Golfweek Amateur Tour, Senior Amateur Tour add Srixon as partner

The Golfweek Amateur Tour has firmly established itself as a platform for amateur golfers of all skill levels and ages.

The Golfweek Amateur Tour and Senior Amateur Tour have announced a new partnership with Srixon as the Official OEM partner for both Tours. This collaboration aims to provide Golfweek and Senior Amateur Tour members with the unique opportunity to experience Srixon’s award-winning products, including their premium clubs, balls, and gear trusted by the world’s best players.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be the Official OEM partner for these Tours,” says Mike Powell, president and COO of Srixon. “We love the concept of amateurs being able to enjoy the competitive spirit of the game, just like the best players in the world. We believe this partnership will greatly benefit the golfing community and contribute to the growth of the sport.”

With over 6,450 members nationwide, the Golfweek Amateur Tour has firmly established itself as a platform for amateur golfers of all skill levels and ages. Offering over 775 tournaments annually, the Tour provides a competitive, yet friendly environment for golf enthusiasts to compete for trophies and prizes via flighted, stroke play tournaments.

Similarly, the Senior Amateur Tour, open to individuals aged 50 and above starting October 1, 2024, boasts a membership of over 2,400 individuals who participate in over 350 tournaments each year.

Both Amateur Golf Tours offer events at premiere locations, including Regionals, and utilize live/online scoring to enhance the overall experience for participants. The pinnacle of the season is at the year-end National Championship Tournament, where the combined field of 1,245 competitors, including 791 Golfweek Amateur Tour members and 434 Senior Amateur Tour members, battled it out over nine courses in a thrilling five-day event last October.

The Tour’s tagline “Where Amateurs play like the Pros,” comes to life during this special event, as golfers from all walks of life compete.

This year, the experience will be further enhanced by the presence of Srixon, which will have representatives on-site at the 2024 National Championships to showcase their exceptional range of products and explain the meaning behind their philosophy.

“Loving the game is what drives you to compete at your best, and what’s driven us to create state-of-the-art equipment for 130 years of athletes just like you,” said Dennis McCormac, president of both the Golfweek Amateur Tour and the Senior Amateur Tour. “We’re excited to kick off the 30th anniversary of the Golfweek Amateur Tour and the 26th season of the Senior Amateur Tour with the introduction of Srixon as our Tours’ official OEM. This partnership enriches the overall Tour experience, provides members with added benefits, and offers opportunities for our members to enhance every facet of their game.”

No. 12 Gymbacks set all-time high for second time this season

Arkansas set a new high score on the balance beam, while also setting overall mark.

The No. 12 Arkansas gymnastics team continued it’s record-breaking season on Sunday, setting a new all-time high score in a win over No. 13 Missouri.

The Gymbacks (7-5-1, 4-2-1 SEC) posted a team score of 197.650 against the Tigers, topping the previous high score by just over a tenth of a point. Ironically, the previous top score was also set this season, 197.525, in a tie with Alabama on Jan. 19.

It was also the fifth time this season that Arkansas has posted a score over 197, matching the program’s single-season record.

It was the final regular-season SEC contest for the Gymbacks, as they finish with a conference record of  4-2-1, which is their most victories since 2016 and most under fifth-year Head Coach Jordyn Wieber.

Adding even more punch to the day, the Razorbacks also set a program-record on the balance beam, with a team score of 49.575. 

Five Gymbacks finished with at least a 9.9 on the beam, with junior Maddie Jones, freshman Hailey Klein and sophomore Cami Weaver, all tying for second-place with scores of 9.925. Missouri senior Sienna Schreiber claimed top honors with a perfect score of 10.0.

Sophomores Frankie Price and Lauren Williams came in a four-way tie for first on vault with 9.875 scores, while Jones claimed the bars crown with a season-high 9.925, and Williams also got a victory on floor with her 9.950.

Arkansas will next face the best team in the land, as back-to-back national champion, No. 1 Oklahoma comes to town for a dual meet on Sunday at Bud Walton Arena. The meet starts at 4 p.m., and will be aired live on SEC Network+.

Altin Van der Merwe captures inaugural African Amateur Championship in playoff, earns spot in Open Championship

Talk about coming up clutch.

Sometimes scorecards don’t paint the full picture of how spectacular a shot or hole was for a certain player during a round of golf.

Altin Van der Merwe has a story he can tell the rest of his life after his triumph Saturday at Leopard Creek in Malelane, South Africa.

In the 2024 African Amateur Championship, Van der Merwe birdied the par-5 18th to earn his way into a playoff, then he birdied it again in said playoff to claim the inaugural title of the latest major amateur event and punch his ticket to the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon. He bested Texas sophomore Christiaan Maas and Ivan Verster, both fellow South Africans, to claim the trophy and win a historic championship in his home country.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Van der Merwe said. “I think it’ll kick in later. Right through the day, the two competitors I played with, two great friends actually, we went back and forth, back and forth. I think all three of us had the lead at one stage, then there was three holes, they didn’t go in, they didn’t go in, and then the last hole I just pulled a blinder out, and in the playoff I made a good two-putt. I can’t describe the feeling.”

Needing a birdie to tie Maas and Verster, Van der Merwe, 27, hit a spectacular second shot into the par-5 18th hole, giving him a chance at eagle and the win in regulation. It’s a putt he said he has hit many time before, but he couldn’t get it to fall. Nevertheless, he made birdie while Maas and Verster carded pars, and it was on to a playoff.

On the extra hole, it was again Van der Merwe carding a birdie while Maas, who a day before set the course record with a blazing 9-under 63, made par and Verster made bogey, sealing the victory.

Just last week, Van der Merwe won the Golf RSA International Amateur in a playoff. A week later with higher stakes, he did it again and punched his ticket to the Open Championship in July.

“I can’t wait,” Van der Merwe said. “Honestly, I can’t wait. It’s links golf, as well, so I’m going to be licking my chops out there with just a little sting 2-iron all day, and I just can’t wait until the time comes.”

On the women’s side, South African Kyra van Kan won the 54-hole event by nine shots over compatriot Bobbi Brown to clinch the title on a 1-under 215.

The 18-year-old earned places in the Women’s Amateur Championship, final qualifying for the AIG Women’s Open and The Investec South African Women’s Open in 2024, and the Lalla Meryem Cup and Magical Kenya Ladies Open in 2025.

No. 14 GymBacks make history, topple No. 6 Kentucky in the Barn

The Razorbacks outscored the Wildcats on three of the four events, as Frankie Price dominates again on the floor routine.

The No. 16 Arkansas gymnastics team made more history Friday night inside legendary Barnhill Arena, as the GymBacks defeated No. 6 Kentucky, 197.400-197.150.

It was the highest-ranked team Arkansas has ever defeated and the first regular-season win over Kentucky since 2016. It was also the Hogs’ fifth time this season scoring over 197, and tied their fourth-highest score ever.

The GymBacks (6-5-1, 3-2-1 SEC) outscored the Wildcats on three of the four apparatuses – uneven bars, vault and floor exercise – as four Razorbacks claimed at least a share on an event title. They also posted their best score ever on the floor routines, with a stellar 49.675, topping a score of 49.575, set in 2015.

Sophomores Cami Weaver and Lauren Williams excelled on the vault, tying for the event title with scores of 9.925. Junior Leah Smith put up a 9.900.

Junior Maddie Jones won the bars event with a score of 9.950, followed closely by senior Jensen Scalzo‘s 9.900.

Sophomore Frankie Price dominated on the floor exercise, yet again, putting up a nearly perfect score of 9.975, which tied her for the event title. That matches her career-high and ties her for the program record with former gymnasts Katherine Grable and Jaime Pisani. Although, Price has now done it twice. Jones and Williams also put on a show, each scoring a 9.950.

Sophomore Cally Swaney led the Hogs on the balance beam with a team-high 9.850, with Weaver and junior Kalyxta Gamiao turning in scores of 9.800.

Arkansas will now be off for over a week, before hitting the road to face No. 13 Missouri on March 3. The meet will begin at 5 p.m. and be broadcast on the SEC Network.

No. 16 Arkansas gymnasts turn in second-best score of the season

No. 16 Arkansas won the floor and vault events at the TWU Quad Meet, but finished second to No. 10 Alabama.

The No. 16 Arkansas gymnastics team shined bright Monday, turning it’s second-best team score of the season, to finish second in the Texas Women’s University Quad Meet in Denton.

The GymBacks (5-5-1, 2-2-1 SEC) put up a score of 197.375, slightly behind No. 10 Alabama’s 197.625. No. 19 Arizona ended up third with a 196.950, followed by TWU’s 195.725. It was the third time this season that Arkansas has posted scores over 197.

It is also the Razorbacks’ fifth-best team score ever, as the program’s top five all-time scores have now come in the last four seasons under Head Coach Jordyn Wieber.

The Razorbacks and Crimson Tide had already faced off in a dual meet in Tuscaloosa on Jan. 19, ending in a tie with identical scores of 197.525.

Arkansas was again outstanding on the floor exercise Monday, winning the event with a 49.575 team score, matching it’s highest finish of the season and the second-best all-time. The Razorbacks did not score lower than 49.200 in any of the four rotations.

The Hogs began the meet on the uneven bars, scoring a 49.300. Sophomore Reese Drotar posting a team-high 9.900, followed by fellow sophomore Jamie Pratt‘s 9.875.

After a tough day on the beam in Saturday’s Metroplex Challenge quad meet, Arkansas bounced back on Monday with a team score of 49.200. Freshman Hailey Klein performed a stellar routine, sticking the dismount, to win her first event title with a score of 9.925. Junior Kalyxta Gamiao tied for second, scoring her second-straight 9.900.

The dynamic sophomore duo of Lauren Williams and Frankie Price stole the show with two more stellar floor routines. They both finished in a three-way tie for the event title, with scores of  9.950. Junior Maddie Jones finished fourth with a 9.925.

The Gymbacks won the team title on vault, with a score of 49.300. as three Arkansas gymnasts finish tied for second place, individually. Klein, Williams and junior Leah Smith each stepped up with scores of 9.875.

After being on the road for the last three weeks, Arkansas will finally return home to Barnhill Arena on Friday, for a dual meet with No. 6 Kentucky. The event begins at 7:15 p.m. and will air live on the SEC Network.

No. 16 Arkansas gymnastics third in loaded Metroplex quad meet

The Arkansas Gymnastics team will return home to host No. 5 Kentucky on Friday.

With two separate quad meets slated for this weekend, the No. 16 Arkansas gymnastics opened with a third-place finish Saturday, in the Metroplex Challenge in Fort Worth.

Competing against a stack field that included the country’s top two teams, No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 2. Cal, the GymBacks put up a team score of 196.800, which was good enough to finish ahead of Washington’s 196.450.

The Sooners took high honors with a team score of 198.300, followed by the the Golden Bears’ 197.400, with

Arkansas (3-4-1, 2-2-1 SEC) began the night equaling its season-high on the uneven bars with a score of 49.400. Sophomore Reese Drotar and junior Maddie Jones led the Razorbacks, turning in solid routines with stuck dismounts to each score 9.900.

The Hogs stumbled a bit on the beam with a team score of 48.650, as junior Kalyxta Gamiao led Arkansas with a 9.875 on the event. The Razorbacks sat in fourth place after two events, but came up solid on the final two apparatuses to edge out Washington.

Sophomore Lauren Williams scored a 9.925 to earn a share of the event title on vault – her third of the season. Fellow sophomore Cami Weaver was close behind with a 9.875.

Sophomore Frankie Price rocked the floor exercise with a score of 9.950, which put her in a tie for the event title, also her third of the season. Williams turned in her second 9.925 in consecutive events

The Gymbacks will compete again in the Metroplex on Monday at 2 p.m. This time they will be in Denton for a quad meet with No. 9 Alabama, No. 17 Arizona, and host Texas Women’s.

The team will then return home to host No. 5 Kentucky on Friday at 7:15, inside legendary Barnhill Arena. It will be Equality Night and will air live on the SEC Network.

Amateur Yana Wilson wins Cactus Tour event, beats former Women’s British Open champion

Not bad for an amateur.

Yana Wilson’s resume is one of the best in amateur golf. She added another spectacular achievement to it Thursday.

The Oregon signee won a Cactus Tour event at Sun City Country Club in Sun City, Arizona. Wilson shot 3-under 69 in the final round to take the top prize in the professional arena, beating former San Jose State golfer Antonia Malate by two shots.

More impressive was Wilson’s finish, where she birdied her final three holes and went 5-under 31 coming home to claim the trophy. She had 14 birdies in the 54-hole event.

Wilson also beat 2020 AIG Women’s Open champion Sophia Popov, who finished fourth six shots behind the amateur.

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Two summers ago, Wilson won the 2022 U.S. Girls’ Junior. Last year, she claimed medalist honors at the same tournament. Now, she has won a professional tournament before starting her college career.

This elite Iowa high school wrestler has a secret for building mental strength — playing golf

“It helps a lot,” he said. “You’ve gotta be mentally strong and can’t let things get to you.”

It was the Iowa boys wrestling class 3A state semifinals and Southeast Polk’s Carter Pearson and Norwalk’s Tyler Harper were set to square off.

Pearson was undoubtedly the heavy favorite, sitting as the No. 1 seed, 40-1 on the season and one of the hottest names in recruiting circles in his sophomore year.

Across from him, however, was Harper, who earned the No. 4 seed in his first appearance in the boys state tournament. Despite this being his first time, he was undeterred in his pursuit to make a run in the tournament.

It showed in the match, as Harper engaged in some hand fighting and dumped Pearson down for a pin in just 18 seconds to advance to the 106-pound final.

“I knew if I was on the bottom half of the bracket, I would make it to the finals,” Harper said after beating Pearson. “I made it either way, but it was just a tougher opponent to go through (on the top half of the bracket).”

Pearson went on to finish in third place at 106 pounds and Harper finished second behind Iowa City West’s Alexander Pierce. After the loss, Pearson was admittedly devastated. He saw a chance to win his first state title slip from his fingers.

“It was really unexpected,” Pearson said. “It really sucked, but I had to start working hard so stuff like that doesn’t happen again.”

His wrestling skills and technique weren’t the issue. The majority of his offseason work didn’t have to be done there. For Pearson, it was the mental aspect of the sport that he needed to work on. Particularly his confidence.

So what did Pearson do to work on that? He turned to his other passion: golf.

“You’ve got to be mentally strong”

Anyone who plays golf regularly knows how frustrating it can be. That drive off the tee into the woods, the putt that didn’t have enough juice to make the hole or a shot into the pond are all enough to make a person channel their inner “Happy Gilmore.” So, it might be a bit confusing why Pearson turned to golf to help improve his mental game.

In reality, it makes a ton of sense when you consider the comparables between golf and wrestling. Five hours on the course isn’t all that different from an all-day tournament and whether you are out on the green or on the wrestling mat, you’re on your own. You don’t have a teammate who can clean up your mistake, it’s you vs. the world.

“It helps a lot,” Pearson said. “You gotta be mentally strong and can’t let things get to you.”

Pearson has always had the itch to golf, but he didn’t officially join the golf team at Southeast Polk until his sophomore year. Scott Powell, his golf coach, said he’s got as much talent as any of his teammates. Despite being a smaller guy, he can drive the ball about 275 yards, flexing a bit of that wrestling strength he’s gained over the years.

“He’s definitely not afraid to go for it,” Powell said. “He’s the one that if there’s a debate on hitting a driver or something else, he’s hitting a driver. He’s a go-for-it kind of kid and he can hit the ball quite a way, especially for his size.”

He’s also an incredibly cerebral athlete on the course and the mat. He’s got over a 4.0 grade-point average according to his coaches, so it makes quite a bit of sense. In both wrestling and golf, he sees shots and opportunities that others don’t. Whether it’s a crafty chip onto the putting green or seeing a vulnerability in an opposing wrestler, his mix of power and vision makes him very difficult to compete against.

“Carter can see the obstacles that are in front of him and piece together a good plan for what’s the best way to attack that,” Powell said. “At the end of the day, he might save him a stroke or two and be the difference in a top-five finish or a top-20 finish and that’s kind of what separated him from some of the other guys this year.”

The focus for him was always going to be on wrestling and still is, but he joined golf looking to take his mind off wrestling and try to prevent burnout. Unfortunately for him, the golf postseason and the traditional ramp-up for the wrestling season coincide. In his first year on the golf team, Powell said Pearson had a difficult time in that balancing act toward the latter half of the season. As a result, he wasn’t on the final team that participated at the state tournament.

But after an offseason of work in wrestling and golf this summer, Powell’s choice for the lineup was a no-brainer.

“Last year, Carter was a guy fighting for a spot,” Powell said. “This year, there was a there’s no way you could leave Carter out of the lineup. He cemented himself.”

He did so by shooting a career-low 71 on 18 holes, averaging 78 per outing this season. His performances helped push the team to a third-place finish at the state tournament.

His biggest area of growth? His mental dexterity.

“I’d say a year or two ago, that was a bigger problem,” Powell said. “We might take that bigger number on a hole here or there. This year, he’s done a much better job. His talent has always been there, but now we’re doing a better job of thinking through around staying level with it.”

The dividends of that growth on the golf course are now paying off on the wrestling mat. He’s entering the state tournament at 35-0 at 120 pounds this year, with the most impressive outing of his career coming at the state dual tournament just over a week ago.

Tied at zero entering the second period of the final match, Pearson had a tough ride on Bettendorf’s Jake Knight for nearly a minute, but Knight managed to escape. In overtime, Pearson had Knight in a front headlock with about 20 seconds to go. Knight suddenly tried a very risky move by shooting to Pearson’s left leg, so Pearson capitalized by toppling him over for a win by fall.

“I was riding tough on top earlier, so he probably didn’t want to go back down,” Pearson said. “He had to try something, but I just got it done.”

Making a one-time state champion feel like he needs to take a shot to prevent being on bottom again is leaps and bounds ahead of where Pearson was last year. His confidence exuded in that moment against one of the state’s best wrestlers. Even Knight had to show his respect, making sure to give him a tap on the rear on a job well done following the bout.

That growth has earned the attention of not only the state’s high school wrestling community but the college realm as well. Pearson said the attention he got on the first day he was allowed to be contacted by coaches was “crazy” back this summer, earning attention from power-five programs like Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa State. Being the great student he is as well, he’s taken visits to Cornell and Columbia to wrestle and study engineering if he remains on that path.

He and Southeast Polk are front-runners in their respective title races at the boys state wrestling tournament, which runs Wednesday through Saturday. If Pearson wants a chance to come out on top this time, his confidence is going to have to continue through the end of the tournament.

“He’s the only one that holds himself back,” Southeast Polk wrestling coach Jake Agnitsch said. “He’s awesome, he deserves it. Hopefully, we can keep this train rolling.”

Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.

Gym’Backs tumble on the road, lose to another Top 10 team

Arkansas was able to tie for a pair of individual titles Friday night.

After beginning the season with three straight meet scores above 197, the No. 13 Arkansas gymnastics team has struggled a bit on the road the past two weeks – while facing two of the best programs in the country.

After falling at No. 3 LSU a week ago, the Gym’Backs were outpointed at No. 6 Florida on Friday night, 197.850-196.050.

In front of a rowdy home crowd of 8,823, the Gators outscored the Hogs on all four apparatuses. Arkansas did not register a score of 9.900 until midway through the meet, however, they did bounce back to secure a share of two individual event titles.

Sophomore Frankie Price tied on the floor exercise with an impressive 9.950 and junior Kalyxta Gamiao scored a stellar 9.925 on the beam, finishing in a three-way tie for first.

It was meet of the season aired on the ESPN Network, and the first time the Arkansas program has ever appeared on the flagship network, as a team.

Arkansas now has two meets within three days next week, beginning with the Metroplex Challenge in Fort Worth, where they will face Cal, Oklahoma and Washington on Feb. 17. Two days later, they will travel to Denton, Texas, to compete with Alabama, Arizona, and host Texas Woman’s University.

Arkansas men’s track & field moves up to No. 3 in national ratings index

Razorbacks long-jumper Wayne Pinnock and high-jumper Romaine Beckford lead the nation in their respect events,

With the Tyson Invitational on tap for this weekend at the Randal Tyson Track Center, the Arkansas men’s track & field team has moved up to No. 3 in the national ratings index, produced by USTFCCCA.

Only Texas Tech and Northern Arizona are ahead of the Hogs, who are one of nine SEC teams ranked in the Top 25, including No. 5 Florida, No. 6 Alabama, No. 10 Texas A&M, No. 11 Kentucky, No. 13 Georgia, No. 17 LSU, No. 21 South Carolina, and No. 23 Tennessee.

Arkansas junior long-jumper Wayne Pinnock and senior high-jumper Romaine Beckford each lead the collegiate list in their respective events. Pinnock opened his indoor season at New Mexico this past weekend with a world-leading mark of 27-4.25 (8.34). Beckford leads the nation with a mark of 7-5.25 (2.27).

The Razorbacks’ 4x400m relay team is second, trailing only Florida, who edged out the Hogs with a time of 3:04.08 at the Razorback Invitational.

Arkansas has four heptathletes still among the top 16, with junior Jack Turner sitting third with 6,000 points, followed by seniors Yariel Soto Torrado in seventh, Marcus Weaver in 10th, and Daniel Spejcher in 15th.