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IGA Mid Amateur Championship Tippecanoe Lake CC, Leesburg August 16-17, 2007

Todd Palmer from Fishers, and Advantage Golf Sales Representative, played his second round of the IGA Mid Amateur Championship without a bogey. In fact he only carded two bogeys for the 36 holes. That steady performance earned him the championship title at Tippecanoe Lake Country Club in Leesburg.

Palmer, who began the day at four better than par, carded a second 4-under to post a 132 for the tournament. He began the round with birdie on the par-five first hole, and repeated with another at #3. Going out, Palmer carded 2-under.

With a tailwind pushing his 5-iron tee shot to the back of the eleventh green, it seemed an impossible task to make par on the fast green with the infamous “hump” in the middle. But, putting from just inside the fringe, Palmer had placed his tee shot in position to take the hump out of play, and promptly made the 20-footer for birdie.

With the putter still hot, Palmer was able to save par on the thirteenth after landing in the greenside bunker. Without much of a chance to land the bunker shot short of the tight pin placement, Palmer was “glad to make that putt to save par and not give one back.”

One last birdie on #14 put Palmer at 8-under par for the tournament. “Hitting the driver good,” positioned Palmer for routine pars on the last four holes and gave him the title.

Randy Nichols of Connersville also made birdie at #14 to go to 6-under, just two shots off the lead. In exactly the same position in 2006 for this tournament, Nichols hoped to challenge Palmer and finish better than second in 2007. However, his putter deserted him on #10 with a three-putt bogey, and a bad second shot on #15 put him to 5-under for the tournament. After a tie with Palmer for the lead after the first round at 66, Nichols finished with 69 for the final round, in second place alone.

Third place went to Tim Miller of Kokomo. Miller, who is the 2007 IGA Match Play Champion, posted a 67 to pair with his 69 from round one. Miller’s second round consisted of four birdies and only one bogey.