Spencer, Ia (Northwest Iowa Now) – 36 holes of golf have been played, the cut has been made, and the Championship Flight is set for Sunday’s action in the 2025 Northwest Amateur at the Spencer Golf and Country Club.

Here is what the Championship flight looks like.

Axton Miller, a former Iowa High School State Golf Champion from Arthur, leads the way with an 11 below Par after his first two rounds of golf.

A local golfer from Okoboji, Jackson Laven is 2nd with 10 below Par heading into Sunday.

Another local, Matt Pitts of Cherokee is 3rd with a 9 below Par. Pitts hit a 66 for his first round of play, then cut two strokes off of that for his next 18 holes, soaring up the leaderboard on Saturday.

There is a 3-way tie for 4th with an 8 below Par Mark between Gretna, Nebraska’s Beau Petersen, Lakeland Florida’s James Preston, and Brian Allison of Norwalk.

Kagan Kollar is from Maple Grove Minnesota, in a five-way tie for 7th with 2024 Champion Dennis Bull of Norwalk, Championship flight regular from Hudson Logan Schweinefus, Northwestern College Golfer Evan Smith, and 2023 Champion from Bird Island, Minnesota, Brett Benson. Kolar hit a 68 on his 2nd round of play and got a big lift from a hole 4 Eagle, giving him the sole highest score for that hole yesterday, which comes with a prize.

Estherville’s Izaak Sander has played the Northwest Am for a couple of years, and his first time making the cut also has him in the Championship Flight.

The Championship Flight will play 18 holes on Sunday before the groups are rearranged for a final 18 holes to finish the Tournament, which will give us the Champion of the 2025 Northwest Am.

Some other locals making the cut that won’t be in the Championship flight but made the cut for Day 4 will be Michael Clark out of Spencer, who is 1 below Par and Emmetsburg’s Mike Pugh who is also 1 below Par in the first flight.

Drew Spooner of Cherokee is Even and playing in the 2nd Flight.

In the 3rd Flight is Spirit Lake’s Maxwell Jongerius at 2 above Par, Nick Christensen of Spirit Lake also 2 above Par along with both Ezra Meyer and Joe Van Otterloo out of Spencer who have the same score. Spirit Lake’s Mason Weeks and Emmetsburg’s Matthew Wirtz are in the 3rd Flight as well with a 3 above Par.

Spencer’s Easton Beehler hit 4 over Par and will play out of the 4th Flight.

In the 5th Flight, Jefferey Covatto of Marcus, AJ Stanley of Spencer, Travis Cooke of Spencer, Mike Myers of Estherville, Andrew Hough of Spencer, and Chase Hough of Spencer are all 6 above Par.

Finally, in Flight 6 is Gary Jacobson of Estherville and Ray Sencenbaugh of Spencer, each at 7 above Par. Joining them is Chad Atherton of Spencer and Nick Fear of Milford, each at 8 above Par, and Estherville’s Trey Jacobson, 10 above Par.

You can follow along with the 2025 Northwest Am by seeing reports from NorthwestIowaNow.com, video interviews on the KICD Sports X Page as well as the Big Country 107.7 and Northwest Iowa Now Facebook Pages. All video’s will be on my personal pages as well, @cutler4steven on X and Steven Cutler on Facebook. Also on my personal X account this afternoon, I will be following the Championship’s lead group in the final round of play.