The 64th Annual Tournament of Champions tees up on Friday at the Atlantic Golf and Country Club and continues through Sunday. The tournament features three divisions of competition with an Open Division, Senior Division which is available to players 50+, and a Super Senior Division which is available to players 65 and up.

All the division winners from last year’s tournament are back to defend their titles. Ross Martens is the defending champion in the open division. He shot a weekend total of -3, 204 to take the title and capped it off in style with a final round 66, which matched the best round of the tournament. Zach Christianson was the runner-up last year, 4 shots back, and Ben Renaud was third at +2. They will all be in the field again.

Del Miller won a playoff over Ron Peterson to win the Senior division last year. Both players finished at +8 for the weekend and Miller won the playoff on the second hole with a par. Both players are in the field again.

Rick Thompson won the Super Senior Division for the 2nd year in a row in 2021 with a +7, 214 weekend total. He shot a terrific final round of 67 to edge out John Willmore by a shot. They also will be back to compete again.

The tournament does have a bit of a new flair to it this year. The tournament has been opened up to all golfers that want to participate.

That’s tournament committee member Doug Leonard who said they hoped to boost attendance a bit and still gave priority to past players.

In addition to opening up the tournament they also have some other fun wrinkles. A long drive competition will be held on Friday night, a closest to the pin competition Saturday, and low round prizes the first two days. They will also divvy out some great prize money.

We’ll have coverage of the tournament with updates and shot-by-shot action all weekend long on KJAN. The public is welcome to come out all weekend long to watch play and enjoy food and drink on the course.

UNI football coach Mark Farley has named Bryce Paup as the Panthers assistant head coach. The former Panther All-American was a four time pro bowler in the National Football League and is also the Panther’s defensive line coach.

Farley says former Iowa quarterback Drew Tate will coach the tight ends.

Farley says Theo Day and Matt Morrissey continue to split time as they compete to become the starting quarterback.

Farley says the decision will be simple. Which quarterback can score the most points.

It will be about who performs the best in the close games.

Farley likes the leadership on the team.

The Panthers open September third at Air Force.

The CAM Cougars will have a lot of new leaders on the football field in 2022 after winning the school’s first ever state championship with a big senior class last season. Record-setting quarterback/running back Lane Spieker is gone, as are leading tackler Joe Kauffman, second leading rusher Cade Ticknor,  leading receiver Colby Rich and list goes on. Head Coach Barry Bower said this next group is excited to write their story.

Certainly losing a lot of talent can be seen as a tough obstacle to overcome, but Coach Bower said a large number of players that are back have gained invaluable experience from last year.

Coach Bower said it will certainly have to be a total team effort to reach their potential this year.

The Cougars open up at home against Fremont-Mills on August 26th.

Iowa State receiver Xavier Hutchinson calls an injury he suffered a blessing in disguise. Hutchinson set an ISU record with 83 catches a year ago in being named All Big-12. He explored entering the NFL Draft but a thumb injury made the decision to return an easy one.

Hutchinson says Iowa State has been the perfect fit for him.

Hutchinson had several major schools recruiting him out of Blinn junior college but says it was Cyclone coach Matt Campbell who showed faith in him.

Campbell says Hutchinson leads by example.

Campbell says Hutchinson is a valuable asset for the offense.

The Cyclones open on September third at home against Southeast Missouri

Northern Iowa coach Mark Farley says the Panthers have consistency in practice as they get ready for the new football season. UNI is using a new practice facility that has an artificial surface and stadium lights. As a multi-purpose facility the UNI-Dome is often unavailable.

The Panthers are also using a new team meeting room.

The Panthers are coming off a 6-6 season that included a first round loss in the FCS playoffs at Eastern Washington. Former Utah State offensive coordinator Bodie Reeder has joined the staff and has made some changes to an offense that averaged just under 25 points per game.

UNI opens the season September third at Air Force.

Sprint Car Racing’s biggest event begins Wednesday night with the first of two night’s of qualifying at the Knoxville Nationals. Saturday night’s championship lineup will be determined by a point system that even includes time trials and heat races.

That’s race director John McCoy. Saturday night’s feature winner will pocket 175 thousand dollars and the total purse will top one million dollars.

The last five Nationals have crowned five different winners and McCoy says the talent pool in sprint car racing is deep and young.

Fans from across the country will be on hand and McCoy says there is always a large contigent of Australians and many never leave.

Half of the field will qualify on Wednesday night while the other half of the field will make a qualifying run on Thursday night. Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson is the defending champion.

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State redshirt senior Xavier Hutchinson has been named to the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List. The award is given to the top offensive player in Division I football who exhibits the enduring characteristics that define Earl Campbell. The award is limited to players who were born in the state of Texas, attended a Texas high school or attended a Texas junior college or university.

Hutchinson, a Jacksonville, Florida, native and graduate of Blinn Junior College, led the Big 12 with an Iowa State single-season record 83 receptions last season. Hutchinson earned First Team All-Big 12 honors for the second-straight seasons in 2021. He leads all active Big 12 receivers in career receptions (147) and receiving yards (1,758).

The Cyclones open the season Saturday, Sept. 3 against Southeast Missouri at MidAmerican Energy Field at Jack Trice Stadium. Football season tickets are on sale now for as low as $249 of $35 per game. Single-game tickets and three-game mini packs go on sale to donors and season-ticket holders starting Tuesday, Aug. 9 and to the general public starting Monday, Aug. 15.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Reynolds has awarded the City of Dyersville 12-and-a-half million dollars in federal American Rescue Plan money to support construction of a stadium. The “Field of Dreams” ball field featured in the 1989 movie is a few miles outside of Dyersville. A 50-million dollar “This is Iowa Ballpark nearby would be a permanent stadium for baseball games, concerts and other gatherings year-round. It’s a joint project of Travel Dubuque and a new non-profit. The federal funding, awarded through the state’s Destination Iowa program, provides 25 percent of the financing for the stadium.

This spring, Dubuque County’s Board of Supervisors committed five million from the county’s federal pandemic money for the ballpark. Earlier this year, a group of investors announced plans for a separate development — a sports-tourism complex in Dyersville. It would have nine baseball fields, primarilly to host youth tournaments, as well as a hotel and other amenities.

Iowa will open the football season unranked in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Hawkeyes return several key players from last year’s team that finished 10-4 and won the Big Ten West.

That’s senior middle linebacker Jack Campbell, who has received several pre-season All American honors after finishing second in the Big Ten in tackles last season.

The Hawkeyes open September third at home against South Dakota State.