1997 Central College graduate and former Bos Landen Golf Professional Darin Fisher won the 2016 Iowa PGA Professional Championship late last month. Fisher, who is now the head pro at The Preserve on Rathbun Lake, carded a bogey-free 54-hole total of 17-under par 199 to win the event by three strokes on his home course. The win earns him an exemption in the 2017 John Deere Classic, which he says fulfills a lifelong dream.
“Anybody who knew me well when I was the General Manager and head pro at Bos Landen knew that I was seeking out trying to play on tour, and came very close while I was there. But I was never kind of able to get over the hump. You just never know what path you’re going to be put on in life, and it may have taken me 17 years to get back to playing in a PGA Tour event, but it’s an unbelievable opportunity.”
Fisher has also qualified for the 2017 PGA Professional National Championship, which will be held at Sunriver Resort in Oregon next June. The top 20 finishers in that 300 player field will qualify for the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina next August, one of professional golf’s four major tournaments.