Joel Yunek may have Mason City as his place of residence now.
But at heart, he will always be a Lake City boy.
Yunek fired a closing round 71 to claim the Fort Dodge Amateur senior division title Sunday at the Fort Dodge Country Club. Tanner Kesterson earned the open division title by six strokes over Justin Schulte and Mike Slavin.
With the win, Yunek becomes a three-time champion, adding to titles in 2004 and '05 to his collection.
"I've struggled so much with my swing this year, and have been hitting so many shanks, that I had to go to a cut swing," said Yunek, who will celebrate his 40-year high school reunion from Lake City High School next week. "I played some of the best golf that I have all season over these past three days, and that is the God's honest truth. I don't know what it is about this course, but I love playing it; it's not one of my favorite courses to play, it is my favorite course to play."
Yunek, who delivered copies of The Messenger during his younger days, had three birdies over the final round to help off-set three bogeys.
Fact Box
FORT DODGE AMATEUR
Final Results
(Par 71-71-71-213)
Open Division
Tanner Kesterson 69-66-71-206
Justin Schulte 68-73-71-212
Mike Slavin 72-69-71-212
Michael Wetrich 71-73-70-214
Ryan Kinseth 74-72-69-215
Jeff Panek 70-70-75-215
Brian Allison 73-67-75-215
Colin Pearson 73-69-73-215
Cory Braunschweig 71-70-75-216
Waller Blake 68-74-75-217
Patrick Hall 72-72-74-218
Tanner Ludwig 70-74-74-218
Andrew Huseman 69-74-75-218
Tyler Christians 74-73-73-220
Luke Essing 74-76-70-220
Kyler Ludwig 73-73-74-220
Connor Peck 72-75-73-220
Austin Morrow 75-74-72-221
Nate Schill 70-77-74-221
Etahn Meehling 77-72-72-221
Matt Mickelson 73-74-75-222
Matt Gute 75-73-74-222
Matt Gatchell 73-71-79-223
Kevin Ault 73-76-74-223
Matthew Kristensen 73-73-77-223
Neil Doak 74-74-76-224
Tyler Smith 71-76-78-225
Lucas Peed 72-73-81-226
Matt Ohl 71-76-79-226
Nick Johnson 76-74-77-227
Luke Monson 79-69-80-228
Griffin Mathias 74-75-81-230
Ron Schrimper 75-76-79-230
Chad Wood 72-77-81-230
Braxton Risetter 74-77-79-230
Collin Hackett 75-77-80-232
Senior Division
Joel Yunek 70-70-71-211
Bill Manske 73-70-70-213
Dave Sergeant 70-71-73-214
Jim Curell 73-69-75-217
Ned Palmer 76-71-72-219
Sam Aossey 74-75-72-221
Andy Burton 78-71-74-223
Todd Hintgen 72-75-78-225
Tom Sandie 71-79-76-226
Steve Larson 76-75-76-227
Tony Malizia 78-74-76-228
Tom Schill 76-75-77-228
Tim Taylor 74-78-77-229
Ron Peterson 71-79-79-229
Tom Kristensen 78-73-78-229
Phil Joselyn 74-75-80-229
Dave Hanson 76-76-79-231
Bruce Grenier 80-72-80-232
Playing partners Bill Manske, Dave Sergeant and Jim Curell finished right behind Yunek on the day. Manske carded the low round score for the seniors, finishing with a one-under 70.
"I just tried to keep up with Bill, Dave and Jim," Yunek said. "They are all such great players, and you have to be on top of your game to play with them."
Kesterson, who will be returning to Stillwater, Okla. for his sophomore year at Oklahoma State University later this fall, played smooth golf all day, registering a 71. As a freshman at OSU, Kesterson saw action in 13 rounds of golf, including a sixth place finish at the Aggie Invitational and was on the NCAA regional team.
"I just want to thank my family for being here," said Kesterson, who hails from Texas, but spends his summers in Fort Dodge with family members. "The course was in great condition (all weekend), and that is a credit to everyone that works on it."
Behind Schulte and Slavin were Michael Wetrich, Ryan Kinseth, Jeff Panek, Brian Allison, Colin Pearson, Cory Braunschweig and Waller Blake to complete the top-10.
Kinseth, a Fort Dodge Senior High graduate, fired the low round of the day, carding a 69. He had birdies on No. 4 and No. 6, before finishing with three more birdies on Nos. 13, 14 and 17.
Wetrich, a member of the University of Northern Iowa golf team, and Luke Essing were the only other golfers to record rounds under par, firing 70s.
Kesterson, Pearson, Panek, Curell and several others are all entered in the 24th Iowa Match Play Championship, which begins today and runs through Thursday in Waterloo at the Sunnyside Country Club.