Category: Senior

Billy Mitchell storms up leaderboard to take lead at Golfweek Player of the Year Classic

“I guessed right more often than I didn’t. Probably the most solid round I played in a while.”

Tampa Palms Country Club in Tampa, Florida is playing host to some of the best amateur senior players in the world this week. With four age groups teeing it up to kick off the Golfweek Player of the Year race, 18 holes separate four players from 1,000 points which will give them quite a head start over their peers vying for Player of the Year honors.

In the senior division, first-round co-leader Rusty Strawn stumbled down the back nine which included an 8 on the par-4 16th to go from the solo lead to a tie for seventh place. Rising from the pack today was Atlanta’s Billy Mitchell.

“[I] made birdie on 1 which is kind of a hole that doesn’t fit my eye,” Mitchell told Golfweek after his round. “It’s a hard driving hole to start out on.”

The birdie kick started a fantastic front nine for Mitchell who went out in 32 at four under par.

It wasn’t until the par-3 13th, where Mitchell missed his lone green of the day, where he also made his lone bogey of the round.

“I kind of got confused with the wind, hit in the bunker, short sided myself and made bogey,” Mitchell said. “I guessed right more often than I didn’t. Probably the most solid round I played in a while.”

Mitchell leads by three shots over round one co-leader Miles McConnell, who is even for the tournament. Three more golfers are within seven shots of Mitchell who tees off at 11:50 a.m. ET in the final round.

Day 1 Super Senior leader Steve Humphrey was disqualified after signing an incorrect scorecard, opening the door for Georgia’s Mark Benefield. Improving on his opening round of 78 with a 2-over 74, good for a three shot lead over Duke Delcher. Four more golfers trail by seven shots or less heading into Tuesday’s final round.

Pete Allen maintained his four stroke lead in the Legends flight. The North Carolinian went 73-77 for a 6-over total with 18 holes separating him from claiming the Player of the Year Classic. Don Marsh leads the pack that will be on the hunt to chase Allen down.

Super Legend Dennis Adkins slid past 2021 Player of the Year Walt Martin and round 1 leader Jim Pfrogner for a two shot lead heading into the final round. Adkins’ 1-over 73 is the lowest score of the tournament out of the Super Legends division so far. He will look to hold off Martin and Pfrogner as well as G.M. Bingman who trails by six.

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Rusty Strawn, others lead Golfweek Player of the Year Classic after first round

The star-studded senior division is being paced by 2021 Golfweek Player of the Year.

The Golfweek Player of the Year Classic, held at Tampa Palms Country Club in Tampa, Florida is the official start to the Player of the Year race for the four divisions represented this week.

The star-studded senior division is being paced by 2021 Golfweek Player of the Year Rusty Strawn. His 1-under 71 is good for a split of the leadwith Tampa’s own Miles McConnell. McConnell used three birdies over a six hole stretch to cement his red number. Stawn had a more colorful card, needing five birdies to negate a double bogey and two other bogeys throughout his round for his share of the lead.

Bob Royak’s even-par round separates the rest of the field with seven golfers within four shots of the leaders.

Super Senior Steve Humphrey holds a slim lead over the rest of the field despite a dreaded snowman on the par 4 10th. Without the eight, the Ocala, Florida native would have had a commanding five shot lead heading into the second round, but as it stands, he sits atop the leaderboard by one stroke following an opening 75.

South Carolina’s Duke Delcher trails Humphrey by a shot but leads the trio of golfers that set out to chase Humphrey down from their perch at 6 over par.

Pete Allen leads the way for the Legends. His opening round 73 is good for a four shot lead over Jack Mahan. Legend division 2021 Player of the Year Jim Kamis lurks five shots behind Allen.

In the Super Legends division it’s Sarasota, Florida’s Jim Pfrogner who holds a one shot lead following an opening 3-over 75. Defending Player of the Year Walt Martin trails by one stroke.

Round two of the Golfweek Player of the Year Classic begins at 8 a.m. ET on Monday.

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Golfweek Player of the Year Classic set to kick off 2022 Player of the Year race

The event will be contested January 16-18 at Tampa Palms Country Club.

The 2022 Golfweek Player of the Year Classic, held at Tampa Palms Country Club in Tampa, Florida, allows both reflection and elite competition.

The event will be contested January 16-18 with the top three players of the 2021 season from each division being honored at a dinner following the first round of play. Gene Elliott will also be presented with his well-deserved lifetime accolade: the Yancy Ford Award.

Featuring three different divisions, the Golfweek POY Classic is a who’s who of senior amateur golf. Elliott, the defending U.S. and British Senior Amateur champion, joins Jerry Gunthorpe, Bob Royak, Allen Peake, 2020 POY Classic champion John Wright, and 2021 Golfweek Senior Player of the Year and defending POY Classic champion, Rusty Strawn, in the senior division.

The super senior division is up for grabs with 2021 champ, Tim Pope not in the field. In the Legends division, it’s Jim Kamis who is welcomed as both the 2021 Player of the Year and defending champion.

Super Legend and St. Augustine, Florida, native Walt Martin is salivating to tee it up in the new year. Last January, Martin began his 2021 campaign by sweeping all of the January events, including the Player of the Year Classic at Lake Jovita. He’ll be itching to run it back this year at Tampa Palms Country Club. Martin earned Super Legend Player of the Year honors thanks in large part to his strong start last January.

Hopes to become the 2022 Golfweek Player of the Year start Sunday morning. The first piece of the coveted puzzle locks into place Tuesday afternoon after four new champions are crowned to kick off the 2022 Player of the Year race.

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Gene Elliott named Golfweek’s 2021 Yancy Ford winner

Thea ward is presented to an individual who has made significant contributions to senior-amateur golf.

The Yancey Ford Award is presented annually by Golfweek to an individual who has made significant contributions to senior-amateur golf. This year it will be presented on January 16, 2022, at Tampa Palms CC following the first round of the Golfweek Player of the Year Classic.

Gene Elliott may just be the most fitting recipient of the award.

The Bettendorf, Iowa, native has created an impact well beyond the Hawkeye state. Gene has competed on the national level his whole career. With both British and U.S. Senior Amateur victories in 2021, Elliott has plenty to be thankful for as the calendar turns to 2022.

However, it’s what Elliott has done off the course that has piqued the interests of the Yancy Ford Award committee. Helping save the Iowa Golf Association (IGA) back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Elliott has been a big part of what the IGA has become.

“It was kind of a turbulent time,” Elliott told Golfweek. ”I just want[ed] to make golf better.”

Elliott did just that. After a couple of years on various boards for the IGA, Elliott revamped the state match play tournament. The event had been defunct since before he got to the IGA, but after getting other events to better courses and helping rebuild the IGA’s reputation, Elliott got the green light to reassert an event that is held in high regard across most state golf associations.

Revamping the Iowa State Match Play, being a part of the USGA mid-am committee for seven years (1999-2006), and being a part of the IGA’s board of directors for 16 years (2004-2019) helped earn Elliott an Iowa Golf Association Hall of Fame induction in 2012 at the age of 50. 

In his letter nominating Elliott, close friend and 2011 Iowa Golf Hall of Fame inductee, Mike McCoy said, “Gene has conducted himself as a true gentleman throughout his life both on and off the golf course. He has developed friendships throughout the golf world and is universally respected and liked by all.”

Current IGA CEO and executive director Chad Pitts spoke for everyone at the IGA when he told Golfweek that he did not want to see Elliott leave the Board of Directors in 2019. But rules are rules and Elliott exited the IGA’s Board of Directors in 2019 but still plays a role with the association here and there.

As good as his work is off the course, his volunteerism in golf is overshadowed by his playing career as Elliott is the top ranked senior in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and has won twelve of his 27 Iowa majors since turning 50.

Now with a Yancy Ford award to add to the ever-growing Elliott home trophy case, Elliott’s 30+ years of growing the game in the Hawkeye state and around the world, have been formally recognized.

Golfweek Senior Challenge Cup: Who’s leading after Round 1?

It’s no surprise that captain Gene Elliott has his 2021 team in the lead once again at the Golfweek Senior Challenge Cup.

His team won last year and it’s no surprise that captain Gene Elliott has his 2021 team in the lead once again at the Golfweek Senior Challenge Cup on the Nicklaus Course at Reunion Resort in Kissimmee, Florida.

With players like Matt Sughrue, Paul Royak, Kevin VandenBerg, and Michael Hughett on Team Elliott, it’s going to be an uphill battle for opposing captain and Golfweek’s 2020 Player of the Year, Craig Hurlbert.

“We both had captain’s picks,” said Hurlbert, “but Gene is playing like two people.”

The Senior Challenge Cup uses a format that is unique in amateur golf. It is a tournament within a tournament. The normal four divisions compete; however, the field is divided into two teams.

Team Elliott has Rich Buckner, Grady Brame, Terry Cook, Michael Hughett, Tom Lape, Kevin VandenBerg, Dick Engel, Joe Palmer, and Paul Royak as captain’s picks.

Team Hurlbert’s picks include Billy Mitchell, Keith Decker, Bryan Keenan, Richard Kerper, Mike Lohner, Allen Peake, Jerry Slagle, John Wright, and Greg Cottrell

The remainder of the field is divided by a blind draw to form two teams.

Elliott’s 2021 accomplishments rival just about any player in the modern era of amateur golf. He is only the third player in history to hold all three major senior amateur titles: The Canadian Senior Amateur, The British Senior Amateur and this year’s U.S. Senior Amateur which he won at The Country Club of Detroit in August.

Hurlbert, who had to withdraw from the tournament with a pinched nerve in his neck, chose Billy Mitchell to fill in as acting captain. Mitchell, who is an athletic trainer from Atlanta and ranked inside the top 25 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, is taking the captain’s role seriously.

After day one, Mitchell had stepped in and led his team to a 1-under 719 total, just three strokes behind Elliott’s team total of 4-under 716.

There were no surprises in the senior division where both Elliott from West Des Moines, Iowa, and Michael Hughett from Tulsa, Oklahoma, posted 5-under 67’s while 10 other players were at par or better.

In the Super Senior division, Brian Johnston of Peachtree Corners, Georgia, had one birdie and one bogey en route to an even par-72.

The Super Legends division had Jack Marin, the former guard/forward from Duke University — who spent 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association, playing for the Baltimore Bullets, Houston Rockets, Buffalo Braves and Chicago Bulls — leading after carding a 1-under 71.

Round two starts at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec 15. You can follow along with live scoring on GolfGenius with the GGID: GWSCCR

Gene Elliott claims Golfweek Senior Tournament of Champions in a U.S. Senior Am rematch

Gene Elliott and Jerry Gunthorpe duked it out once again at the Golfweek Senior Tournament of Champions.

It may not have been the U.S. Senior Amateur, but it definitely had the star power.

Gene Elliott, 2021 U.S. Senior Amateur champion, and 2021 Senior Am runner up Jerry Gunthorpe duked it out once again at the Golfweek Senior Tournament of Champions at The Forest Country Club Bear Course in Ft. Myer, Florida, on Friday.

A part of the penultimate group, Gunthorpe carded his second 2-under 70 of the tournament. Beginning the day five shots back of Elliott, the Michigan native may have thought he had a chance at finally tracking down his U.S. Senior Am foe.

Unfortunately for Gunthorpe, Elliott had just enough juice to stave off his run.

“I thought I had a one shot lead,” Elliott said about playing the last hole. In actuality, Elliott had a two-shot lead. Thanks to a scoring error by his playing partner, Elliott indulged himself into a bit more pressure than what he really needed to. Forcing a shot he probably wouldn’t have if he knew he had two shots to play with, Elliott thought he needed to get up-and-down from 80 yards.

“I looked at my phone again and I saw that he [Gunthorpe] bogeyed 18… I thought I won by one, but I actually won by two. That’s not a great way to finish a tournament,” Elliott said through a laugh. “I played just well enough to win.”

Gene Elliott poses with the 2021 Golfweek Tournament of Champions trophy. Photo by Ron Gaines/Golfweek

Despite being twice the bridesmaid to Elliott’s bride, Gunthorpe’s second-place finish is nothing to scoff at. Coming from Michigan, Gunthorpe had minimal practice and relied on hitting balls in his upstairs simulator room as his main source of practice.

“The guy is a great player,” Elliott said. “I talked to one of the guys he played with today and he said ‘Wow! I was impressed’ and I said ‘Hell yes he’s good!’… He’s a wonderful guy and a hell of a player. I’m lucky he didn’t finish out the tournament!”

With a tournament total of even par 216, Elliot has now won back-to-back Golfweek Senior Tournament of Champion events and three total since its inception in 2018.

In the Super Senior division, it was Edward Turner who went wire-to-wire despite never having full control of the lead. Sharing the lead following both rounds one and two, Turner pulled away from the field and staved off a late run by Robin Rubrecht, who took second place just one shot off of Turner’s pace of 8 over.

David Bates of Newburgh, Indiana, took home the Legend’s top spot. Tying defending champion Jim Rollefson, the pair went to the par-4 10th to decide a winner. Rollefson dumped a ball in the water while Bates rolled in a par to claim the title over the defending champ.

Super Legend Gil Stenholm maintained his 36-hole lead over North Carolina’s Jack Marin to claim the top spot in the 75-and-over age bracket. Stenholm, a native of Illinois, took claim of the Tournament of Champions with a score of 12 over as previous winners Marin and Charlie Busbee finishing second and third, respectively.

Top-ranked senior Gene Elliott leads Golfweek Senior Tournament of Champions

Top-ranked senior amateur Gene Elliott is back where he is most familiar: atop the leaderboard.

Gene Elliott, the top-ranked senior amateur, is back where he is most familiar: at the top of the leaderboard.

With 18 holes to play at the Golfweek Senior Tournament of Champions at The Forest Country Club Bear Course in Ft. Myers, Florida, Elliott should feel pretty comfortable.

The 59-year-old from Iowa has already had a year for the record books, winning both the U.S. Senior Amateur and the British Senior Amateur. He also has a track record at this event where he has won twice since its inception in 2018.

Elliott began the second round two shots back of co-leaders Dave Bunker and Jerry Gunthorpe, who each began the day at 2 under. Carding birdies on holes Nos. 2, 3, and 4, Elliott made quick work in erasing the deficit. Despite a bogey on the par-4 16th, he did enough to take the top spot heading into Friday’s final round.

Bunker negated any ground made up on the field in the first round with a second-round 75. Having four bogeys on his card, the top-ranked Canadian senior slid from a tie for first to solo second at 1 over. As for Gunthorpe, a trio of back-to-back bogeys throughout the day saw him fall into a tie for sixth at 4 over.

Seven golfers are within five strokes of Elliott heading into Friday’s final round. The two co-leaders from round one find themselves still atop the Super Senior division. Randy King and Edward Turner account for two-thirds of tomorrow’s final pairing as they sit at 5 over with Keith McKelvy.

Defending Legend champion Jim Rollefson leads the pack that will be looking to chase Charley Yandell, who backed up his opening 1-over 73 with yet another to take a commanding four-stroke lead in the Legend division.

Gil Stenholm of Illinois bounced back from a first round 78 with a 1-over 73 on Thursday to go 7 over for the tournament. The 75-year old leads by two over Jack Marin who sits in solo second. Round 1 leader Steve Wilson and defending champion Charlie Busbee lurk at 10 and 11 over respectively.

Four golfers will take home trophies and have bragging rights as a ‘Champion of Champions’ following play on Friday.

Leaving the cold at home, Jerry Gunthorpe, Dave Bunker share lead at Golfweek Senior Tournament of Champions

Jerry Gunthorpe and Dave Bunker headline the leaderboard after Round 1 at The Forest Country Club.

The runner up from the 2021 U.S. Senior Amateur, Jerry Gunthorpe, and top Canadian senior Dave Bunker headline the leaderboard after the first round of the Golfweek Senior Tournament of Champions at The Forest Country Club Bear Course in Ft. Myers, Florida. 

Firing a pair of 2-under 70s on Wednesday, the snow birds flew south, leaving any rust they had at home and starting out in form to open the tournament. Gunthorpe, a native of Michigan, has been beating balls on his indoor simulator he built in his home. Even through seven holes, Gunthorpe dropped a 40-foot bomb on the par-5 ninth for an eagle, giving him a two shot swing. That putt brought him back to red numbers after trading a birdie and bogey earlier on the front nine.

With another bogey on No. 14, the 58-year old Michigander claimed another birdie on the par-4 16th to get himself back to 2-under, making the eagle on No. 9 the difference maker.

As for Bunker, his day got off to an odd start with a double-bogey on the par-4 4th. Carding a birdie on No. 9, Bunker rattled off three more birdies in a five hole stretch on the back-nine to more than negate his mistake early on in the day.

Reigning U.S. Senior Amateur champion and two-time winner of this event in 2018 and 2020, Gene Elliott sits in solo fourth, just three shots off the lead with 36 holes remaining. Separating him from the top is Joe Shaktman of Coral Spring, Florida, who opened the tournament with a 1-under 71. Nine golfers are separated by four strokes making Thursday’s moving day all the more interesting.

In the Super Senior division, defending champion Doug Hopton-Jones is tied with John Armstrong, Randy King and Edward Turner at 3 over. Charley Yandell leads the Legends flight after almost shooting his age, posting a 1-over 73. He leads by two in the age 70-74 bracket.

In the Super Legends flight for golfers 75 and up, California’s Steve Wilson, who dropped in two birdies en route to an impressive three-over 75 just two weeks shy of his 80th birthday, who leads.

Second-round action tees off at 8 a.m. ET.

Preview: 2021 Golfweek Senior Tournament of Champions

Celebrating its fourth year, the Golfweek Senior Tournament of Champions tees off this week in Florida.

Celebrating its fourth year, the Golfweek Senior Tournament of Champions tees off this week, Dec. 1-3, at The Forest Country Club in Ft. Myers, Florida.

Being the year end finale for the 2021 Golfweek Elite Senior Series, it’s only right for some of the top players over 50 to come out and tee it up one last time this season.

With over 80 players in the field, six are ranked inside the top 25 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking over 50 years old. Among those six? No. 1 senior amateur Gene Elliot, 5th ranked Rusty Strawn, top Canadian and 7th ranked Dave Bunker, No. 8 Michael McCoy, 20th ranked Kevin VandenBerg, and No. 21 Paul Royak.

Elliott holds both the 2021 British and U.S. Senior Amateur trophies while the 2021 U.S. Senior Am runner-up, Jerry Gunthorpe will also be in the field. Elliot, a native Iowan, has held the senior title in this event twice (2018 & 2020) and is looking for back-to-back ownership of the senior division.

Other past champions in the field include Super-Seniors Doug Hopton-Jones (2020), Steve Fox (2019), and Paul Schlachter (2018), 2020 Legends division winner Jim Rollefson and 2020 Super Legend winner Charlie Busbee.

Winners will be crowned on December 3rd and will return home with a nice piece of hardware to accompany their stocking on the mantle.

Past champions

2020 The Forest Country Club (Bear Course)

Senior – Gene Elliott
Super Senior – Doug Hopton-Jones
Legends – Jim Rollefson
Super Legends – Charlie Busbee

2019 PGA National (Palmer Course)

Senior – Rich Buckner
Super Senior – Steve Fox
Legends – Jack Martin

2018 Black Diamond (The Quarry)

Senior – Gene Elliot
Super Senior – Paul Schlachter
Legends – Bill Engel

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Golfweek Senior Division National Championship – Desert Willow Golf Resort

Located in the beautiful golf rich mecca of Palm Desert is Desert Willow Golf Resort, host of the 2022 Golfweek Senior Division National Championship. The championship Firecliff Course, ranked in the top 20 of Golfweek’s best courses you can play in …

Located in the beautiful golf rich mecca of Palm Desert is Desert Willow Golf Resort, host of the 2022 Golfweek Senior Division National Championship. The championship Firecliff Course, ranked in the top 20 of Golfweek’s best courses you can play in California, will be a true test of skill for our “Elite Senior Players” as they negotiate their way around extensive natural areas, numerous water features, and more than 100 waste areas and bunkers. Join us for this inaugural event where players from every state will tee it up against the best players in the U.S.

NOTE: This tournament is limited to 72 players.

  The tournament will be contested over 54 holes from one set of tees and is open to players 55 years and over as of March 27, 2022.