IGA Senior Player of the Year
Randy Nichols, Brookville
With 15 IGA John K. David Player of the Year awards to his
name before turning 55, Randy Nichols of Brookville is now controlling the IGA
Senior Player of the Year award. He has earned all three senior awards since he
became eligible in 2008. 2010 allowed Nichols to add three more victories to
his long list of accomplishments. He won the Southern Open presented by
Bushnell and TaylorMade, the IGA Senior Team with Skip Runnles, the Senior
Match Play by defeating Sam Till, and the Senior Amateur Pepsi Championships.
He also finished runner-up at the Senior Open and 4th at the Senior
Amateur.
In the senior amateur division, he finished 4th
at the Tournament of Champions, 1st at the E-Z-GO Indianapolis Open,
1st at the Public Links, 1st at the Indiana Amateur, 1st
at the Indiana Open, 1st at the Monticello Open, and T3rd at the Mid
Amateur. Nichols also fared well at team events, finishing T2nd with Runnels at
the Mid Am Team, T7th with Runnels at the Four Ball, and T7th with Gary Gant at
the Senior Pro Am.
IGA John K. David Player of
the Year
Eric Steger, Noblesville
Eric Steger of Noblesville repeated as the IGA John K. David
Player of the Year in 2010. Another successful season both in Indiana and on
the national level allowed this Ball State University senior to earn this
amateur honor once more before turning professional. His first 2010 victory
came at the IGA Four Ball with teammate Kenny Cook, and he also finished as the
top amateur at the E-Z-GO Indianapolis Open.
But the highlight of Steger’s season was his win at the
Indiana Amateur Championship, when he became part of the only father-son duo to
hold Indiana Amateur Championships. His father Scott won it in 1975 before becoming
a PGA Member. Eric’s rounds at the State Am were 67-70-72-68=277 (-3) and that
only got him into a playoff for the title. 2009 champion Erik Barnes put up a
fight, but fell to Steger on the first playoff hole.
Other top-5 finishes for Steger this season included T3rd at
the Public Links Championship, T3rd overall and T2 in the Amateur division at
the Indiana Open, T4th overall land T2nd in the Amateur division at the
Monticello Open, and runner-up at the Match Play Championship.
On the national scene, he qualified for the US Amateur – a
feat on its own. But he also advanced to the match play portion of the
championship as the 50th seed.