Messenger photo by Eric Pratt: Andrew Huseman putts during last year’s Fort Dodge Amateur golf tournament at the Fort Dodge Country Club. Huseman is the two-time defending open division champion.

The Fort Dodge Amateur is celebrating its 74th year at the Fort Dodge Country Club this weekend.

The event’s foremost competitor is spearheading an effort to make sure one of the oldest and most historic golf tournaments in Iowa will be a formidable stop on the amateur circuit for years to come.

Fort Dodge’s Dave Sergeant is part of a revitalization committee that has its sights set on growing the field of players and enhancing their overall experience during the three-day championship, which begins on Friday morning.

Thanks to a fundraising effort involving FDCC members and area businesses, the purse has increased both for both flight champions and depth of payout this year. Every player who participates in the 2021 tournament will receive a cut of the overall prize money, which stands at over $13,000.

“I haven’t played in any major Iowa tournament where that’s happened,” said the 76-year-old Sergeant, a six-time FD Am winner. “It’s a quality field and we are so appreciative to the players who entered, given it’s Father’s Day weekend. We want everyone who has entered to feel good about being here and have a positive experience.

“It’s also hopeful this will plant the seed for the future, and the players who are here will help spread the word that our tournament is the best around. None of this would be possible without the 19 sponsors raising $8,750. They are such an important part of this process. Along with (FDCC) pro Dave Boles, (course superintendent) Mark Siems and his staff, and the Country Club and its members…a lot of people are helping to make this happen.”

Sergeant, a 1963 Fort Dodge Senior High graduate, first played in the FD Am as a sophomore in high school. He’s been in the field almost every summer over a period of 60 full years.

Sergeant’s first FD Am title came in 1991 at the age of 46. He’s a four-time senior gold medalist — in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2010 — as well as being the inaugural Super Senior division winner in 2018.

Andrew Huseman (open division), Terry Cook (senior) and Joel Yunek (super senior) are all back to defend their titles. The 26-year-old Huseman, who preaviled here in both 2019 and ’20, carded a 10-under par total last summer to edge Nate McCoy.

Huseman is in a foursome with Cook, David Studer and Danny McCoy. They start at 12:30 p.m. on Friday.

Freshly-minted Lakeside Am champ Cole Jaeschke, who lives in Jefferson and is originally from Moorland, tees off at 2:20 p.m. with annual local contenders Cody Jaeschke, Lucas Peed and Ryan Reeder, the defending Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota Webster County Golf victor.

Yunek, a Lake City graduate and five-time overall FD Am titleist (four senior, one super senior), plays with Rick Sanders, Brian Persson and Tom Christensen beginning at 1:10 p.m.

The 18 hole rounds on Friday and Saturday serve as a qualifier for Sunday’s championship competition.

High temperatures will hover around 90 all three days. There is a 65 percent chance of thunderstorms on Sunday.

The FDCC is a par 35-36-71 layout.

2021 FD AM TEE TIMES

Friday

9 a.m. — Jared Gillespie, Logan Barnes, Dustin Lane

9:10 — Austin Morrow, Brooks Beutler, Tony Newkirk, Edwin Evans

9:20 — Richard Jones, Brian Fell, Tony Malizia, Steve Wermerskirchen

9:30 — Randy Studer, Del Harken, Charlie Taylor, Jamie Blackburn

9:40 — Austin Reynolds, Adam Letizia, Kelly Brown, Caleb Peters

9:50 — Brad Mickelson, Kyle Raines, David Pratt, Stephen Kluck

10 — Tim Taylor, Rob Christensen, Terry Miller, Gary Smool

12:30 p.m. — Terry Cook, David Studer, Danny McCoy, Andrew Huseman

12:40 — Levi Slings, Ethan Mechling, Jimmy Siebert, Brett Egge

12:50 — Drake Ellgren, Ryan Horner, Bill Cink, Todd Hingtgen

1 — Dylan Hanson, Jake Patterson, Connor Peck, Brandon McCarty

1:10 — Rick Sanders, Brian Persson, Tom Christensen, Joel Yunek

1:20 — Brian Miller, Jay Hickman, Harold Hickman, Russell Johnson

1:30 — Mike Arndorfer, Andrew Arndorfer, Kyle Schaaf, Brian Schaaf

1:40 — Richard Gorbell, Wes Hogeland, Ned Palmer, Daniel Trerotola

1:50 — Ben Epperly, Luke Galeazzi, Nate Juffer, Carson Caylor

2:00 — Robert Brooks, Tom Briegel, Jason Mullin, Drew Pelton

2:10 — Dave Sergeant, Pat Ryan, Dave Gaer, Willis Gaer

2:20 — Ryan Reeder, Lucas Peed, Cody Jaeschke, Cole Jaeschke

2021 FORT DODGE AMATEUR SPONSORS/DONORS

C. Richard Stark

Dave Sergeant

Crossroads Partners LLC/Jim DeBoer and Matt Johnson

JaMar Restaurant/Jerry Jordison

Spin Market/Cheryl O’Hern

Kole Petersen/Central Financial Group LLC

Tanner Utley

Don Bergman

Ned Palmer

Jaeschke and Brothers, LLC/Cody Jaeschke

Dr. Eric Pearson

Jim Kesterson/Kesterson Realty

Central Iowa Distributing/Mark McBride

Flooring America/Pat Leiting

Humes Distributing

Green State Credit Union

Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota

Dr. Bill Huseman

Mike McCoy