Tag: Dave Bunker

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.