walker said. "I see a lot of myself in him. That's so cool. If he can keep working hard, you never know what it could lead to."

— Scott Jackson can be reached at sjackson@ottumwacourier.com. Follow him on Twitter@CourierScott.