Justin Pansegrau of Cedar Rapids wins inaugural event of CRANDIC amateur golf tour

CORALVILLE – As the golfers filed into the clubhouse at Brown Deer Golf Club in Coralville on Sunday, you could hardly wipe the grins from their sun-drenched faces.

The conclusion of the first event in the inaugural CRANDIC amateur golf tour brought about cause for celebration, not just for winner Justin Pansegrau of Cedar Rapids, but for getting a locally-based amateur golf tour off the ground with over 50 entrants.

'I think we all had a good time,' Pansegrau said. 'Today we got a little more fortunate with the weather so that always makes it a little better. It ran great, the course is great. … For a first event, I think it went really well.'

Pansegrau protected his first-round lead with a 1-under par 70 on Sunday, finished even-par (142) in the two-day tournament, and won the Open Division by seven strokes over runner-up Ryan Gass.

Steve Kahler matched Pansegrau's score and won the Senior Division with an even-par 142.

Pansegrau – who will compete in a U.S. Open qualifier Monday – welcomed the opportunities that the tour offers – namely, regular competition at some of the best golf courses within the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City corridor.

'For me, it's huge because I want to play every weekend,' Pansegrau said. 'But it's a chore with a 40-hour job to take Friday off and go spend three days somewhere else. It's a lot of work and a lot of guys do it. … This makes it easy to get some competition and stay fresh.'

The tour resumes with the Cedar Rapids Mid-Amateur June 4-5 at Ellis Golf Course.

'We're excited to do that at Ellis,' CRANDIC tour board member Steve Koepke said. 'The course is in good shape and we're really looking forward to it.'

The final two tour events will be the Finkbine Invitational at Finkbine Golf Club in Iowa City July 16-17, then the Sept. 25 Cedar Rapids 2-Man tournament at Jones Park.

The tour will continue to accept new members throughout the summer at its website.

'Whoever wants to get out, then there's a place for you to play,' Koepke said.

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