Frank Lindwall takes 4th at Iowa Amateur

CEDAR RAPIDS - Frank Lindwall missed a par putt on No. 12 at the Cedar Rapids Country Club on Wednesday afternoon.

After making bogey, he quickly ran to check the leaderboard.

He was on the back nine in the final round of the Iowa Amateur Championship. When he saw the leaders, who were just one hole behind him in the final group, they were at 8-under - just three ahead of him.

So Lindwall kicked it into gear. He turned around and birdied two of his next three holes, putting him at 7-under par with three holes to go.

Unfortunately for the Cedar Rapids Washington graduate, that was as low as he'd go. Lindwall finished the round with a 69, ending the tournament in fourth place at 7-under par.

'I gave myself good chances, I just didn't quite make it,” Lindwall said. 'That's how it goes sometimes.”

Lindwall entered the final day of play sitting at 4-under par, having shot a 69 and a 71 in the first two days.

And even though he couldn't close out the final round like he had hoped, Lindwall was still very pleased with his performance over the three-day tournament.

He said he played 'mistake free golf,” as he made just four bogeys over the 54-holes.

'I drove it really well, so I had a lot of opportunities to make birdies, and I hit my wedges really well,” Lindwall said. 'I think I made five birdies (today), which is good, I just missed a few short putts. I couldn't quite get to 10-under, which I needed to do. I think I had like three misses inside 5 feet. Overall, I played really, really well, and I'm happy with where my game is at.”

Trevor Ullestad of Jewell won the tournament by two strokes, shooting a 69 on Wednesday to finish 10-under.

Dennis Bull - who led the tournament early after shooting a 65 in the first round - and Broc Everett tied for second place, finishing 8-under par. Those three, along with Lindwall, flew ahead of the rest of the field. The next closest finisher, Matthew Walker from Ottumwa, finished three strokes behind them.

Wednesday marked the end of Lindwall's summer circuit, though. In just three weeks he'll start as a freshman at Iowa State, and is one of four recruits joining the Cyclone golf program this fall.

So while it would have been nice for Lindwall to win the Iowa Amateur, he's got his sights set on getting ready for the next level.

'I can improve a little bit with my short game, with my iron play and off the tee,” Lindwall said. 'The biggest thing is to continue to work hard. I'm excited to get there. The coaches are going to help me a lot. I look forward to getting better.”

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