DES MOINES — Golfers from around the world competed in the first round of the Principal Charity Classic on Friday in Des Moines, but for one competitor in the field, this tournament was close to home.
Judd Gibb — a Fort Dodge native and member of the Iowa Golf Hall of Fame — is representing Iowa at the Wakonda Club this weekend, and it took a solid performance on a familiar course for Gibb to make the cut.
He finished 6 under in the Tuesday qualifier at Veenker Memorial Golf Course in Ames to earn a spot in the PGA Tour Champions event this weekend. Gibb knew his qualifying course well since that’s where the four-year letter-winner at Iowa State played college golf.
“It felt wonderful,” Gibb said after completing the first round. “And then to do it at Veenker, where I played college golf at, I love that golf course. Hasn’t always loved me, but on Tuesday, I did play well. So, it was certainly a great start to the week.”
This year’s event marks the first PGA Tour Champions event ever for Gibb, who shot 3-under on the back nine and finished 2 under on the first day of the Principal Charity Classic. The 54-year-old professional said that he has tried to qualify for events before, but this was the first he was able to make.
“Feels wonderful because I’ve played Wakonda many times and this course has beat me most times I’ve played,” Gibb said. “I got off to a rocky start, but I made some really solid putts, kind of hung in there.”
Regardless of how the next two days unfold on the course, Gibb knows that he’ll enjoy his time in the tournament. He and his family lived in West Des Moines for over a decade, so he has friends and family out in support.
And he’s not alone on the course. Gibb’s son, Andrew — who plays men’s basketball at Simpson College — is serving as his caddy for the three-day tournament.
“I don’t get to spend a ton of time with him, so any time is great and certainly on the golf course like this is special,” Gibb said.
A look at the top finishers after Day 1 of the Principal Charity Classic
Steve Stricker leads the pack at the end of the first day. He shot -under for a score of 64 in round one. Defending champion Jerry Kelly, Rod Pampling and Stephen Ames are all tied for second after 66s. A five-way tie between Tim Herron, Mark Hensby, Vijay Singh, Steve Flesch and Miguel Angel Jiménez after 65s rounds out the top 10.
“After last week, I went home for a couple days, didn’t touch a club,” Stricker said. “I’ve been getting away from the game too, even though I’ve been playing a lot. I’ve been taking a good two, sometimes almost three days prior to the next event off and then feeling pretty fresh and ready to go again.”
Stricker is ranked first in the Schwab Cup standings. He’s won three events this season, including his last two PGA Tour Champions events: The Regions Tradition and KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship.
Weather worsens late in opening round
Inclement weather impacted the first day of the tournament, with play stopping for over an hour and a half between 2:41 p.m. and 4:15 p.m.
Friday’s thunderstorm passed relatively quickly and there is a lesser chance of rain on Saturday and Sunday. But the golfers will have to contend with temperatures upwards of 90 degrees over the next two days, with little reprieve from the sun.
While the competitors may get a break from the rain over the weekend, the wind could still impact play. There are wind gusts of 15 miles per hour expected on Saturday, and the forecast for championship Sunday calls for gusts of 10 miles per hour.
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
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