Category: Senior

Robert Funk takes lead at Golfweek Senior Amateur National Championship

There weren’t a lot of red numbers on Friday, but the few that were able to card sub-par rounds made it count. 

There weren’t a lot of red numbers to go around at PGA West’s Pete Dye Dunes course course on Friday, but the few that were able to card sub-par rounds made them count. 

Robert Funk of Canyon Lake, California, took the senior division lead ahead of the final round thanks to a 1-under 71. With four birdies on the day, Funk made the jump from third place over round 1 leaders Don Whittemore and Larry Nunez.

Both Whittemore (1 over) and Nunez (2 over) are well within striking range after rounds of 73 and 74, respectively.

Last week’s runner-up Jerry Slagle looks to redeem himself on Saturday as he is just two shots back of Funk. Slagle had the low round of the tournament not just within the 55-64 age division, but the whole tournament with a moving day 68.

Funk has plenty of players to keep in his rear view mirror as 10 players are within six shots of him heading into Saturday’s final round.

In the super senior division Jeff Burda maintains his lead following an even-par 72. Thanks to over par rounds from those contending after day 1, Burda enjoys a six shot lead over his nearest competitor.

One back to begin the day, legend Evan Long was the only man in the 70-74 age bracket to get to red numbers on the day with an age matching 2-under 70 to get to 2 over for the tournament. 

Living up to the title of ‘legend’, Long paces round 1 leader Peter Van Ingen by five strokes.

Super legend John Blank was among a trio of players who trailed John Walker by a shot as moving day began. Blank rose above the rest, including Walker, with a round of 4-over 76. Walker trails by four strokes with John Seehausen (+6) and Gaylord Davis (+7) bridging the gap between the two. Two players are within five of the lead.

Four champions will be crowned Saturday at PGA West with each winner earning 1,200 points toward the Golfweek Player of the Year race.

Two tied at the top following first round of the Golfweek Senior Amateur National Championship

Just 19 miles from the LPGA’s Chevron Championship, some of the world’s best senior amateurs are teeing it up.

Just 19 miles from where golf’s first major of the year, the Chevron Championship, is being played, some of the world’s best senior amateurs are teeing it up themselves.

PGA West in La Quinta, California, is hosting the Golfweek Senior Amateur National Championship, just a 30-minute drive from the Chevron Championship at Mission Hills.

Don Whittemore and Larry Nunez are the two who share a spot at the top of the leaderboard in the 55-to-64 year old division. Both carded even par rounds of 72. With just 10 birdies between the duo, Pete Dye’s Dune Course flexed its muscles to keep the leaders out of red numbers. Robert Funk rounds out the podium after day 1 with a 1-over 73.

Meanwhile, super senior Jeff Burda used five birdies to propel himself to an opening 70 and to the top of the field in the 65-to-69 division. Close on his heels, Steve Cribari posted a 1-under 71 to lead the charge come Friday’s moving day.

Curtis Worley and Doug Hopton-Jones have a share of third place thanks to their even-par rounds.

The legend division is led by Peter Van Ingen and Wyatt Meyer who each just missed out on shooting their age. Their matching 75s are good for a single stroke lead over both Gary Hardin and Evan Long.

Six more golfers are within four shots of the leaders.

In the super legends division, John Walker takes the early lead after a 1-under 71. He holds a single stroke over a trio of men tied at even par. John Seehausen is 1 over and rounds out the top 5 in the 75+ year old division.

The second round tees off at 7 a.m. local time (10 a.m. ET) at the PGA West Mountain Course.

Jerry Gunthorpe leads field at the 2022 Golfweek Senior Amateur Championship at PGA West

The Golfweek Senior Amateur Series will be played at PGA West for a full-field event this week.

After a limited field event in Palm Desert, California, the Golfweek Senior Amateur Series rolls on down the street to PGA West in La Quinta, California, for a full-field event.

Winning the Golfweek Senior Division National Championship earlier this week was Jerry Gunthorpe. Having essentially only worked on his game on his home simulator, the Ovid, Michigan, native trekked out of the snow to pull off a come from behind victory on Tuesday.

Gunthorpe leads the pack of notable names in the field, with a handful of players from the 55-64 senior bracket staying in the area for this week’s championship.

Podium finishers Jerry Slagle and Billy Mitchell are among those looking to capitalize on their solid play in hopes to joining Gunthorpe in having to figure out a way to fit a trophy into their carry on luggage.

In the Super Senior division, Bob Kearney looks to gain on Golfweek Player of the Year points leader, Tim Vigotsky, who is not in the field this week. No.-5 ranked John Armstrong looks to make a big leap as well as the only other top-10 ranked player in the field.

Legend Don Donatoni currently holds a 100-point lead over Jim Rollefson in the 70-74 age bracket. With both teeing it up at PGA West this week, drama will surely unfold as the duo are matching up for an early season battle for supremacy. If either stumble, Mike Jackson lurks just 151 points behind Donatoni ready to hurdle the big board.

In the 75+ Super Legend division, five of the top-10 point getters have made the trip to shuffle up the standings. With 22 players in the field, it will be interesting to see who makes the biggest jump (or fall) in the early season standings.

The 54-hole stroke play event will be played at PGA West’s Pete Dye Dunes and the Mountains course with age-appropriate yardages ranging from 5,400 to 6,500 yards.

Each age division will compete within itself and four champions will be crowned. Each winner will earn 1,200 points towards their divisions respective year long race for Golfweek Player of the Year.

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Jerry Gunthorpe wins Golfweek Senior Division National Championship

Jerry Gunthorpe tracked down 36-hole leader Jerry Slagle to claim the championship.

The Firecliff Course at Desert Willow Golf Club in Palm Desert, California, played host to an eventful and dramatic Golfweek Senior Division National Championship.

The 54-hole event was graced by some of the best senior amateur golfers in the nation, with one man claiming his title and 1,200 points towards the year-long race for the Golfweek Player of the Year honor.

In the final round, Ovid, Michigan’s, Jerry Gunthorpe tracked down 36-hole leader Jerry Slagle on Tuesday to claim the championship. Behind by three strokes to start the final round, Gunthorpe made easy work of the front nine, carding a 2-under 34.

“Things were clicking,” Gunthorpe told Golfweek. “It started out easy right away.”

Slagle was not as fortunate with double bogeys on Nos. 5 and 8, erasing a birdie on No. 2, for an opening 39.

The five-shot swing put Gunthorpe in the driver’s seat at the turn. He relied on previous experiences on big stages both at the state level in Michigan and the national level as he came up just short to Gene Elliott in the 2021 U.S. Senior Amateur.

“When I have a little bit of adrenaline, that means it matters to me,” Gunthorpe said. “If it doesn’t matter to me, I don’t do as well. When I feel the butterflies, or whatever that feeling is, that means it matters to me.”

Finding his why helped Gunthorpe stave off a late run by Slagle. Sitting at 4 over through 13 holes, Slagle turned on the jets, birdieing three of his last five holes in an attempt to make Gunthorpe feel the pressure. Gunthorpe stayed the course, swapping a birdie and bogey to close out a round of 2-under 70 and the championship.

In an interview following Sunday’s first round, Gunthorpe foreshadowed a bit saying that he always felt like he belonged in competitive senior golf.

“I always knew that I would [belong in competitive golf],” he said. “Every time I’ve competed, I’ve done well. I haven’t competed a lot, but when I have, I’ve been successful I feel.”

Well, to come back against one of the hottest hands of the week, in Slagle while also holding off the rest of the field is a success in anyone’s book.

Gunthorpe is expected to make a big jump in the Golfweek senior amateur rankings from his current spot at No. 37.

Slagle makes the trip back to Southlake, Texas, with much to be happy about as he recorded a tournament-high 16 birdies. Billy Mitchell, the 2021 U.S. Senior Open low-am, took home a solo third-place finish after a 1 over to finish at even par.

Greg Sanders (1 over) of Anthem, Arizona, and Steve McPherson (2 over) of San Jacinto, California, round out the top five.

The next Golfweek Senior amateur event will be a full-field event at the Golfweek Senior Amateur Championship at PGA West in La Quinta, California starting March 31.

‘Big 3’ set battle it out at Golfweek Senior National Championship

First-round leader Jerry Gunthorpe posted 17 pars and a bogey in Monday’s round.

A star-studded trio are set to duke it out in the final pairing of the Golfweek Senior Division National Championship at Desert Willow Golf Club in Palm Desert, California.

Jerry Gunthorpe, 2021 U.S. Senior Amateur runner-up, and 2021 U.S. Senior Open low-am Billy Mitchell have a tough test ahead of them as they are set to chase down 36-hole leader Jerry Slagle.

With conditions playing completely different than the first round and practice rounds, the Firecliff Course played tougher than usual on Monday.

First-round leader Gunthorpe was able to keep damage to a minimum with 17 pars and a lone bogey on the hardest hole of the tournament, the par-3 No. 17. He now sits two shots back of Slagle who picked up where he left off Sunday.

Slagle continued his onslaught of birdies, picking up five more in Monday’s second round to lead the tournament with 12 total.

“I made birdies where you’re supposed to,” Slagle told Golfweek following his 2-under 70. “I was pretty happy.”

Rounding out the final group is Billy Mitchell. Playing out of Atlanta, Mitchell was most notably the low-amateur at the 2021 U.S. Senior Open. Using five birdies to scrub away at an opening round 2-over 74, Mitchell is now 1 under for the tournament and looks to challenge his playing partners for the title on Tuesday.

Mitchell is tied for third alongside Greg Saunders who is in the penultimate pairing with Joe Palmer and Walker Taylor who sit at 3 over in a four-way tie for fifth.

As for Slagle, he’s not putting too much thought into being chased by two of the top senior amateur players in the world.

“I don’t want to think about anything,” Slagle said about being five under and leading the event. “I just want to go out and play golf.”

With a win and 1,200 points on the line, any of the three men in the final group can jump into the top-10 in the Golfweek Senior Amateur rankings. Slagle is currently No. 97, Gunthorpe is No. 37, and Mitchell, who is No. 17 in the rankings, all can make huge strides in the year-long race for the Golfweek Senior Player of the Year honor.

Jerry Gunthorpe leads after first round of Golfweek Senior Division National Championship

Desert Willow Golf Club’s Firecliff Course in Palm Desert, California, is hosting 84 top senior amateur players.

Desert Willow Golf Club’s Firecliff Course in Palm Desert, California, is hosting 84 of the top senior amateur players in the country for the 2022 Golfweek Senior Division National Championship.

The 54-hole event concluded its first round of play with one man on top of the leaderboard. Jerry Gunthorpe, a 58-year old mechanical contractor from Ovid, Michigan, leads by one shot following his opening 4-under 68.

A bogey-free day, Gunthorpe kept his card clean with birdies on Nos. 7 and 13 before closing with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 17 and 18 despite his lack of green control and what he described as an “abomination of ball striking”. Overcoming his struggles, Gunthorpe buckled down and got it right when he needed to.

Without having his A-game, Gunthorpe had a clean card with four pristine circles, which could spell trouble for the rest of the field.

One shot back of Gunthrope is Jerry Slagle. The Southlake, Texas, native carded a 3-under 69 that featured a tournament-high seven birdies. A much different day than Gunthorpe, Slagle is still the main challenger to the Michigander.

As always, Slagle said that his day could’ve been a lot better, but he recognized that it could’ve been a lot worse, too.

Three are tied at 1 under and six more are within five shots of Gunthorpe.

Split-tee action begins Monday at 10:15 am ET. Moving day will be scored live on Golf Genius with a winner claiming their title and 1,200 Golfweek Player of the Year points on Wednesday.

Golfweek Senior Division national championship up for grabs at Desert Willow Golf Resort

Some of the best senior amateurs tee it up March 27-29 at the Firecliff Course at Desert Willow Golf Club in Palm Desert, California.

Some of the best senior amateurs will tee it up March 27-29 at the Firecliff Course at Desert Willow Golf Resort in Palm Desert, California.

The Firecliff Course made the Golfweek Top 20 list of the best courses you can play in California.

The 2022 installment will feature yet another who’s who in the senior amateur game. The usual suspects will be there: Jerry Gunthorpe, Billy Mitchell, Rich Bucker, etc. But the 1,200 Golfweek Player of the Year points that are up for grabs have brought players from every corner of the United States to fill out the rest of the 84-man field. This tournament is certified by the USGA and R&A as a WAGR counting tournament with the top-25 in the WAGR ranking receiving exemptions into the U.S. Senior Amateur to be held at the Kittansett Club in Marion, Mass.

With the limited field, just one age division is in play this week. The 55-plus-year-old field will navigate its way through the challenging but fair Firecliff Course native areas, water features, and over 100 waste bunkers.

Kevin VandenBerg looks to extend his points lead over Rusty Strawn who is not in the field this week. Seventh-ranked Richard Kerper is the next top-10 player in the field who can make a big jump in the Golfweek Senior Amateur Rankings.

A winner will be crowned on the 29th with 1,200 points accompanying their name as the first quarter of the Senior Player of the Year race comes to a close in April.

2022 Golfweek U.S. Super Senior, Legends, & Super Legends National Championship at The Golf Club of Georgia

Calling all National Champions, State Champions, club champions and elite senior amateurs age 65 and over! Join us July 5-7 at one of the nations premier private golf clubs, The Golf Club of Georgia, in the 2022 Golfweek U.S. Super Senior, Legends & …

Calling all National Champions, State Champions, club champions and elite senior amateurs age 65 and over! Join us July 5-7 at one of the nations premier private golf clubs, The Golf Club of Georgia, in the 2022 Golfweek U.S. Super Senior, Legends & Super Legends National Championship.

This is the first national ranking championship exclusively for elite senior amateurs age 65 and over. The Golfweek U.S. Super Senior, Legends & Super Legends National Championship, sponsored by USA Today Sports, is now in its sixth year. The tournament fills a US Golf Association void by providing a national championship for players age 65 and over. After 54 holes of intense competition, only one player in each division will earn the right to hoist the trophy and be called a “National Champion.”

2022 Golfweek Senior National

This is your personal INVITATION to join us in the 2022 Golfweek Senior National presented by USA Today Sports on the East Course at Grandover Resort & Spa in Greensboro, NC.

This is your personal INVITATION to join us in the 2022 Golfweek Senior National presented by USA Today Sports on the East Course at Grandover Resort & Spa in Greensboro, NC.

Four champions crowned at the 2022 Golfweek Player of the Year Classic

The Golfweek PoY Classic came to a close on Tuesday with four senior golfers earning their claim to ‘Champa Bay’ at Tampa Palms CC.

Tampa, Florida, has been given the moniker ‘Champa Bay’ in recent years thanks to the Lightning winning back-to-back Stanley Cups, the Buccaneers winning Super Bowl LV on their home turf and the Rays winning divisional and American League pennants.

The Golfweek Player of the Year Classic came to a close on Tuesday with four senior golfers earning their claim to ‘Champa Bay’ at Tampa Palms Country Club.

Lurking all week long, Miles McConnell stuck around the top of the leaderboard long enough to claim the top spot in the senior division (ages 55-64). McConnell was a co-leader following the first round and trailed 36-hole leader Billy Mitchell by three shots heading into the day.

McConnell got out of the gates quickly, carding birdies on three of his first five holes.

“I knew today particularly, I had to play well,” McConnell told Golfweek. “It was a challenge the whole way around [to] keep your composure and try to hit greens.”

McConnell felt that he had the tournament in hand by No. 16. After a front nine 4-under 32 and sitting two under through No. 16, McConnell was quickly reminded that golf is a humbling game. Back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 16 and 17 led to a bit of sweat, but McConnell was able to piece together a couple more good swings to close out the tournament with a par on No. 18 for a final round 70 to take the Classic by two strokes.

Virginia’s Matt Sughrue took home second place at even par for the event with Bob Royak taking the final podium spot at 1-over par. Solo leader Billy Mitchell could not close out the tournament, posting a final round 78 to finish in fourth. 2021 Yancy Ford Award winner Gene Elliott finished fifth after an uncharacteristic week, posting 78/74/71. 2021 Golfweek Player of the Year Rusty Strawn nabbed a three-way share of eighth place at 11-over par.

Trailing by three strokes before the final round teed off, Duke Delcher held his own in the Super Senior division (ages 65-69). The Bluffton, South Carolina, native sandwiched a bogey on No. 4 with 14 pars.

Delcher watched the scoreboard on the back-nine after a six-shot swing between himself and overnight leader Mark Benefield. After a bogey on No. 16 and a birdie on No. 17, Delcher knew he had a five-stroke lead heading into the infamous par-4 18th.

“I made a triple on the hole yesterday,” Delcher said. “Today I drove it well but hit it into the left-hand bunker. I wasn’t going to fuss with the water… I made six but it was a good day even though I didn’t have a birdie.”

Despite the double bogey on the last, Delcher was able to post a tournament total of 14-over 230. Finishing second was Tim Vigotsky, two shots back of Delcher while Mark Benefield took third.

Finishing third in the 2021 Golfweek Player of the Year Legends standings (ages 70-74) Pete Allen took his first step towards improving on his 2022 ranking. Allen went wire-to-wire, coasting to the victory with his tournament-best, even-par 72. Missing just one fairway over the final 18, Allen lived up to his ‘Pipeline Pete’ nickname that John Daly gave him back in 1991.

Arkansas’s Bev Hargraves took solo second, eight shots back of Allen at 14 over. Georgia’s Don Marsh, finished third at 18 over.

After maneuvering his way past the first-round leaders on Monday, Super Legend Dennis Adkins never looked back over the final 36 holes. Holding a two-shot lead, Adkins used a final round 76 to grow his lead all the way to eight shots to claim the title.

Jim Pfrogner claimed second place with a 20-over 236. Defending Golfweek Player of the Year from the 75+ Super Legends division, Walt Martin, finished third at 21 over.

All four division winners, on top of their purse money, receive 1,200 Player of the Year points. The race for top dog has just begun, but the point totals from this week can go a long way into determining who is crowned Golfweek Player of the Year in 2022.

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