Pansegrau gets hands on long-sought crown

CEDAR RAPIDS - After years of perseverance, Justin Pansegrau won his first Cedar Rapids Men's City Amateur on Sunday at Ellis Golf Course. He finished 6-under-par with a three-day score of 208.

'I've been on the other end so much,” Pansegrau said. 'You start to wonder if it'll ever happen.”

Pansegrau had a successful start Sunday with an eagle on No. 18 and a birdie on No. 2. He said that he was able to relax after he got off to a successful start. This set him up for more difficult holes and he was able to pull away from the rest of the field.

'I trust the process,” he said. 'I stick to my routine. I play a lot of golf and make a lot of shots.

'You have to trust what you do day in and day out. We practice a lot because we want to test our skills.”

Things hadn't quite set in for Pansegrau as he accepted his award, saying he would really feel it once he got home.

He had a huge gallery following him throughout the tournament, including his girlfriend and her family. At one point, there were close to two dozen carts with his group.

'I'm used to having a lot of friends at this tournament,” he said. 'I had friends that played in the tournament and then came and watched. There are lots of good players in Cedar Rapids.”

Last year's champion, Chris James, was a part of Pansegrau's group. He finished tied for 10th at 8-over. The two have played this tournament before and spend a lot of time together in the summer.

'He's gotten a lot better the past five or six years,” James said. 'He's a really good ball hitter. It's been fun playing with him.”

James and Pansegrau keep coming back for this tournament because of the great competition and the ability to test their skills.

'I grew up playing these courses,” James said. 'There's a lot of history in this tournament. This feels like our Masters.”

The top 10 finishers qualified for Cedar Rapids Match Play on Aug. 15-16. Kevin Ault came in second at 1-under par with a three-day score of 214. Steve Koepke was third with a 216 card. Todd Hingtgen was the senior champion with a 221 card, good for ninth in the Championship Flight.

Other top 10 golfers included JD Schlotterback, Mason Linn, Rob Dickerman, Sam Houge, Ryan Gass and Mathew Junge.