At first, Nicki Stricker didn\u2019t tell anyone in the family that she\u2019d signed up for U.S. Senior Women\u2019s Amateur qualifying. She wanted the challenge to be hers for a little while.
\nStricker, 54, and her mental coach, Kathy Hart Wood, sister of Dudley Hart, came up with trying to qualify for a USGA Championship as a way to give purpose to her practice.
\n\u201cJust getting really frustrated because everyone was kicking my butt in my house,\u201d said Stricker, wife to Steve and mom to Bobbi, 25, and 17-year-old Izzi, with a laugh. “I’m a fairly competitive person so was just like, what is happening?”
\n![\"\"](\"https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/09/GettyImages-1319258348.jpg\")
Caddie Nicki Stricker, caddie for Steve Stricker, of the United States looks on from the 11th hole during the second round of the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island Resort’s Ocean Course on May 21, 2021 in Kiawah Island, South Carolina. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Needless to say, everyone in the Stricker house is competitive, and Nicki, a former collegiate player, wasn\u2019t having too much fun on the golf course. She also wanted to set a good example for her girls. Nicki didn\u2019t like how she treated herself on the golf course after a bad shot, and with one daughter playing the game professionally and another one playing high-level junior golf, she knew they were watching.
\n\u201cThe shots I hit good or bad, the scores I shoot good or bad, don\u2019t define me,\u201d said Nicki of what she\u2019s learned.
\nWood taught Sticker to hit shots from one of the three c\u2019s \u2013\u00a0calm, confident, certain. Rather than put numbers down on a scorecard, she\u2019d write which \u201cc\u201d she hit from.
\nBeginning on Saturday at the 61st U.S. Senior Women\u2019s Amateur at Troon Country Club, there will be numbers on the card. It\u2019s the first tournament Stricker has competed in in some 20 years, and the first USGA championship since the 1992 U.S. Women\u2019s Amateur at Kemper Lakes.
\nWith Steve working as a vice captain this week at the Ryder Cup in Rome with eldest daughter Bobbi by his side, and Izzi playing in the postseason for high school golf, Nicki won’t have any family by her side in Arizona, though she will have Wood, who will caddie.
\nNicki, of course, has caddied for Steve throughout his career. Bobbi played tennis through high school and didn\u2019t take up golf until college. Izzi, a high school senior, won a Wisconsin state golf title last year. It\u2019s not uncommon for the two sisters to take on their parents in a match.
\n\u201cThe game keeps us together,\u201d Bobbi told Golfweek last year. \u201cWe travel with (dad), we practice with him.\u201d
\nSteve was getting a lesson from Nicki\u2019s father Dennis Tiziani\u00a0at Cherokee Country Club (now TPC Wisconsin) the day they met. Nicki, who was a lifeguard at the club, went over after her shift ended to see her dad and there was Steve.
\n\u201cMy dad had said something after,\u201d she recalled. \u201c ‘You know the guy you met? He asked for your number.\u2019 \u201d
\nAfter waiting for three days, Nicki finally decided to call Steve and ask him out. Nicki was going into her freshman year of college at Wisconsin and Steve was a junior at Illinois.
\nThe couple married in 1993.
\n![\"\"](\"https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2022/11/IMG_9382.jpg\")
Stricker family: Nicki, Steve, Bobbi and Izzi (courtesy Bobbi Stricker)
Steve, now a 12-time winner on the PGA Tour and a 17-time winner on the PGA Tour Champions, including six titles this season, won the 2019 U.S. Senior Open with Nicki on the bag.
\nAll that time caddying for Steve changed Nicki\u2019s approach to a golf course, how she looks at green complexes and how she views the importance of short game. She shot 7-over 77 at Glenview Park Golf Club in Illinois to secure her spot in this week’s field of 132. She\u2019d love to advance to match play and see what happens.
\n\u201cThey\u2019re super proud of me,\u201d said Nicki of what her kids think of mom back in a USGA Championship. \u201cWhich to have your child say that they\u2019re proud of you for something obviously warms my heart \u2026 makes me choke up a little bit.\u201d
\n", "content_text": "At first, Nicki Stricker didn\u2019t tell anyone in the family that she\u2019d signed up for U.S. Senior Women\u2019s Amateur qualifying. She wanted the challenge to be hers for a little while.\nStricker, 54, and her mental coach, Kathy Hart Wood, sister of Dudley Hart, came up with trying to qualify for a USGA Championship as a way to give purpose to her practice.\n\u201cJust getting really frustrated because everyone was kicking my butt in my house,\u201d said Stricker, wife to Steve and mom to Bobbi, 25, and 17-year-old Izzi, with a laugh. “I’m a fairly competitive person so was just like, what is happening?”\nCaddie Nicki Stricker, caddie for Steve Stricker, of the United States looks on from the 11th hole during the second round of the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island Resort’s Ocean Course on May 21, 2021 in Kiawah Island, South Carolina. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)\nNeedless to say, everyone in the Stricker house is competitive, and Nicki, a former collegiate player, wasn\u2019t having too much fun on the golf course. She also wanted to set a good example for her girls. Nicki didn\u2019t like how she treated herself on the golf course after a bad shot, and with one daughter playing the game professionally and another one playing high-level junior golf, she knew they were watching.\n\u201cThe shots I hit good or bad, the scores I shoot good or bad, don\u2019t define me,\u201d said Nicki of what she\u2019s learned.\nWood taught Sticker to hit shots from one of the three c\u2019s \u2013\u00a0calm, confident, certain. Rather than put numbers down on a scorecard, she\u2019d write which \u201cc\u201d she hit from.\nBeginning on Saturday at the 61st U.S. Senior Women\u2019s Amateur at Troon Country Club, there will be numbers on the card. It\u2019s the first tournament Stricker has competed in in some 20 years, and the first USGA championship since the 1992 U.S. Women\u2019s Amateur at Kemper Lakes.\nWith Steve working as a vice captain this week at the Ryder Cup in Rome with eldest daughter Bobbi by his side, and Izzi playing in the postseason for high school golf, Nicki won’t have any family by her side in Arizona, though she will have Wood, who will caddie.\nNicki, of course, has caddied for Steve throughout his career. Bobbi played tennis through high school and didn\u2019t take up golf until college. Izzi, a high school senior, won a Wisconsin state golf title last year. It\u2019s not uncommon for the two sisters to take on their parents in a match.\n\u201cThe game keeps us together,\u201d Bobbi told Golfweek last year. \u201cWe travel with (dad), we practice with him.\u201d\nSteve was getting a lesson from Nicki\u2019s father Dennis Tiziani\u00a0at Cherokee Country Club (now TPC Wisconsin) the day they met. Nicki, who was a lifeguard at the club, went over after her shift ended to see her dad and there was Steve.\n\u201cMy dad had said something after,\u201d she recalled. \u201c ‘You know the guy you met? He asked for your number.\u2019 \u201d\nAfter waiting for three days, Nicki finally decided to call Steve and ask him out. Nicki was going into her freshman year of college at Wisconsin and Steve was a junior at Illinois.\nThe couple married in 1993.\nStricker family: Nicki, Steve, Bobbi and Izzi (courtesy Bobbi Stricker)\nSteve, now a 12-time winner on the PGA Tour and a 17-time winner on the PGA Tour Champions, including six titles this season, won the 2019 U.S. Senior Open with Nicki on the bag.\nAll that time caddying for Steve changed Nicki\u2019s approach to a golf course, how she looks at green complexes and how she views the importance of short game. She shot 7-over 77 at Glenview Park Golf Club in Illinois to secure her spot in this week’s field of 132. She\u2019d love to advance to match play and see what happens.\n\u201cThey\u2019re super proud of me,\u201d said Nicki of what her kids think of mom back in a USGA Championship. \u201cWhich to have your child say that they\u2019re proud of you for something obviously warms my heart \u2026 makes me choke up a little bit.\u201d", "date_published": "2023-09-30T16:11:32-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-10-02T15:01:50-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Beth Ann Nichols", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/author/golfweekbiff/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/407736f745d3317c6f078f94c0085e16?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Beth Ann Nichols", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/author/golfweekbiff/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/407736f745d3317c6f078f94c0085e16?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" }, "image": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/09/GettyImages-1418871538-e1696101730204.jpg", "tags": [ "2023 U.S. Senior Women's Amateur", "Arizona golf", "Nicki Stricker", "Steve Stricker", "Troon Country Club", "U.S. Senior Women's Amateur", "USGA", "Amateur", "Senior" ], "summary": "\u201cThe shots I hit good or bad, the scores I shoot good or bad, don\u2019t define me.\" " }, { "id": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/?p=778399022", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2023/09/28/bradley-karns-seals-local-win-scott-masingill-goes-wire-to-wire-at-golfweek-pacific-northwest-senior-championship/", "title": "Bradley Karns seals local win, Scott Masingill goes wire-to-wire at Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Championship", "content_html": "The 2023 Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Amateur had everything you could ask for as a golf fan. A winner chasing records; a sweaty, down-to-the-wire finish; and four new champions were crowned this week at Wine Valley Golf in Walla Walla, Washington.
\nBradley Karns began Wednesday\u2019s final round three shots back of the leader, Jon Lindstrom.
\nWith over 275 rounds recorded, a 2016 Washington State Senior Amateur win and a runner-up finish in last year\u2019s event all at Wine Valley, Karns felt confident in his abilities to get the job done.
\n\u201cWhen you get to this age and you\u2019re kind of in the mix a little bit, playing in tournaments,\u201d Karns told Golfweek. \u201cYou just kind of [put your] head down and continue to grind.\u201d
\nLindstrom struggled towards the back half of the front nine, carding a front nine 38 and dropping two strokes to Karns as they made the turn. With a birdie on the par 3 11th, Karns moved his way into a tie for the lead, setting up a shootout over the final seven holes.
\nLindstrom regained the lead with a birdie on No. 13 only to relinquish the lead on No. 16 with a bogey.
\nKarns would get his first solo lead of the tournament on No. 17 thanks to another bogey from Lindstrom. Using his local knowledge, the three-time U.S. Senior Am qualifier made easy work of the par 5 18th, taking his first Golfweek Senior Amateur win by one stroke over Lindstrom.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve played enough and competed against high-level players, that I feel very comfortable when I go tee it up,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, I just try to put my head down and keep grinding away\u2026 There\u2019s some really good players around the Pacific Northwest and I\u2019m just trying to fit in is all I\u2019m trying to do.\u201d
\nFor Lindstrom, his runner-up finish will move him inside the top 5 of the Golfweek Senior Amateur rankings. Previously 6th in the rankings coming into the week, Lindstrom benefits two-fold as the top 5 players were not in the field.
\nWith a 16-stroke lead heading into the final round, the only question remaining for Scott Masingill was not if he was going to win, but by how many.
\n\u201cYesterday, we talked about confidence,\u201d Masingill told Golfweek. \u201cYou know, you can be too confident and think \u2018I don\u2019t really have to concentrate.\u201d
\nNo matter how experienced you are or how well you may be playing, golf has a funny way of humbling you.
\nMasingill had a tap in left for par on the par-4 9th. Sweeping it into the hole, it lipped out and resulted in a bogey for the 1971 Pac-8 conference champion (1971, Oregon State). Closing the championship with a 3-over 75, Masingill had wise words that everyone can benefit from:
\n\u201cThere\u2019s the right amount of confidence and there\u2019s the right amount of intensity. You can\u2019t try too hard and you can\u2019t assume that you\u2019re such a good player that you can just go out and play and everything will work out, because it won\u2019t.\u201d
\nDespite the uncharacteristic day, Masingill closes the week at Wine Valley with the best score to par across the entire field at 7 under 209 and a 17-stroke win in the Super Senior division. Not too shabby for the 72-year-old Idaho legend.
\nDan Parkinson (10 over) and Frank Maxwell (12 over) rounded out the podium spots.
\nMichael Jonson retained his 36-hole lead, taking the Legend division crown with a 10 over 226. Greg Tatham (12 over) takes runner-up honors.
\nOklahoma\u2019s Craig Collins (10 over) takes the 75-and-up division crown. Three straight sub-80 rounds of golf gave him a one-shot victory over No. 2 ranked Bill Engel. Tightly contested, the top six finishers in the Super Legends bracket were separated by just six shots.
\nThe Golfweek Senior Amateur Series tees off yet again next week, this time just outside of Atlanta, Georgia for the Golfweek International Senior Invitational at Cartersville Country Club in Cartersville, Georgia.
\nCoverage for the event will begin on Tuesday, October 3.
\n", "content_text": "The 2023 Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Amateur had everything you could ask for as a golf fan. A winner chasing records; a sweaty, down-to-the-wire finish; and four new champions were crowned this week at Wine Valley Golf in Walla Walla, Washington.\nSeniors (55-64)\nBradley Karns began Wednesday\u2019s final round three shots back of the leader, Jon Lindstrom.\nWith over 275 rounds recorded, a 2016 Washington State Senior Amateur win and a runner-up finish in last year\u2019s event all at Wine Valley, Karns felt confident in his abilities to get the job done.\n\u201cWhen you get to this age and you\u2019re kind of in the mix a little bit, playing in tournaments,\u201d Karns told Golfweek. \u201cYou just kind of [put your] head down and continue to grind.\u201d\nLindstrom struggled towards the back half of the front nine, carding a front nine 38 and dropping two strokes to Karns as they made the turn. With a birdie on the par 3 11th, Karns moved his way into a tie for the lead, setting up a shootout over the final seven holes.\nLindstrom regained the lead with a birdie on No. 13 only to relinquish the lead on No. 16 with a bogey.\nKarns would get his first solo lead of the tournament on No. 17 thanks to another bogey from Lindstrom. Using his local knowledge, the three-time U.S. Senior Am qualifier made easy work of the par 5 18th, taking his first Golfweek Senior Amateur win by one stroke over Lindstrom.\n\u201cI\u2019ve played enough and competed against high-level players, that I feel very comfortable when I go tee it up,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, I just try to put my head down and keep grinding away\u2026 There\u2019s some really good players around the Pacific Northwest and I\u2019m just trying to fit in is all I\u2019m trying to do.\u201d\nFor Lindstrom, his runner-up finish will move him inside the top 5 of the Golfweek Senior Amateur rankings. Previously 6th in the rankings coming into the week, Lindstrom benefits two-fold as the top 5 players were not in the field.\nSuper Seniors (65-69)\nWith a 16-stroke lead heading into the final round, the only question remaining for Scott Masingill was not if he was going to win, but by how many.\n\u201cYesterday, we talked about confidence,\u201d Masingill told Golfweek. \u201cYou know, you can be too confident and think \u2018I don\u2019t really have to concentrate.\u201d\nNo matter how experienced you are or how well you may be playing, golf has a funny way of humbling you.\nMasingill had a tap in left for par on the par-4 9th. Sweeping it into the hole, it lipped out and resulted in a bogey for the 1971 Pac-8 conference champion (1971, Oregon State). Closing the championship with a 3-over 75, Masingill had wise words that everyone can benefit from:\n\u201cThere\u2019s the right amount of confidence and there\u2019s the right amount of intensity. You can\u2019t try too hard and you can\u2019t assume that you\u2019re such a good player that you can just go out and play and everything will work out, because it won\u2019t.\u201d\nDespite the uncharacteristic day, Masingill closes the week at Wine Valley with the best score to par across the entire field at 7 under 209 and a 17-stroke win in the Super Senior division. Not too shabby for the 72-year-old Idaho legend.\nDan Parkinson (10 over) and Frank Maxwell (12 over) rounded out the podium spots.\nLegends (70-74)\nMichael Jonson retained his 36-hole lead, taking the Legend division crown with a 10 over 226. Greg Tatham (12 over) takes runner-up honors.\nSuper Legends (75+)\nOklahoma\u2019s Craig Collins (10 over) takes the 75-and-up division crown. Three straight sub-80 rounds of golf gave him a one-shot victory over No. 2 ranked Bill Engel. Tightly contested, the top six finishers in the Super Legends bracket were separated by just six shots.\nThe Golfweek Senior Amateur Series tees off yet again next week, this time just outside of Atlanta, Georgia for the Golfweek International Senior Invitational at Cartersville Country Club in Cartersville, Georgia.\nCoverage for the event will begin on Tuesday, October 3.", "date_published": "2023-09-28T07:45:24-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-28T07:38:34-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Brayden Conover", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/author/braydenconover/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/7f6b72fca1cfa1d154484a3878d4879b?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Brayden Conover", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/author/braydenconover/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/7f6b72fca1cfa1d154484a3878d4879b?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" }, "image": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2022/05/Wine-Valley-Sunset-1.jpg", "tags": [ "Bradley Karns", "Golfweek", "Golfweek Events", "Jon Lindstrom", "Ron Gaines", "Scott Masingill", "Senior", "Senior Amateur", "Wine Valley Golf Club", "Amateur", "Golf" ] }, { "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2023/09/27/golfweek-pacific-northwest-senior-championship-second-round-leaderboard/", "title": "Scott Masingill continues domination at Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Championship", "content_html": "Round 1 Super Senior division leader Scott Masingill came into the week just looking to post three rounds around 70. The 72-year-old from Idaho made the quick trip to Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, Washington, to test his game. He didn\u2019t think he would dominate the way he has.
\n\u201cEvery once in a while you\u2019ll hit a streak where you just don\u2019t put a lot of pressure on yourself,\u201d Masingilll said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s where I am right now.\u201d
\nA 2004 Pacific NW Golf Association Hall of Fame inductee, Masingill has not only lapped the field. He has lapped them nearly three times.
\nFollowing his opening round 65 with a 3-under 69 on Tuesday, Masingill holds a commanding 16-stroke lead on the rest of the Super Senior age bracket, currently sitting at 10 under.
\n\u201cThe confidence has built,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve been able to clear my mind and build on that confidence. It was a good day, and I didn\u2019t get everything out of my round today like I did yesterday. There was no stress and I could\u2019ve been lower, but anyway, it\u2019s great.\u201d
\nWith just one bogey through 36 holes of play, Masingill has only his game and the course between him and the trophy.
\nUtah\u2019s Dan Parkinson and Louisiana\u2019s Frank Maxwell round out the podium through two rounds at 6 over and 7 over, respectively.
\nTrailing overnight leader Jerry Gunthorpe by one shot heading into Tuesday\u2019s second round, Jon Lindstrom set out to make a move on moving day.
\nExecuting his plan to near perfection, Lindstrom followed up his Monday 68 with a 3-under 69 on Tuesday. Starting his day on the back nine, Lindstrom made the turn at 1 under before lighting up hole Nos. 1-4 with a trio of birdies.
\nA bogey on the par-3 sixth ended his 27-hole bogey-free streak, but nonetheless, the Denver native takes a three-shot advantage into Wednesday\u2019s final round.
\nBradley Karns stayed stagnant with an even-par 72 to remain in second place at 4 under. Jon Brown lurks in third place at 2 under with a pair of 71s. Kevin VandenBerg, Kevin Sullivan, Tom Brandes and Jerry Gunthorpe share fourth place at 1 under.
\nMichael Jonson (6 over) vaulted first-round leader Kerry Booth (9 over) with a second-round 73. Greg Tatham (10 over) and Bruce Meyer (18 over) round out the division.
\nGreg Mokler (2 over) overtakes the top spot in the Super Legends division with a 72. Wayne Peddy (5 over), Craig Collins (6 over), Henry Cole (7 over), Bill Engel and Larry Dodds (8 over) all look to apply pressure in Wednesday\u2019s final round.
\n", "content_text": "Round 1 Super Senior division leader Scott Masingill came into the week just looking to post three rounds around 70. The 72-year-old from Idaho made the quick trip to Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, Washington, to test his game. He didn\u2019t think he would dominate the way he has.\n\u201cEvery once in a while you\u2019ll hit a streak where you just don\u2019t put a lot of pressure on yourself,\u201d Masingilll said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s where I am right now.\u201d\nA 2004 Pacific NW Golf Association Hall of Fame inductee, Masingill has not only lapped the field. He has lapped them nearly three times.\nFollowing his opening round 65 with a 3-under 69 on Tuesday, Masingill holds a commanding 16-stroke lead on the rest of the Super Senior age bracket, currently sitting at 10 under.\n\u201cThe confidence has built,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve been able to clear my mind and build on that confidence. It was a good day, and I didn\u2019t get everything out of my round today like I did yesterday. There was no stress and I could\u2019ve been lower, but anyway, it\u2019s great.\u201d\nWith just one bogey through 36 holes of play, Masingill has only his game and the course between him and the trophy. \nUtah\u2019s Dan Parkinson and Louisiana\u2019s Frank Maxwell round out the podium through two rounds at 6 over and 7 over, respectively.\nSeniors (55-64)\nTrailing overnight leader Jerry Gunthorpe by one shot heading into Tuesday\u2019s second round, Jon Lindstrom set out to make a move on moving day.\nExecuting his plan to near perfection, Lindstrom followed up his Monday 68 with a 3-under 69 on Tuesday. Starting his day on the back nine, Lindstrom made the turn at 1 under before lighting up hole Nos. 1-4 with a trio of birdies.\nA bogey on the par-3 sixth ended his 27-hole bogey-free streak, but nonetheless, the Denver native takes a three-shot advantage into Wednesday\u2019s final round. \nBradley Karns stayed stagnant with an even-par 72 to remain in second place at 4 under. Jon Brown lurks in third place at 2 under with a pair of 71s. Kevin VandenBerg, Kevin Sullivan, Tom Brandes and Jerry Gunthorpe share fourth place at 1 under.\nLegends (70-74)\nMichael Jonson (6 over) vaulted first-round leader Kerry Booth (9 over) with a second-round 73. Greg Tatham (10 over) and Bruce Meyer (18 over) round out the division.\nSuper Legends (75+)\nGreg Mokler (2 over) overtakes the top spot in the Super Legends division with a 72. Wayne Peddy (5 over), Craig Collins (6 over), Henry Cole (7 over), Bill Engel and Larry Dodds (8 over) all look to apply pressure in Wednesday\u2019s final round.", "date_published": "2023-09-27T08:30:35-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-27T10:31:19-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Brayden Conover", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/author/braydenconover/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/7f6b72fca1cfa1d154484a3878d4879b?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Brayden Conover", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/author/braydenconover/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/7f6b72fca1cfa1d154484a3878d4879b?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" }, "image": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/04/Wine-Valley-Wheat-View.jpg", "tags": [ "Amateur Golf", "Golfweek", "Golfweek Events", "Jon Lindstrom", "Scott Masingell", "Senior Amatuer", "Wine Valley Golf Club", "Amateur", "Senior" ], "summary": "\u201cEvery once in a while you\u2019ll hit a streak where you just don\u2019t put a lot of pressure on yourself.\" " }, { "id": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2023/09/26/golfweek-2023-pacific-northwest-senior-championship-leaderboard-updates/", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2023/09/26/golfweek-2023-pacific-northwest-senior-championship-leaderboard-updates/", "title": "Scott Masingill, Jerry Gunthorpe go low at Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Championship", "content_html": "The Golfweek senior amateur circuit has made its annual stop in Wine Country.
\nWine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, Washington is a stunning Dan Hixson design that perfectly uses the natural features of southeastern Washington in the shadow of the Blue Mountains. With open fairways and rarely a tree in sight, the course plays tough thanks to wild grasses, undulating greens and strategic bunkering, Wine Valley is one of the best tests of golf in the Pacific Northwest.
\nTwo men were able to use those features to their advantage to take leads in their respective age divisions.\u00a0
\n72-year-old Scott Masingill had the round of the day, posting a bogey-free 7-under 65 to take an eight-stroke lead in the Super Senior age bracket.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve played this golf course quite a bit,\u201d Masingell said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s really one of my favorite courses of anywhere that I\u2019ve played. In about the past two months, my game has come around, and it\u2019s really just about confidence now.\u201d
\nThe Idaho native has plenty to be confident about. Starting his scoring early, Masingell carded four birdies through his first seven holes. Keeping it on cruise control, he parred the next seven holes before adding three consecutive birdies on hole Nos. 15-17. Needing to knock home a 4-footer on 18 for par to keep his bogey-free round in check, Masingell found the bottom of the cup.
\n\u201cI got a little nervous and sweaty on the last hole,\u201d he said. \u201cI was proud of the fact that feeling some stress on that last putt, I just knocked it in the middle of the hole. I\u2019m real pleased with the way I played, I\u2019ve been working on my fitness and my game, and I got a result.\u201d
\nMasingill is not a stranger to playing with the best. With a U.S. Open, two Senior Opens, a U.S. Am and two U.S. Mid-Ams under his belt, he\u2019s no stranger to being in the mix with elite golfers.
\nAs for how he\u2019ll take on the next 36 holes?
\n\u201cWith a big lead like this, I\u2019m really just competing with myself at the moment. So, just not getting distracted by that and [focus] on the cliche of all time, playing one shot at a time. That\u2019s the only way to do it.\u201d
\nGeorge Walker (No. 1 in the Golfweek Super Senior rankings) and Frank Maxwell are in a two-way tie for second at 1 over.
\nIn the senior division, Michigan\u2019s Jerry Gunthrope leads the way thanks to his opening round of 5-under 65.\u00a0 His week began on the wrong foot, as his driver shaft was snapped on his flight out to the West Coast.
\nFinding a similar shaft at a store 45 minutes from the course, Gunthorpe was able to put the driver in play Monday but still didn\u2019t feel 100 percent comfortable with it throughout the day. Relying on a driving iron and his woods for the most part, Gunthorpe\u2019s wedges made up for the rest.
\n\u201cI had a lot of wedges,\u201d Gunthorpe said. \u201cI hit a lot of really good wedges so that\u2019s where I made a lot of birdies.\u201d
\nNot completely satisfied with his game, Gunthorpe looks to improve on his par 5 scoring as well as his tee and approach shots. If the Michigander can get those facets of his game to lock in, it could be a long week for the rest of the field.
\nHe takes a one-shot lead into Tuesday\u2019s round, as Bradley Karns and Jon Lindstrom look to keep their play rolling with matching 68s. Seven more golfers are at par or better.
\nKerry Booth (+4) holds a two-stroke lead over Greg Tatham.
\nBill Engel posted an even par round and commands a two-shot lead over Greg Mokler.
\n", "content_text": "The Golfweek senior amateur circuit has made its annual stop in Wine Country.\nWine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, Washington is a stunning Dan Hixson design that perfectly uses the natural features of southeastern Washington in the shadow of the Blue Mountains. With open fairways and rarely a tree in sight, the course plays tough thanks to wild grasses, undulating greens and strategic bunkering, Wine Valley is one of the best tests of golf in the Pacific Northwest.\nTwo men were able to use those features to their advantage to take leads in their respective age divisions.\u00a0\nSuper Seniors (65-69)\n72-year-old Scott Masingill had the round of the day, posting a bogey-free 7-under 65 to take an eight-stroke lead in the Super Senior age bracket.\n\u201cI\u2019ve played this golf course quite a bit,\u201d Masingell said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s really one of my favorite courses of anywhere that I\u2019ve played. In about the past two months, my game has come around, and it\u2019s really just about confidence now.\u201d\nThe Idaho native has plenty to be confident about. Starting his scoring early, Masingell carded four birdies through his first seven holes. Keeping it on cruise control, he parred the next seven holes before adding three consecutive birdies on hole Nos. 15-17. Needing to knock home a 4-footer on 18 for par to keep his bogey-free round in check, Masingell found the bottom of the cup.\n\u201cI got a little nervous and sweaty on the last hole,\u201d he said. \u201cI was proud of the fact that feeling some stress on that last putt, I just knocked it in the middle of the hole. I\u2019m real pleased with the way I played, I\u2019ve been working on my fitness and my game, and I got a result.\u201d\nMasingill is not a stranger to playing with the best. With a U.S. Open, two Senior Opens, a U.S. Am and two U.S. Mid-Ams under his belt, he\u2019s no stranger to being in the mix with elite golfers.\nAs for how he\u2019ll take on the next 36 holes?\n\u201cWith a big lead like this, I\u2019m really just competing with myself at the moment. So, just not getting distracted by that and [focus] on the cliche of all time, playing one shot at a time. That\u2019s the only way to do it.\u201d\nGeorge Walker (No. 1 in the Golfweek Super Senior rankings) and Frank Maxwell are in a two-way tie for second at 1 over.\nSeniors (55-64)\nIn the senior division, Michigan\u2019s Jerry Gunthrope leads the way thanks to his opening round of 5-under 65.\u00a0 His week began on the wrong foot, as his driver shaft was snapped on his flight out to the West Coast.\nFinding a similar shaft at a store 45 minutes from the course, Gunthorpe was able to put the driver in play Monday but still didn\u2019t feel 100 percent comfortable with it throughout the day. Relying on a driving iron and his woods for the most part, Gunthorpe\u2019s wedges made up for the rest.\n\u201cI had a lot of wedges,\u201d Gunthorpe said. \u201cI hit a lot of really good wedges so that\u2019s where I made a lot of birdies.\u201d\nNot completely satisfied with his game, Gunthorpe looks to improve on his par 5 scoring as well as his tee and approach shots. If the Michigander can get those facets of his game to lock in, it could be a long week for the rest of the field.\nHe takes a one-shot lead into Tuesday\u2019s round, as Bradley Karns and Jon Lindstrom look to keep their play rolling with matching 68s. Seven more golfers are at par or better.\nLegends (70-74)\nKerry Booth (+4) holds a two-stroke lead over Greg Tatham.\nSuper Legends (75+)\nBill Engel posted an even par round and commands a two-shot lead over Greg Mokler.", "date_published": "2023-09-26T10:21:40-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-26T10:21:40-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Brayden Conover", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/author/braydenconover/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/7f6b72fca1cfa1d154484a3878d4879b?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Brayden Conover", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/author/braydenconover/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/7f6b72fca1cfa1d154484a3878d4879b?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" }, "image": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/04/Wine-Valley-Sunset-2.jpg", "tags": [ "Amateur Golf", "Golfweek Events", "Jerry Gunthorpe", "Scott Masingill", "Senior Amateur", "Wine Valley Golf Club", "Amateur", "Golf", "Senior" ], "summary": "The Golfweek senior amateur circuit has made its annual stop in Wine Country. " }, { "id": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/?post_type=smg_event&p=778393548", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/event/2023-international-senior-invitational/", "title": "2023 International Senior Invitational", "content_html": "*****ROOM LEFT FOR 5 MORE 3-MAN TEAMS*****
\nThe International Tournament Committee cordially invites you to participate\u00a0in the 2023 International Senior Invitational to be held October 4-7 at Cartersville Country Club in Cartersville, GA – just a short distance north of the major airport hub of Atlanta.\u00a0The 2023\u00a0International\u00a0features a field that includes teams\u00a0 and players from The United States, England, Ireland, Wales, Germany, and Canada. Please Note: All registrations\u00a0will be pending until accepted\u00a0by the tournament committee.\u00a0
\nSenior amateur golf is booming and USA Today Sports / Golfweek is excited to be a part of the INTERNATIONAL.\u00a0“The tournament fills a huge void\u00a0by providing both a\u00a0team and individual championship for the world’s top Senior amateur golfers,” said Jerry Slagle,\u00a0co-chairmen of the INTERNATIONAL. Co-Chair, Kevin VandenBerg, went on to say, “In 2022\u00a0we had one of the strongest\u00a0fields in senior amateur golf and this year we expect the field to be even stronger.”
\nWith a player\u00a0roster that will look\u00a0like a “who’s who” of internationally ranked players, the power ranking is sure to rival the top Senior tournaments in the world. THE\u00a0INTERNATIONAL\u00a0SENIOR INVITATIONAL\u00a0is a tournament within a tournament where both individual and team champions will be crowned.
\nOur host, Cartersville Country Club, is a masterpiece\u00a0nestled in the foothills of North Georgia\u00a0just a little under a one-hour drive\u00a0from Atlanta, Cartersville Country Club\u00a0will be\u00a0the perfect venue for\u00a0the 2023\u00a0INTERNATIONAL SENIOR INVITATIONAL!
\n", "content_text": "*****ROOM LEFT FOR 5 MORE 3-MAN TEAMS*****\nThe International Tournament Committee cordially invites you to participate\u00a0in the 2023 International Senior Invitational to be held October 4-7 at Cartersville Country Club in Cartersville, GA – just a short distance north of the major airport hub of Atlanta.\u00a0The 2023\u00a0International\u00a0features a field that includes teams\u00a0 and players from The United States, England, Ireland, Wales, Germany, and Canada. Please Note: All registrations\u00a0will be pending until accepted\u00a0by the tournament committee.\u00a0\nSenior amateur golf is booming and USA Today Sports / Golfweek is excited to be a part of the INTERNATIONAL.\u00a0“The tournament fills a huge void\u00a0by providing both a\u00a0team and individual championship for the world’s top Senior amateur golfers,” said Jerry Slagle,\u00a0co-chairmen of the INTERNATIONAL. Co-Chair, Kevin VandenBerg, went on to say, “In 2022\u00a0we had one of the strongest\u00a0fields in senior amateur golf and this year we expect the field to be even stronger.” \nWith a player\u00a0roster that will look\u00a0like a “who’s who” of internationally ranked players, the power ranking is sure to rival the top Senior tournaments in the world. THE\u00a0INTERNATIONAL\u00a0SENIOR INVITATIONAL\u00a0is a tournament within a tournament where both individual and team champions will be crowned.\nOur host, Cartersville Country Club, is a masterpiece\u00a0nestled in the foothills of North Georgia\u00a0just a little under a one-hour drive\u00a0from Atlanta, Cartersville Country Club\u00a0will be\u00a0the perfect venue for\u00a0the 2023\u00a0INTERNATIONAL SENIOR INVITATIONAL!", "date_published": "2023-09-05T18:06:51-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-05T18:06:51-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Ron Gaines", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/author/golfweekron/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/73b64a22db1a2600cbcb60357bcfd68c?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Ron Gaines", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/author/golfweekron/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/73b64a22db1a2600cbcb60357bcfd68c?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" }, "image": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/09/Logo-1.jpg", "tags": [ "International Senior Invitational", "Senior Amateur Golf", "senior WAGR tournament", "WAGR", "Amateur", "Amateur", "Events", "Senior", "Seniors" ] }, { "id": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/?post_type=smg_event&p=778393323", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/event/your-invitation-to-the-2023-golfweek-senior-tournament-of-champions/", "title": "Your invitation to the 2023 Golfweek Senior Tournament of Champions", "content_html": "Calling All Champions! Open to champions at every level including those who strive to be a champion. Join us for the 2023 Golfweek Senior Tournament of Champions, Dec 12-14, 2023 at the exclusive Forest Country Club in Ft Myers, FL, home to many USGA qualifiers and FSGA championships. The Bear is designed with generous fairways to lull golfers into a sense of ease off the tee. However, approach shots are risky and offer the potential for either a big payoff or an even bigger disaster. The Bear requires each player to step up to the ball with a carefully organized series of shots on every hole. Join us and test your skill at The Forest Country Club. It’s the perfect venue for the 2023 TOC, one of Golfweek\u2019s Elite Senior Players Series tournaments.
\n", "content_text": "Calling All Champions! Open to champions at every level including those who strive to be a champion. Join us for the 2023 Golfweek Senior Tournament of Champions, Dec 12-14, 2023 at the exclusive Forest Country Club in Ft Myers, FL, home to many USGA qualifiers and FSGA championships. The Bear is designed with generous fairways to lull golfers into a sense of ease off the tee. However, approach shots are risky and offer the potential for either a big payoff or an even bigger disaster. The Bear requires each player to step up to the ball with a carefully organized series of shots on every hole. Join us and test your skill at The Forest Country Club. It’s the perfect venue for the 2023 TOC, one of Golfweek\u2019s Elite Senior Players Series tournaments.", "date_published": "2023-09-03T16:00:07-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-09-03T16:00:07-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Ron Gaines", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/author/golfweekron/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/73b64a22db1a2600cbcb60357bcfd68c?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Ron Gaines", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/author/golfweekron/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/73b64a22db1a2600cbcb60357bcfd68c?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" }, "image": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/09/2-Forest-e1693771494402.jpg", "tags": [ "Amateur Tournament Golf", "National Ranking", "Ranking tournament", "Senior Amateur Golf", "senior golf", "Senior Ranking Tournaments", "Senior Tournaments", "WAGR tournament", "Amateur", "Amateur", "Events", "Golf", "National Senior Ranking Tournament", "Senior", "Seniors" ] }, { "id": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/?p=778387428", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2023/08/11/golfweek-senior-national-match-play-four-champions-duke-university-golf-club/", "title": "Four champions crowned at Golfweek Senior National Match Play", "content_html": "\n
After three days and 40 total matches, the Golfweek Senior National Match Play has crowned four champions across each of its respective age divisions.
\nForty-two top senior amateur players from around the country ranging in age from 55 to 79 years old made Duke University Golf Club their playground for the past week, carding scores that would not only flirt with their ages, but in some cases shatter them.
\nAside from the title of champion, winners of each bracket take home a trophy and add 1,200 Golfweek Player of the Year points to their name. As the season begins to slow down, Player of the Year points are becoming more and more important to those vying for the top spot come year\u2019s end.
\nNOTE: Seeding for this event was based off of the Golfweek Player of the Year rankings as of August 1st. If the player was not ranked in Golfweek\u2019s PoY rankings, random or national ranking was used to determine seeding.
\nFour-seed, Brian Keenan, earned his way into the final with a 5-and-4 win over No. 13 Brian Kennedy and a 2-and-1 win over No. 5 Allen Peake on Wednesday. In the semifinals, Keenan took down No. 8 Craig Hurlbert 1 up to set up a final against No. 6 Ken Kinkopf.
\nKinkopf\u2019s journey to the final was seemingly a breeze. Riding a hot hand all week, Kinkopf won his first two matches 8 and 7 and 4 and 2. The latter came against Golfweek No. 3 Kevin VandenBerg, a favorite heading into the week. Cruising to a 6-and-5 victory in the semifinals against No. 7 Kirk Wright, Kinkopf was a likely favorite heading into the final match.
\n![\"\"](\"https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/08/Brian-Keenan.jpg\")
Picking up right where he left off, Kinkopf took the first hole with a par on No. 1. Countering the early lead, Keenan tied the match immediately with a par of his own on No. 2 before taking the lead with a birdie on No. 4.
\nKnowing Kinkopf could heat up at any moment, Keenan kept applying pressure, taking a 3-up lead as the match made its way to the back nine.
\nWith Kinkopf running out of steam after a stellar week, Keenan was able to win three of the first four holes of the back side to command a 5-up lead through 13 holes.
\nNot going down without a fight, Kinkopf holed out for eagle on No. 14 out of a greenside bunker to pull back within four.
\n\u201cHe [Kinkopf] told me he had me right where he wanted me,\u201d Kennan chuckled. \u201cHe\u2019s a friend and I was glad to have a chance to play him. He\u2019s won a lot of these [Golfweek] events over the years so it was nice for me to get the \u201cW\u201d against a friend like that.\u201d
\nFor Keenan, the win puts a bit of wind in his sails as he heads just an hour down the road from Raleigh, North Carolina, over to Pinehurst to play in the Senior North & South next week.
\nNo. 2 seeded James Starnes took down No. 7 Bill Hardaker 3 and 2 and No. 3 John Armstrong 2 and 1 on his way to the Super Senior final. Meeting him there was 4-seed Keith Waters who went 2 up on No. 5 Greg Goode and top-seeded Marcus Beck en route to his championship run.
\nStarnes and Water needed all 18 holes to decide their match with Waters coming out on top, winning four of the final six holes to swing the match from 2 down to 2 up in his favor.
\nPete Allen (No. 5) and Bev Hargraves (No. 3) squared off for the Legends title.
\nAllen went 4 and 3 against No. 12 Fred Clark and No. 4 John Osborne in Wednesday\u2019s play before taking down No. 1 seed George Walker in the semifinals. Hargreaves received a bye in the first round, rolling to a 19-hole win against Donald Kuehn in the quarterfinals and beat No. 2 Sam Robinson 3 and 2 in the semis.
\nWith both men in the top six in the Golfweek Player of the Year rankings, this match had the most riding on it when it came to the year-long race.
\nAllen commanded a 3-up lead as the two made the turn with Hargraves unable to get anything to fall in the hole. Matching each other shot for shot from hole 8 to 14, Hargraves was finally able to get on the board with a par on the par-3 15th.
\nNeeding a win on 15 to close the match, Allen lived up to his nickname \u2018Pointblank Pete\u2019. Carding a par, Allen won the championship match 3 and 2. With the win, Allen slides up two spots to 4th place with Hargraves just 23 points in front of him with just a handful of points events left in the year.
\nGolfweek No. 2 Sam Robinson closes the gap between himself and No. 1 George Walker as Robinson won the Legends bracket consolation match 3 and 2. Altogether, the top four spots in the Golfweek Legends Player of the Year rankings are separated by just over 1,200 points, making the final stretch run a fun one to watch.
\nThe top two seeds in the Super Legends division met in the final.
\nTop seed, John Blank played his way in with a 7-and-5 win over No. 8 Ben Dowdey and a 4-and-3 win over No. 5 Joe Pavoni. Two-seed George Owens went 5 and 3 over No. 7 Richard Kline and advanced to the final after No. 6 John Casstevens withdrew midway through the semifinal match due to injury.
\nIn the final it was Owens who came out on top in a back-and-forth battle. After four lead changes, Owens was able to ice the match with a 1-up victory on the 18th hole.
\nWith the win, Owens closes the gap between himself and Blank, with Bill Engel providing a slight buffer between the two men. Engel was able to earn 275 points this week despite playing down an age bracket, finishing fifth in the Legends bracket.
\n", "content_text": "After three days and 40 total matches, the Golfweek Senior National Match Play has crowned four champions across each of its respective age divisions.\nForty-two top senior amateur players from around the country ranging in age from 55 to 79 years old made Duke University Golf Club their playground for the past week, carding scores that would not only flirt with their ages, but in some cases shatter them.\nAside from the title of champion, winners of each bracket take home a trophy and add 1,200 Golfweek Player of the Year points to their name. As the season begins to slow down, Player of the Year points are becoming more and more important to those vying for the top spot come year\u2019s end.\nNOTE: Seeding for this event was based off of the Golfweek Player of the Year rankings as of August 1st. If the player was not ranked in Golfweek\u2019s PoY rankings, random or national ranking was used to determine seeding.\nSenior Bracket (55-64)\nFour-seed, Brian Keenan, earned his way into the final with a 5-and-4 win over No. 13 Brian Kennedy and a 2-and-1 win over No. 5 Allen Peake on Wednesday. In the semifinals, Keenan took down No. 8 Craig Hurlbert 1 up to set up a final against No. 6 Ken Kinkopf.\nKinkopf\u2019s journey to the final was seemingly a breeze. Riding a hot hand all week, Kinkopf won his first two matches 8 and 7 and 4 and 2. The latter came against Golfweek No. 3 Kevin VandenBerg, a favorite heading into the week. Cruising to a 6-and-5 victory in the semifinals against No. 7 Kirk Wright, Kinkopf was a likely favorite heading into the final match.\n\nPicking up right where he left off, Kinkopf took the first hole with a par on No. 1. Countering the early lead, Keenan tied the match immediately with a par of his own on No. 2 before taking the lead with a birdie on No. 4.\nKnowing Kinkopf could heat up at any moment, Keenan kept applying pressure, taking a 3-up lead as the match made its way to the back nine.\nWith Kinkopf running out of steam after a stellar week, Keenan was able to win three of the first four holes of the back side to command a 5-up lead through 13 holes.\nNot going down without a fight, Kinkopf holed out for eagle on No. 14 out of a greenside bunker to pull back within four.\n\u201cHe [Kinkopf] told me he had me right where he wanted me,\u201d Kennan chuckled. \u201cHe\u2019s a friend and I was glad to have a chance to play him. He\u2019s won a lot of these [Golfweek] events over the years so it was nice for me to get the \u201cW\u201d against a friend like that.\u201d\nFor Keenan, the win puts a bit of wind in his sails as he heads just an hour down the road from Raleigh, North Carolina, over to Pinehurst to play in the Senior North & South next week.\nSuper Senior Bracket (65-69)\nNo. 2 seeded James Starnes took down No. 7 Bill Hardaker 3 and 2 and No. 3 John Armstrong 2 and 1 on his way to the Super Senior final. Meeting him there was 4-seed Keith Waters who went 2 up on No. 5 Greg Goode and top-seeded Marcus Beck en route to his championship run.\nStarnes and Water needed all 18 holes to decide their match with Waters coming out on top, winning four of the final six holes to swing the match from 2 down to 2 up in his favor.\nLegends Bracket (70-74)\nPete Allen (No. 5) and Bev Hargraves (No. 3) squared off for the Legends title.\nAllen went 4 and 3 against No. 12 Fred Clark and No. 4 John Osborne in Wednesday\u2019s play before taking down No. 1 seed George Walker in the semifinals. Hargreaves received a bye in the first round, rolling to a 19-hole win against Donald Kuehn in the quarterfinals and beat No. 2 Sam Robinson 3 and 2 in the semis.\nWith both men in the top six in the Golfweek Player of the Year rankings, this match had the most riding on it when it came to the year-long race.\nAllen commanded a 3-up lead as the two made the turn with Hargraves unable to get anything to fall in the hole. Matching each other shot for shot from hole 8 to 14, Hargraves was finally able to get on the board with a par on the par-3 15th.\nNeeding a win on 15 to close the match, Allen lived up to his nickname \u2018Pointblank Pete\u2019. Carding a par, Allen won the championship match 3 and 2. With the win, Allen slides up two spots to 4th place with Hargraves just 23 points in front of him with just a handful of points events left in the year.\nGolfweek No. 2 Sam Robinson closes the gap between himself and No. 1 George Walker as Robinson won the Legends bracket consolation match 3 and 2. Altogether, the top four spots in the Golfweek Legends Player of the Year rankings are separated by just over 1,200 points, making the final stretch run a fun one to watch.\nSuper Legends (75+)\nThe top two seeds in the Super Legends division met in the final.\nTop seed, John Blank played his way in with a 7-and-5 win over No. 8 Ben Dowdey and a 4-and-3 win over No. 5 Joe Pavoni. Two-seed George Owens went 5 and 3 over No. 7 Richard Kline and advanced to the final after No. 6 John Casstevens withdrew midway through the semifinal match due to injury.\nIn the final it was Owens who came out on top in a back-and-forth battle. After four lead changes, Owens was able to ice the match with a 1-up victory on the 18th hole.\nWith the win, Owens closes the gap between himself and Blank, with Bill Engel providing a slight buffer between the two men. Engel was able to earn 275 points this week despite playing down an age bracket, finishing fifth in the Legends bracket.", "date_published": "2023-08-11T19:52:06-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-12T13:37:22-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Brayden Conover", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/author/braydenconover/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/7f6b72fca1cfa1d154484a3878d4879b?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Brayden Conover", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/author/braydenconover/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/7f6b72fca1cfa1d154484a3878d4879b?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" }, "image": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/08/Duke-Golf-Club.jpeg", "tags": [ "2023 Golfweek Senior National Championship", "Bev Hargraves", "Brian Keenan", "Duke", "Golfweek Events", "Ken Kinkopf", "Pete Allen", "Senior", "Senior Amateur", "senior golf", "Amateur", "Golf" ], "summary": "Here's how everything unfolded. " }, { "id": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/?p=778387228", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2023/08/10/championships-set-following-rain-soaked-day-at-2023-golfweek-senior-national-match-play/", "title": "Championships set following rain-soaked day at 2023 Golfweek Senior National Match Play", "content_html": "\n
The 2023 Golfweek Senior National Match Play event began with 42 of the country\u2019s top senior golfers ranging in age from 55 years old to 75 and up, now finds eight players vying for one of four championships.
\nWith Duke University Golf Club in Durham, North Carolina, playing host, 16 players teed it up in search of continuing their quest towards 1,200 Golfweek Player of the Year points. With just a few events left in the season, every shot matters as the season begins its final stretch.
\nNOTE: Seeding for this event was based off of the Golfweek Player of the Year rankings as of August 1st. If the player was not ranked in Golfweek\u2019s PoY rankings, random draw or national ranking was used.
\nAfter a no-contest in the first round and a 3 and 2 victory over No. 1 seed Todd Hendley in the quarterfinals, No. 8 Craig Hurlbert squared off with No. 4 Brian Keenan.
\nWinning three of the first six holes, Hurlbert took a 2 up lead into the par-5 7th. Both Hendley and Hurlbert walked away with bogeys as Keenan looked to gain a bit of momentum before making the turn.
\nKnotting it back up with wins on Nos. 8 and 9, Keenan was able to use a hot putter to get the match back to all square.
\n\u201cNine was another little turning point,\u201d Kennan told Golfweek. \u201cI hit a so-so chip shot\u2026I curled it [the putt] in and got it to even through the turn.\u201d
\nAfter Hurlbert won No. 11 with a par, Keenan drained a 50-foot downhill sliding putt on the par-3 12th to tie the match back up before an hour-long rain delay forced players off of the course.
\n\u201cThat was another one I was just trying to get close,\u201d Kennan said. \u201cIt just trickled, trickled, trickled and it went right in the middle. He [Hurlbert] just started to shake his head a little bit, but he\u2019s a good competitor and a friendly, good guy to play against.\u201d
\nAfter the rain delay, both players exchanged pars before Keenan was able to win No. 16 with a par. With two holes left to play, pars were exchanged with Keenan coming away with a 1 up victory and an even par round of 72.
\nFacing Keenan in Friday\u2019s championship match is the hot-handed 6-seed, Ken Kinkopf.
\nEn route to the championship round, Kinkopf has won his matches 8 and 7, 4 and 2 and finally a 6 and 5 victory over No. 7 seed Kirk Wright.
\nKinkopf needed just 49 shots through 13 holes to advance past Wright and earn his spot in the championship match. An eagle and four birdies highlighted his card on Thursday. For the week, Kinkopf is officially even through 47 holes of golf. Unlike many of his competitors, Kinkopf continues to play after his match is over to keep his game sharp. The strategy is clearly paying off as both he and Keenan are in top form heading into Friday\u2019s championship match.
\nNo upsets took place in the eight-man Super Senior bracket Wednesday as all four of the top seeds advanced to Thursday\u2019s semifinals.
\nIn the No. 1 versus No. 4 matchup between Marcus Beck and Keith Waters, it was Waters who was able to squeak by the top man in the division with a 2 up win.
\nNo. 2 James Starnes and No. 3 John Armstrong battled it out for 17 holes as Starnes solidified his spot in the finals with a pair of birdies on Nos. 16 and 17.
\nAdvancing to the semifinals with back-to-back 4 and 3 wins, five-seed Pete Allen looked to take down No. 1 George Walker.
\nAveraging 225 yards off of the tee, Allen gave up 75+ yards to Walker who, despite his age, is able to drive the ball over 300 yards at times. Tack on the fact that Walker got a first-round bye and Allen needed 30 holes to advance to the semis and Allen would appear to be the David to Walker\u2019s Goliath.
\nNicknamed \u2018Pointblank Pete\u2019 by John Daly following a pro-am event back in 1994, Pete Allen took the fight to Walker, quickly gaining a 3-up advantage through the first three holes.
\nIt wasn\u2019t until the par-3 8th that Walker was able to get on the board. Two down and making the turn, the horn blew and the match was paused as storms moved through the area.
\n\u201cIt [the rain delay] helped me because I was fading,\u201d Allen told Golfweek.
\nAfter the quick rest, Walker returned the hot start Allen had to begin the day with three straight wins on holes 10, 11 and 12. Down in a match for the first time all week, Allen knew he had to get something going if he was going to advance.
\nTied through No. 14, Allen made birdie on the par-3 15th with a chip-in birdie to take a 1-up advantage. Holding on to the lead the rest of the way, Pete Allen\u2019s run to the championship continues Friday, facing off against No. 3 Bev Hargraves.
\nHargraves defeated second-seeded Sam Robinson 3 and 2 to advance.
\nAfter a 7-and-5 win in the quarterfinals, top-seeded John Blank looked to continue his strong play against No. 5 Joe Pavoni.
\nDoing just that, Blank advances to the title match after defeating Pavoni 4 and 3.
\nMeeting him there is No. 2 George Owens.
\nPlaying his way into the semis with a 5-and-3 win on Wednesday, Owens was in control of his match against No. 6 seed John Casstevens. 1 down through 12, Casstevens elected to withdraw for reasons unknown, setting up a one-two matchup with 1,200 Golfweek Player of the Year points on the line.
\n", "content_text": "The 2023 Golfweek Senior National Match Play event began with 42 of the country\u2019s top senior golfers ranging in age from 55 years old to 75 and up, now finds eight players vying for one of four championships.\nWith Duke University Golf Club in Durham, North Carolina, playing host, 16 players teed it up in search of continuing their quest towards 1,200 Golfweek Player of the Year points. With just a few events left in the season, every shot matters as the season begins its final stretch.\nNOTE: Seeding for this event was based off of the Golfweek Player of the Year rankings as of August 1st. If the player was not ranked in Golfweek\u2019s PoY rankings, random draw or national ranking was used.\nSenior Bracket (55-64)\nAfter a no-contest in the first round and a 3 and 2 victory over No. 1 seed Todd Hendley in the quarterfinals, No. 8 Craig Hurlbert squared off with No. 4 Brian Keenan.\nWinning three of the first six holes, Hurlbert took a 2 up lead into the par-5 7th. Both Hendley and Hurlbert walked away with bogeys as Keenan looked to gain a bit of momentum before making the turn.\nKnotting it back up with wins on Nos. 8 and 9, Keenan was able to use a hot putter to get the match back to all square.\n\u201cNine was another little turning point,\u201d Kennan told Golfweek. \u201cI hit a so-so chip shot\u2026I curled it [the putt] in and got it to even through the turn.\u201d\nAfter Hurlbert won No. 11 with a par, Keenan drained a 50-foot downhill sliding putt on the par-3 12th to tie the match back up before an hour-long rain delay forced players off of the course.\n\u201cThat was another one I was just trying to get close,\u201d Kennan said. \u201cIt just trickled, trickled, trickled and it went right in the middle. He [Hurlbert] just started to shake his head a little bit, but he\u2019s a good competitor and a friendly, good guy to play against.\u201d\nAfter the rain delay, both players exchanged pars before Keenan was able to win No. 16 with a par. With two holes left to play, pars were exchanged with Keenan coming away with a 1 up victory and an even par round of 72.\nFacing Keenan in Friday\u2019s championship match is the hot-handed 6-seed, Ken Kinkopf.\nEn route to the championship round, Kinkopf has won his matches 8 and 7, 4 and 2 and finally a 6 and 5 victory over No. 7 seed Kirk Wright.\nKinkopf needed just 49 shots through 13 holes to advance past Wright and earn his spot in the championship match. An eagle and four birdies highlighted his card on Thursday. For the week, Kinkopf is officially even through 47 holes of golf. Unlike many of his competitors, Kinkopf continues to play after his match is over to keep his game sharp. The strategy is clearly paying off as both he and Keenan are in top form heading into Friday\u2019s championship match.\nSuper Senior Bracket (65-69)\nNo upsets took place in the eight-man Super Senior bracket Wednesday as all four of the top seeds advanced to Thursday\u2019s semifinals.\nIn the No. 1 versus No. 4 matchup between Marcus Beck and Keith Waters, it was Waters who was able to squeak by the top man in the division with a 2 up win.\nNo. 2 James Starnes and No. 3 John Armstrong battled it out for 17 holes as Starnes solidified his spot in the finals with a pair of birdies on Nos. 16 and 17.\nLegends Bracket (70-74)\nAdvancing to the semifinals with back-to-back 4 and 3 wins, five-seed Pete Allen looked to take down No. 1 George Walker.\nAveraging 225 yards off of the tee, Allen gave up 75+ yards to Walker who, despite his age, is able to drive the ball over 300 yards at times. Tack on the fact that Walker got a first-round bye and Allen needed 30 holes to advance to the semis and Allen would appear to be the David to Walker\u2019s Goliath.\nNicknamed \u2018Pointblank Pete\u2019 by John Daly following a pro-am event back in 1994, Pete Allen took the fight to Walker, quickly gaining a 3-up advantage through the first three holes.\nIt wasn\u2019t until the par-3 8th that Walker was able to get on the board. Two down and making the turn, the horn blew and the match was paused as storms moved through the area.\n\u201cIt [the rain delay] helped me because I was fading,\u201d Allen told Golfweek.\nAfter the quick rest, Walker returned the hot start Allen had to begin the day with three straight wins on holes 10, 11 and 12. Down in a match for the first time all week, Allen knew he had to get something going if he was going to advance.\nTied through No. 14, Allen made birdie on the par-3 15th with a chip-in birdie to take a 1-up advantage. Holding on to the lead the rest of the way, Pete Allen\u2019s run to the championship continues Friday, facing off against No. 3 Bev Hargraves.\nHargraves defeated second-seeded Sam Robinson 3 and 2 to advance.\nSuper Legends Bracket (75+)\nAfter a 7-and-5 win in the quarterfinals, top-seeded John Blank looked to continue his strong play against No. 5 Joe Pavoni.\nDoing just that, Blank advances to the title match after defeating Pavoni 4 and 3.\nMeeting him there is No. 2 George Owens.\nPlaying his way into the semis with a 5-and-3 win on Wednesday, Owens was in control of his match against No. 6 seed John Casstevens. 1 down through 12, Casstevens elected to withdraw for reasons unknown, setting up a one-two matchup with 1,200 Golfweek Player of the Year points on the line.", "date_published": "2023-08-10T21:09:34-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-11T09:34:59-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Brayden Conover", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/author/braydenconover/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/7f6b72fca1cfa1d154484a3878d4879b?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Brayden Conover", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/author/braydenconover/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/7f6b72fca1cfa1d154484a3878d4879b?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" }, "image": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/08/Duke-Golf-Club-1.jpeg", "tags": [ "Amateur", "Brian Keenan", "Craig Hurlbert", "Duke golf club", "George Walker", "Golfweek", "Golfweek Events", "John Daly", "Ken Kinkopf", "Kirk Wright", "Senior", "Senior Amateur", "Golf" ], "summary": "Duke University Golf Club in Durham, North Carolina, is playing host. " }, { "id": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/?p=778386955", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2023/08/10/golfweek-senior-national-match-play-semifinal-matches/", "title": "Day 1 of Golfweek Senior National Match Play sets semifinal matches", "content_html": "Forty-two of the top senior amateur players from across four age brackets and traveling from all four corners of the United States have made their way to Duke University Golf Club in Durham, North Carolina, to, well, duke it out.
\nOver the next three days, four age divisions will crown a match-play champion with each winner receiving 1,200 Golfweek Player of the Year points. With just a handful of events left in the Golfweek senior amateur season, the competition is sure to be cranked up as the season winds down.
\nNOTE: Seeding for this event was based off of the Golfweek Player of the Year rankings as of August 1st. If the player was not ranked in Golfweek\u2019s PoY rankings, random draw or national ranking was used.
\nThirteen players began the event, giving the top three seeds (Todd Hendley, Eddie Hargett and Kevin VandenBerg) byes into the afternoon quarterfinal matches.\u00a0
\nFirst to advance from the morning matches was 2020 Golfweek Senior Player of the Year and 2022 Challenge Cup captain, Craig Hurlbert. As the 8-seed, Hurlbert was set to take on 9-seed Thomas Immenschuh. Unfortunately, Immenschuh had travel issues and was unable to make it to the course in time for the 7:50 a.m. match time. With the forfeit, Hurlbert found himself a date with top-seeded Todd Hendley.
\nBack-to-back three-putt bogeys put Hurlbert in a quick 2-down hole to start the match.
\n\u201cI started really slow,\u201d Hurlbert told Golfweek. \u201cBut it actually kind of helped me focus.\u201d
\nWinning the third hole to get it back to one down, Hurlbert worked his way back to even as the pair made the turn.
\nWinning hole Nos. 9, 10, 11 and 12, Hurlbert was able to put the throttle down in the blink of an eye to take a commanding 3-up lead through 12. Hendley was able to pick up a hole on No. 15 but was defeated on No. 16, 3 and 2.
\nFor Hurlbert, this event is a prime tune-up for the U.S. Senior Amateur later this month.
\n\u201cI feel like I\u2019m getting close, but all these reps really help,\u201d Hurlbert said. \u201cIt\u2019s a Golfweek event so that\u2019s one of the reasons I like to come [play] and the other reason is because it gives you invaluable reps in match play which candidly we don\u2019t get a lot of on the senior circuit so to speak.\u201d
\nAs he continues to come into form, Hurlbert will face off against 4-seed Brian Keenan.
\nDefeating 13-seed Brian Kennedy 5 and 4 in the morning session, Kennan faced off against 5-seed Allen Peake who won his morning match 1 up against 12-seed Steve Pitts.
\nKeenan and Peake battle back and forth for much of the day with Peake erasing a 2-down deficit an eagle on the par-5 9th and a birdie on the par-4 10th.
\nA birdie, par combo on holes 14 and 15 gave Kennan a 2-up advantage allowing him to close out the quarterfinal match on No. 17 with a par.
\nIn the bottom half of the bracket, a couple of mid-seeds have begun their title run.
\nNo. 6 Ken Kinkopf made light work of No. 11 Jeff Kane, winning 8 and 7 for the largest margin of victory of the day, regardless of division. In the afternoon session, Kinkopf faced 3-seed Kevin VandenBerg, only needing 16 holes to defeat him 4 and 2.
\nNo. 7 seed Kirk Wright had a bit of a tougher road to the semifinals. Ten-seed Michael Healey took Wright to 18 where Wright came away with a 2-up win. In the afternoon, 2-seed Eddie Hargett erased Wright\u2019s 1-up lead on the 18th to force extra holes.
\nNeeding 37 holes to grind his way into the semis, Wright will square off with Kinkopf, who, comparatively speaking, is well-rested. The two will battle it out in a rest-versus-rust match for a chance to run the gamut and catapult themselves into the thick of a playoff run for the Golfweek Player of the Year.
\nEight men make up the Super Senior bracket, making byes irrelevant.
\nThe entire bracket so far has been chalk as the top four seeds have advanced to the semifinals.\u00a0
\nOne-seed Marcus Beck defeated 8-seed Jim Webb 6 and 5; 2-seed James Starnes took down 7-seed Bill Hardaker 3 and 2; number 3 John Armstrong defeated No. 6 John Bailey 3 and 2 and 4-seed Keith Waters won 2 up against No. 5 Greg Goode.
\nAnother 13-player division set up quite a day in the Legends bracket.\u00a0
\nTop two seeds George Walker (No. 1) and Sam Robinson (No. 2) were able to take advantage of their byes, playing their way into the semifinals 2 and 1 and 1 up, respectively.
\nFacing the top two seeds are No. 5 Pete Allen and No. 3 Bev Hargraves.
\nAllen rides into Thursday on the backs of a pair of 4 and 3 wins over 12-seed Fred Clark and 4-seed John Osborne. He\u2019ll look to take down No. 1 ranked George Walker for a shot at the championship.
\nDefeating No. 10 Dale Porter 1 up, Sam Robinson will face an Arkansas legend in Bev Hargraves.
\nGetting a first-round bye, Hargraves needed 19 holes to put away Don Kuehn to advance. Kuehn, typically a Super Legend, played down an age bracket, wanting to test his game. After defeating No. 6 Charley Yandell 4 and 2 in the opening round, Kuehn falls just short of a semifinal run, losing out to Hargraves in extras.
\nThe eight-man bracket has a bit more parity than its Legends bracket counterpart.
\nNo. 1 ranked John Blank soundly beat No. 8 Ben Dowdey 7 and 5 for the biggest margin of victory on the day. No. 2 George Owens cruised to a 5 and 3 win over No. 7 Richard Kline.
\nPlaying against Blank in the semifinals is 2022 Yancey Ford Award winner Joe Pavoni. As the 5 seed, Pavoni faced off against No. 4 Marty O\u2019Connell. Pulling away late, Pavoni takes a 3 and 2 win into Thursday\u2019s semifinals.
\nAs the 6-seed, John Casstevens pulled off the best upset of the day within the division, taking down No. 3 John (Jack) Marin on the final hole, 1 up to advance to Thursday\u2019s semifinals.
\n", "content_text": "Forty-two of the top senior amateur players from across four age brackets and traveling from all four corners of the United States have made their way to Duke University Golf Club in Durham, North Carolina, to, well, duke it out.\nOver the next three days, four age divisions will crown a match-play champion with each winner receiving 1,200 Golfweek Player of the Year points. With just a handful of events left in the Golfweek senior amateur season, the competition is sure to be cranked up as the season winds down.\nNOTE: Seeding for this event was based off of the Golfweek Player of the Year rankings as of August 1st. If the player was not ranked in Golfweek\u2019s PoY rankings, random draw or national ranking was used.\nSenior Bracket (55-64)\nThirteen players began the event, giving the top three seeds (Todd Hendley, Eddie Hargett and Kevin VandenBerg) byes into the afternoon quarterfinal matches.\u00a0\nFirst to advance from the morning matches was 2020 Golfweek Senior Player of the Year and 2022 Challenge Cup captain, Craig Hurlbert. As the 8-seed, Hurlbert was set to take on 9-seed Thomas Immenschuh. Unfortunately, Immenschuh had travel issues and was unable to make it to the course in time for the 7:50 a.m. match time. With the forfeit, Hurlbert found himself a date with top-seeded Todd Hendley.\nBack-to-back three-putt bogeys put Hurlbert in a quick 2-down hole to start the match.\n\u201cI started really slow,\u201d Hurlbert told Golfweek. \u201cBut it actually kind of helped me focus.\u201d\nWinning the third hole to get it back to one down, Hurlbert worked his way back to even as the pair made the turn.\nWinning hole Nos. 9, 10, 11 and 12, Hurlbert was able to put the throttle down in the blink of an eye to take a commanding 3-up lead through 12. Hendley was able to pick up a hole on No. 15 but was defeated on No. 16, 3 and 2.\nFor Hurlbert, this event is a prime tune-up for the U.S. Senior Amateur later this month.\n\u201cI feel like I\u2019m getting close, but all these reps really help,\u201d Hurlbert said. \u201cIt\u2019s a Golfweek event so that\u2019s one of the reasons I like to come [play] and the other reason is because it gives you invaluable reps in match play which candidly we don\u2019t get a lot of on the senior circuit so to speak.\u201d\nAs he continues to come into form, Hurlbert will face off against 4-seed Brian Keenan.\nDefeating 13-seed Brian Kennedy 5 and 4 in the morning session, Kennan faced off against 5-seed Allen Peake who won his morning match 1 up against 12-seed Steve Pitts.\nKeenan and Peake battle back and forth for much of the day with Peake erasing a 2-down deficit an eagle on the par-5 9th and a birdie on the par-4 10th.\nA birdie, par combo on holes 14 and 15 gave Kennan a 2-up advantage allowing him to close out the quarterfinal match on No. 17 with a par.\nIn the bottom half of the bracket, a couple of mid-seeds have begun their title run.\nNo. 6 Ken Kinkopf made light work of No. 11 Jeff Kane, winning 8 and 7 for the largest margin of victory of the day, regardless of division. In the afternoon session, Kinkopf faced 3-seed Kevin VandenBerg, only needing 16 holes to defeat him 4 and 2.\nNo. 7 seed Kirk Wright had a bit of a tougher road to the semifinals. Ten-seed Michael Healey took Wright to 18 where Wright came away with a 2-up win. In the afternoon, 2-seed Eddie Hargett erased Wright\u2019s 1-up lead on the 18th to force extra holes.\nNeeding 37 holes to grind his way into the semis, Wright will square off with Kinkopf, who, comparatively speaking, is well-rested. The two will battle it out in a rest-versus-rust match for a chance to run the gamut and catapult themselves into the thick of a playoff run for the Golfweek Player of the Year.\nSuper Senior Bracket (65-69)\nEight men make up the Super Senior bracket, making byes irrelevant.\nThe entire bracket so far has been chalk as the top four seeds have advanced to the semifinals.\u00a0\nOne-seed Marcus Beck defeated 8-seed Jim Webb 6 and 5; 2-seed James Starnes took down 7-seed Bill Hardaker 3 and 2; number 3 John Armstrong defeated No. 6 John Bailey 3 and 2 and 4-seed Keith Waters won 2 up against No. 5 Greg Goode.\nLegends Bracket (70-74)\nAnother 13-player division set up quite a day in the Legends bracket.\u00a0\nTop two seeds George Walker (No. 1) and Sam Robinson (No. 2) were able to take advantage of their byes, playing their way into the semifinals 2 and 1 and 1 up, respectively.\nFacing the top two seeds are No. 5 Pete Allen and No. 3 Bev Hargraves.\nAllen rides into Thursday on the backs of a pair of 4 and 3 wins over 12-seed Fred Clark and 4-seed John Osborne. He\u2019ll look to take down No. 1 ranked George Walker for a shot at the championship.\nDefeating No. 10 Dale Porter 1 up, Sam Robinson will face an Arkansas legend in Bev Hargraves.\nGetting a first-round bye, Hargraves needed 19 holes to put away Don Kuehn to advance. Kuehn, typically a Super Legend, played down an age bracket, wanting to test his game. After defeating No. 6 Charley Yandell 4 and 2 in the opening round, Kuehn falls just short of a semifinal run, losing out to Hargraves in extras.\nSuper Legends Bracket (75+)\nThe eight-man bracket has a bit more parity than its Legends bracket counterpart.\nNo. 1 ranked John Blank soundly beat No. 8 Ben Dowdey 7 and 5 for the biggest margin of victory on the day. No. 2 George Owens cruised to a 5 and 3 win over No. 7 Richard Kline.\nPlaying against Blank in the semifinals is 2022 Yancey Ford Award winner Joe Pavoni. As the 5 seed, Pavoni faced off against No. 4 Marty O\u2019Connell. Pulling away late, Pavoni takes a 3 and 2 win into Thursday\u2019s semifinals.\nAs the 6-seed, John Casstevens pulled off the best upset of the day within the division, taking down No. 3 John (Jack) Marin on the final hole, 1 up to advance to Thursday\u2019s semifinals.", "date_published": "2023-08-10T15:18:27-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-08-10T16:32:51-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Brayden Conover", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/author/braydenconover/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/7f6b72fca1cfa1d154484a3878d4879b?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Brayden Conover", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/author/braydenconover/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/7f6b72fca1cfa1d154484a3878d4879b?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" }, "image": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/08/Duke-Golf-Club.jpeg", "tags": [ "Allen Peake", "Bev Hargraves", "Craig Hurlbert", "Duke", "Golfweek", "Golfweek Events", "Ken Kinkopf", "Kevin VandenBerg", "Senior", "Senior Amateur", "Amateur", "Golf" ], "summary": "Catch up on the action here. " }, { "id": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/?p=778377050", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2023/07/13/steve-humphrey-runs-away-with-2023-golfweek-super-senior-national-championship/", "title": "Steve Humphrey runs away with 2023 Golfweek Super Senior National Championship", "content_html": "\n
Steve Humphrey held a three-shot lead heading into Thursday\u2019s final round of the Golfweek Super Senior National Championship at The Golf Club of Georgia.
\nEarning the lead with rounds of 76 and 67, the 66-year-old from Ocala, Florida, stuck to his game plan, immediately making birdie on the reachable par-5 1st. Turning on his cruise control after birdies on holes Nos. 3\u00a0 and 7, Humphrey put the championship away with a trio of birdies to start the back nine, including a near ace on the par-3 13th.
\nWith a six-shot lead through 13, Humphrey made just one bogey the rest of the home to card a 5-under 67 to take the national championship trophy by eight shots and a 7-under 209 total for the week. The win marks his 12th win since turning 65.
\nAfter the round, Mike Arter, who played the final round alongside Humphrey, came up to him with a statistic that would leave a smile on Humphrey\u2019s face.
\n\u201cAfter the round, Mike [Arter] said \u2018You should want to play with me more often.That\u2019s three times we\u2019ve played in the final group and you\u2019ve won all three tournaments,\u2019\u201d Humphrey told Golfweek,
\n\u201cI said, well I\u2019m going to the Hesler [Society of Seniors] in two weeks, you wanna go? He\u2019s been a bit of a good luck charm for me.\u201d
\nArter finished third (3 over) behind Chris Hall (1 over).
\nWith the win, Humphrey stays in second place in the Golfweek Super Senior rankings but has made plenty of headway towards the top spot, currently held by Marcus Beck.
\n\u201cThe goal is always to be number one,\u201d he said.
\nAfter losing out on the Player of the Year honor by just 77 points, Humphrey is glad he\u2019s able to take advantage of ranked tournaments when he can.
\n\u201cIt all comes down to one tournament, making 75 points instead of 150\u2026so each tournament you play in [is important], the higher you finish, the more points you get.\u201d
\nWith Beck walking away with 250 points on the week (T-13, 12 over), Humphrey closes the gap from over 1,500 points heading into the tournament, to just a 588 point difference. With each shot making a difference, Humphrey will look to overtake the top spot at the Society of Seniors Jack Hesler Tournament in two weeks.
\nBob Casamento closed out the Legends National Championship with a final round 73. Opening with a 2 over 74 and grinding his way into the lead with a moving day 71, Casamento took a five stroke lead into Thursday\u2019s final round. The margin would hold as he cruised to the winner\u2019s circle with a tournament total of 2 over, 218.
\nDon Russell (7 over) and Charley Yandell (8 over) round out the podium.
\nAlabama\u2019s Wayne Gardner bested his age twice this week en route to victory. Carding 74, 78, 74, Gardner (10 over) bested California\u2019s James Saviar by two strokes to take home the Super Legends National Championship trophy.
\n", "content_text": "Steve Humphrey held a three-shot lead heading into Thursday\u2019s final round of the Golfweek Super Senior National Championship at The Golf Club of Georgia.\nEarning the lead with rounds of 76 and 67, the 66-year-old from Ocala, Florida, stuck to his game plan, immediately making birdie on the reachable par-5 1st. Turning on his cruise control after birdies on holes Nos. 3\u00a0 and 7, Humphrey put the championship away with a trio of birdies to start the back nine, including a near ace on the par-3 13th.\nWith a six-shot lead through 13, Humphrey made just one bogey the rest of the home to card a 5-under 67 to take the national championship trophy by eight shots and a 7-under 209 total for the week. The win marks his 12th win since turning 65.\nAfter the round, Mike Arter, who played the final round alongside Humphrey, came up to him with a statistic that would leave a smile on Humphrey\u2019s face.\n\u201cAfter the round, Mike [Arter] said \u2018You should want to play with me more often.That\u2019s three times we\u2019ve played in the final group and you\u2019ve won all three tournaments,\u2019\u201d Humphrey told Golfweek,\n\u201cI said, well I\u2019m going to the Hesler [Society of Seniors] in two weeks, you wanna go? He\u2019s been a bit of a good luck charm for me.\u201d\nArter finished third (3 over) behind Chris Hall (1 over).\nWith the win, Humphrey stays in second place in the Golfweek Super Senior rankings but has made plenty of headway towards the top spot, currently held by Marcus Beck.\n\u201cThe goal is always to be number one,\u201d he said.\nAfter losing out on the Player of the Year honor by just 77 points, Humphrey is glad he\u2019s able to take advantage of ranked tournaments when he can.\n\u201cIt all comes down to one tournament, making 75 points instead of 150\u2026so each tournament you play in [is important], the higher you finish, the more points you get.\u201d\nWith Beck walking away with 250 points on the week (T-13, 12 over), Humphrey closes the gap from over 1,500 points heading into the tournament, to just a 588 point difference. With each shot making a difference, Humphrey will look to overtake the top spot at the Society of Seniors Jack Hesler Tournament in two weeks.\nLegends (70-74)\nBob Casamento closed out the Legends National Championship with a final round 73. Opening with a 2 over 74 and grinding his way into the lead with a moving day 71, Casamento took a five stroke lead into Thursday\u2019s final round. The margin would hold as he cruised to the winner\u2019s circle with a tournament total of 2 over, 218.\nDon Russell (7 over) and Charley Yandell (8 over) round out the podium.\nSuper Legends (75+)\nAlabama\u2019s Wayne Gardner bested his age twice this week en route to victory. Carding 74, 78, 74, Gardner (10 over) bested California\u2019s James Saviar by two strokes to take home the Super Legends National Championship trophy.", "date_published": "2023-07-13T19:36:17-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-07-14T10:54:47-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Brayden Conover", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/author/braydenconover/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/7f6b72fca1cfa1d154484a3878d4879b?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "Brayden Conover", "url": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/author/braydenconover/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/7f6b72fca1cfa1d154484a3878d4879b?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" }, "image": "https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/87/2023/07/IMG_60D59AF03657-1.jpeg", "tags": [ "Golf Club of Georgia", "Golfweek", "Golfweek Events", "Senior Amateur", "senior golf", "Society of Seniors", "Steve Humphrey", "Video", "Amateur", "Golf", "Senior" ], "summary": "Humphrey stays in second place in the Golfweek Super Senior rankings. " } ] }