OTTUMWA — It was somewhat ironic.
If not for the encouragement of Dusty Stewart, Micheal Wetrich may have not even played in this weekend’s Greater Ottumwa City Golf Championships. Had that not been the case, Stewart might have found himself retaining the winner’s jacket donned inside the clubhouse at the conclusion of the tournament each summer.
Instead, Wetrich made the most of his return to competitive golf over the weekend. The current head coach of the Indian Hills men’s golf program proved he can still lead by example over two solid rounds at Cedar Creek Golf Course, finishing with a four-under-par two-round total of 138 to claim his first-ever city golf title after steadily building on a three-stroke lead gained with an opening three-under par round of 68 on Saturday.
“I might have played in this tournament back when I was in high school. It’s hard to remember. It’s been such a long time ago,” Wetrich said. “Both Jeff (Collett) and Dusty have been telling me for the past couple of years that I needed to start playing again. They finally convinced me to play. We happened to be in town this weekend, so I figured I’d give it a try.”
For Wetrich, it was the first competitive round of any kind in over a decade since his days as a team captain on the University of Northern Iowa men’s golf team. Wetrich has been having plenty of success teaching the game, including guiding Indian Hills to the seventh and most recent national title in the history of the men’s golf program just months after taking over the job in February of 2022.
Before he embarks on his third fall and fourth spring seasons as head coach at IHCC, Wetrich walked a few miles in the shoes of his players testing himself over 36 holes against close friends and several golfers with more recent rounds of competitive golf under their belts. After opening the tournament with an even-par 35 on the back side of Cedar Creek, one stroke behind Jeff Collett on the Saturday leaderboard, Wetrich found his stride on the front side of the course posting an impressive three-under par total of 33 building a three-stroke lead of Collett and four strokes over both Stewart and soon-to-be Ottumwa High School sophomore Stephen Brinegar heading into Sunday’s final round.
“A lot of the advice I give my players went through my head throughout the tournament,” Wetrich said. “You just have to try and stay in the moment and control the things you can control. Try to put the ball in the right spots to give yourself a chance at a good score. If you make a mistake, don’t compound your mistakes. Get out of trouble and trust your own game. Just trust the hard work you’ve put into it.”
Wetrich would ultimately be tough to catch, posting a one-under-par round of 70 that proved to be the only sub-par round on a steamy Sunday at Cedar Creek. Stewart, who won the men’s division city golf title last year in a three-man playoff, posted a 73 to edge in front of Collett by a stroke for second place finishing with a three-over-par two-round total of 145 finishing seven shots behind Wetrich.
“We want the best players in town to play. Micheal is a very solid player that played very well for two rounds,” Stewart said. “He deserved to win. With Jeff and I, our short games were both poor. I’ve played a little less golf than normal this year, but I enjoy competing. Micheal’s a great player. So is Jeff. There are some good golfers that play in this. It’s always fun to compete.”
The most dramatic chase for a city golf title came out of the men’s senior division where three players began Sunday tied for the lead after matching rounds of 78 on Saturday. Doug Sloan would edged Jeff Schooley for the title by two strokes, including birdies on both the 12th and 14th holes to highlight a final round of 76 posting a 154 two-round tournament total.
“I just told myself I was going to go for it,” Sloan said. “I didn’t do very well on the 14th hole on Saturday. I just went right for it on each of those tough early holes and gave myself a chance to build an early lead. From there, I just had to play smart enough to hold on to it.”
Sonny Slycord won the men’s super senior division title for the second straight year, maintaining a four-stroke lead that was earned after an opening round of 80 on Saturday. Slycord finished with a 159 total, beating T.J. Walsh for the championship trophy after both golfers posted rounds of 79 on Sunday.
“The pins were in tough spots and the greens were pretty challenging,” Slycord said. “It really tested your skills. I’m pretty proud to have played with that much consistency for two full rounds.”
Janice Zeller, meanwhile, brought home the women’s championship at the Greater Ottumwa City Golf Championships for the sixth time on Sunday. Once again, Zeller played 36 competitive holes of golf with longtime playing partner and friend Susie Wilson, ultimately winning the championship by six strokes over Wilson, who was seeking to win the women’s title for the second straight year.
“This is a good tournament for Ottumwa,” Stewart said. “We just want everyone to come out and play. It’s a good, challenging, tough tournament that makes you think as you get around the course.
“It’s fun to be a part of. It’s fun to compete.”
