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Craig Larson goes wire-to-wire at Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Championship

There was little doubt as to who was going to take the trophy this week.

The inaugural Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Championship had little doubt as to who was going to take the trophy home this week.

Making the five-hour trip to Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, Washington, Craig Larson kept the hardware in the Evergreen State.

The Lakeland, Washington, native separated himself from the rest of the senior field through the first 36 holes of the tournament. Building a five-stroke lead heading into Thursday’s final round, all Larson had to do was play the same brand of golf that got him there in the first place.

What changes consistent golf? Pressure.

Luckily for Larson, pressure was never really an issue. Yes, he was 4 over through 13 and finished the day there but his cushion kept his head well above water. A final round 77 isn’t the way you want to close out a championship, but hey, a win is a win is a win, right?

Cruising to a four shot wire-to-wire victory, Larson (2 over) shared the podium with Bradley Karns (6 over) and Doug Savageau (9 over).

In the Super Senior age bracket (ages 65-69), a much tighter contest needed extra holes to determine a winner.

Peter Jennings held a one shot lead over George Walker heading into Thursday’s action. Through the front nine Jennings’ lead was stretched to two thanks to a triple bogey by Walker on the par 4 9th.

With either man unable to push across a birdie, Walker scraped his way back into the fight with a back nine 2 over 38 to force a playoff after making up the halftime deficit.

Unfortunately for Walker, his valiant attempt ended up just short as he fell to Jennings on the second playoff hole. For Jennings, he walks away with 1,200 points towards the year-long race for the Golfweek Player of the Year rankings list and bragging rights over his fellow statesman.

Greg Mokler cruised to a nine-shot win in the Legend Division while Joe Barth enjoyed the same differential in the Super Legend Division. Barth also ties Larson for lowest score throughout the entire field. Despite playing in the 75+ age division, Barth matched Larson at 2 over on the week and going lower than his age every day.

If you are interested in competing, go to Golfweek Events.

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Craig Larson extends lead at Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Championship

The 2022 Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Championship has just 18 holes remaining.

The 2022 Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Championship has just 18 holes remaining before crowning its inaugural champions at Wine Valley Golf Club, nestled in the rolling hills of southern Washington, offering a beautiful landscape against a gorgeous background of the Cascade Mountains in Walla Walla, Washington.

Building on his lead from Tuesday’s first round, Craig Larson gained yet another stroke on the field with a 1-under 71 second round. With two double bogeys on his card, Larson hung tough and carded five birdies on the day. Nails down the stretch, Larson closed his round with three birdies on his final four holes to increase his lead to five strokes in the senior division.

Closest to Larson is Bradley Karns, who stayed put with an even par round. While not completely written off, Karns has plenty of work ahead of him if he wants to put pressure on the leader. Behind Karns sits three players in a tie for third at 3 over.

Super senior Peter Jennings overtook overnight leader George Walker, erasing a four shot deficit to take a one shot lead with just 18 holes remaining.

One lone bogey on the day aided by two birdies allowed Jennings to slide by Walker with a 36-hole score of 2 over. Walker was not full of mistakes as he tallied four bogeys that were spaced well throughout the scorecard. Without birdie putts falling, it’s now Walker who will be in chase mode at 3 over.

Lurking at 8 over par is Glen Clark. If he can piece together a solid round, he could make things interesting within the final grouping.

Joe Barth and Greg Mokler are holding down their respective legendary divisions. The duo have matched each other with reciprocating rounds of 71 and 74. Both at 1 over, the duo makes it look easy while shooting their age.

The final round of the Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Championship commences tomorrow beginning at 8 a.m. local time, 11 a.m. ET.

Craig Larson paces field at inaugural Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Championship

Four different age divisions are competing in the inaugural Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Championship.

Four different age divisions have taken center stage at the inaugural Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Championship. Over the entire field of elite amateurs, it is one man who leads them all.

Craig Larson carded a 2-under 70 at Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, Washington, on Tuesday. The Lakewood, Washington, native is making the most of his near five-hour trek so far.

After a tumultuous opening nine that saw just two pars on the scorecard, Larson settled in nicely on the back nine. With three birdies on Nos. 10, 15 and 18, he was able to erase a front-nine 37 with a bogey-free 33 to take a four-stroke lead over Bradley Karns and Nicholas Bock in the senior division.

Super senior George Walker trails Larson by a single shot but leads the 65-69 year old division by four. Much like Larson, Walker was shaky on the front nine but settled in as he came back towards the clubhouse. Cruising with six pars and three birdies coming in, the Portland, Oregon, native will look to continue his balanced play in Wednesday’s second round.

With contestants ranging in age from 55 to older than 75, scoring was no issue in Tuesday’s first round. A field average of 76.75 was aided in part by Joe Barth. Competing in the super legend division (75+), Barth fired an opening 1-under 71, besting his age by plenty. Barth leads Craig Collins by three strokes as he looks to build on a solid start.

Greg Mokler can officially put the cruise control on despite 36 holes remaining. He leads the Legends division by a whopping 11 strokes after carding a first round 2 over 73.

The second round of the Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Championship commences tomorrow beginning at 8 a.m. local time, 11 a.m. ET.

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2022 Golfweek Senior Challenge Cup

Join us for the 2022 Golfweek Senior Challenge Cup, December 14-16 at Jacaranda Golf Club in Plantation, Fla! The 2022 Golfweek Senior Challenge Cup will provide you with the opportunity to play The East Course, one of south Florida’s finest. The …

Join us for the 2022 Golfweek Senior Challenge Cup, December 14-16 at Jacaranda Golf Club in Plantation, Fla! The 2022 Golfweek Senior Challenge Cup will provide you with the opportunity to play The East Course, one of south Florida’s finest. The East Course at Jacaranda is as much about strategy as it is about difficulty and puts a premium on a solid short game.

Now in its fourth year, the Golfweek Senior Challenge Cup is a tournament within a tournament. Champions will be crowned in each division while at the same time two teams, one captained by current U.S. Senior Amateur Champion, Rusty Strawn, and the other by 2019 Golfweek senior player of the year, Craig Hurlbert, will do battle for the overall Challenge Cup trophy. Members of each team will be selected by captains pick and blind draw. Don’t miss this Golfweek Elite Senior Amateur tournament featuring one of the premier fields in senior amateur golf!

The Challenge Cup is the last national ranking tournament of 2022 and will help decide the 2022 Golfweek Player of the Year in each division. Jacaranda Golf Club will be the perfect venue for the fourth annual Golfweek Senior Challenge Cup.

IMPORTANT NOTE: All Golfweek senior amateur tournaments are WAGR counting tournaments leading to twenty-five exemptions into the 2023 U.S. Senior Amateur to be contested at Martis Camp in Truckee, Calif.

2022 Golfweek Senior Tournament of Champions

Calling All Champions! Join us Nov 30 – Dec 2 for the 2022 Golfweek Tournament of Champions as we make a long overdue trip back to PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. The Senior TOC is open to national, state, and club champions, …

Calling All Champions! Join us Nov 30 – Dec 2 for the 2022 Golfweek Tournament of Champions as we make a long overdue trip back to PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. The Senior TOC is open to national, state, and club champions, along with those who strive to be a champion. Home of the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic, The Champion, features the iconic “Bear Trap” which spans three demanding holes designed by Jack Nicklaus and called “one of the toughest stretches in golf.”

The Fazio features more generous fairways allowing big hitters an opportunity to excel off the tee while putting a premium on a solid short game. Both the Champion and Fazio at PGA National are unique and each requires a golfer to step up to the ball with a carefully organized series of shots in mind.

Test you skill against the best on both the famous Champion and Fazio courses, the perfect venue for the Golfweek 2022 Senior Tournament of Champions, part of the Golfweek Elite Senior Players Series!

Rusty Strawn outduels fellow Georgian Doug Hanzel for 2022 U.S. Senior Amateur title

It was a Peach State battle in the Bay State.

Fellow Georgians Rusty Strawn and Doug Hanzel locked horns in the final Thursday of the 2022 U.S. Senior Amateur and it was Strawn coming out on top thanks to a 3-and-2 win at The Kittansett Club in Marion, Massachusetts.

Strawn, who was the 2021 Golfweek Senior Player of the Year, is the fourth golfer from Georgia to win. This December, he’ll be the captain for the Golfweek Challenge Cup at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Strawn, 59, is also the fourth Georgia Southern alum to win a USGA championship, following in the footsteps of his former college teammate Gene Sauers (2016 U.S. Senior Open), Jodie Mudd (1980 and 1981 U.S. Amateur Public Links) and Stewart “Buddy” Alexander (1986 U.S. Amateur).

“It’s amazing,” said Strawn. “I mean, I never thought that I’d have this opportunity [or] if I could actually pull it off. I felt like that I had the game in the right conditions and the right course setup, because I have that determination. But it’s just amazing.”

This was the first time in 19 years that the U.S. Senior Amateur came down to two golfers from the same state.

Strawn jumped out to an early lead, winning five of the first six holes.

“I gave him some simple holes,” said Hanzel, 65, who was competing in his 40th USGA championship.

With the win, Strawn is exempt into the next 10 U.S. Senior Ams, the next two U.S. Amateurs, as well as the 2023 U.S. Senior Open Championship, which will be staged at SentryWorld in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

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Marc Engellener, Jon Lindstrom claim wins at 2022 International Mid-Am & Senior Championships

Over the weekend, one of amateur golf’s biggest majors crowned new champions.

The International Mid-Am & Senior Championships took over Pawleys Island, South Carolina, for three days of elite amateur golf. With both individual and team titles up for grabs, both True Blue and Caledonia gave the field their toughest tests en route to naming amateur golf’s newest winners.

California’s Marc Engellener began the third and final round four shots behind 36-hole leader Justin Young. Knowing he’d need to post a number, Engellener got to work. Out in 2 under, Engellener hopped onto the birdie train as he came down the stretch.

Six birdies over an eight hole stretch allowed Engellener to do just what he wanted to do heading into the day; Post a number. His 66 was good enough for the clubhouse lead, but would it be enough to fend off Young who had been so dominant all week?

Unfortunately for Young, it would be too much to overcome. Sputtering to a halt, Young could not close out his overnight lead. A final round that featured 13 pars is nothing to hang your head at, but with a charging group of players hot on his heels, Young’s 1 over final round left him three shots shy of Engellener who finished at 9 under.

Brendan Kelly (-4) rounded out the podium with three other golfers claiming shares of fourth place at 3 under.

Posting the lowest round of the tournament is never easy, especially, when there are players more than half your age. For Jon Lindstrom, it felt like a walk in the park. He posted a tournament-best 6-under 66 in Friday’s first round.

With an early three shot lead, it seemed as though it was Lindstrom’s tournament to lose, despite some of the biggest names in senior amateur golf lurking just behind him.

After an even par second round, Lindstrom held a one shot lead.

Bob Royak, a known name to those who follow the senior am circuits, took it upon himself to apply pressure to Lindstrom in the final round. With a bogey-free 67, Royak (-3) put himself in prime position in case Lindstrom fell.

Even through No. 10, Lindstrom made bogey on the par 4 12th to drop a shot. Holding onto a two shot lead, he was able to coast through holes 13-17 with pars. On No. 18, Lindstrom was able to save a bogey for a final round 74 to hold onto his lead and win by one stroke.

Coleman Tidwell (-2) finished third while Jack Larkin (-1), Wes McNulty (E), and Doug Hanzel (E) rounded out the top five.

In the team portion of the competition it was Team Maryland who came away with the win. Brendan Kelly, Charlie Winegardener, Ryan MCCarthy, and Billy Peel were able to knock off Team West Virginia thanks to a scorecard playoff. Finishing at 7 under for the week, Team Maryland turned on the afterburners on Sunday, besting West Virginia by a whopping 17 shots.

On the senior team side South Georgia took the top spot. With Bob Royak and Doug Hanzel netting top five finishes, the squad was able to post a 4 under total to win by the same number.

North Carolina (East) and Team Arkansas shared second place honors at even par.

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Packed leaderboards at 2022 International Mid-Am/Senior Championship after first round

Plenty of big names are near the top of the leaderboard after the first round.

A weekend of top tier mid-am and senior golf officially teed off in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, on Friday, and the competition got fierce fast. With both team and individual titles on the line, there’s no time to waste against the best. The 2022 International Mid-Amateur & Senior, Team and Individual Championship has yet to crown champions but has plenty of contenders vying for their shot at being crowned champion.

Rod Baronet and Jon Lindstrom are paving the way for the senior division. Both at 6 under, the duo matched each other shot for shot with seven birdies and a bogey. Leading the pack by three shots, the pair is being chased by Wes McNulty and John Wright at 3 under.

Behind them lurks Tony Wise at 2 under and a pack of five golfers at 1 under, led by Rusty Strawn and Doug Hanzel.

In the team portion, Lindstrom is once again leading the way. Team Colorado leads by two in large part because of Lindstrom. His round of 6 under, accompanied by Chris Carson’s 2-over 74, is good for a two stroke lead over Team Arkansas. Richard Bradsby fills out Colorado’s roster but was not counted in the team score with a 4-over 76.

Team St. George, Team Georgia (South), and North Carolina (East) trail by less than five heading into the second round.

In the mid-am competition, Marc Engellenger carded a bogey-free 5-under 67 to take a one-shot lead over the field.

Beginning the day on a hot steak, Engellenger coasted on the back nine with pars on eight of his final nine holes. Just one shot back, the trio of Philip Reale, Travis Woolf and Justin Young will all seek to stay in contention in the second round.

Reale has teamed up with Pat Carter, Cam Roam, and Sam O’Dell to form Team West Virginia. Combining for a team score of 6-under 210, they lead Team North Texas by a single stroke.

Team South Texas is the only other team under par at 2 under. Team Mississippi is six shots back at even par.

Saturday’s second round begins at 7:30 am on both of Pawleys Island’s premier courses: True Blue and Caledonia.

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2022 Golfweek Senior Desert Showdown – Casino Del Sol, Tucson, AZ

The Sewailo Golf Club at Casino Del Sol in Tucson, AZ is the home of the 2022 Golfweek Senior Desert Showdown. Sewailo Golf Club was designed by Notah Begay, who made his name both as a PGA Tour player and a commentator for both NBC and the Golf …

The Sewailo Golf Club at Casino Del Sol in Tucson, AZ is the home of the 2022 Golfweek Senior Desert Showdown. Sewailo Golf Club was designed by Notah Begay, who made his name both as a PGA Tour player and a commentator for both NBC and the Golf Channel. Begay’s mandate was simple. Design a course that would work within the land and honor its natural beauty. Begay succeeded with the beautiful Sewailo Golf Club, or “Land Where Flowers Grow.” Ranked as one of Arizona’s finest courses you can play, Sewailo Golf Club is the home of the 2018 Women’s NCAA Champions, The University of Arizona Wildcats. Join us at Casino Del Sol in beautiful Tucson, AZ – the perfect home for the 2022 Golfweek Senior Desert Showdown!

Kevin VandenBerg, three others take home wins at Golfweek Senior National Championship

Kevin VandenBerg was the highest ranked player in the field.

Kevin VandenBerg claimed what was his at the 2022 Golfweek Senior National Championship at Grandover Resort in Greensboro, North Carolina.

The highest ranked player in the field per Golfweek’s senior amateur rankings, VandenBerg was able to overcome an uncharacteristic first round to win the inaugural championship by two strokes.

VandenBerg used four birdies to negate three final-round bogeys, good for a 1-under 71. Playing with Steve Maddalena, the Michigander kept the pressure on as he matched VandenBerg shot for shot on the front nine.

Trading momentum shifts, VandenBerg was able to keep big numbers off his card and controlled a one-shot lead as the duo stood on the 18th tee. Unable to capitalize on a scoreable par-5, Maddalena posted a par to VandenBerg’s birdie, securing the two stroke victory for the New York native.

VandenBerg also now surpasses Rusty Strawn as the No. 1 ranked player in Golfweek’s Senior Amateur rankings.

Child Guy rounds out the senior podium with a third place finish at 10 over.

In the super senior division, it was Stephen Fox who was able to hold on to a two stroke victory as he crawled into the clubhouse going 5 over in his final four holes. Larry Vaughan (6 over) and Tim Vigotsky (7 over) nabbed silver and bronze finishes.

Legend Pete Allen used a steady 1-over 73 to take home a four-stroke win. Tied with Charley Yandell heading into the day, Allen stayed relatively mistake free to coast into the clubhouse for the win.

Unarguably the most impressive performance of the week came from Super Legend John Blank. The Maryland native carded rounds of 70, 73, and 71 to run away with the 75+ age division title. Two under on the week Blank beat every single player in the field, regardless of age division, by at least six shots.

All four champions earned 1,200 points in their respective Player of the Year race. The next Golfweek senior event is the 2022 Golfweek U.S. Super Senior, Legends, & Super Legends National Championship at the Golf Club of Georgia in Alpharetta, Georgia, July 2-5.