Golfweek Events – Page 6 – Syndication Server

‘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.

Golfweek’s summer amateur series spans Myrtle Beach to Midwest

Summer golf is approaching, and Golfweek is revisiting some of its top venues from past College Series and Amateur Series events.

Summer golf is approaching, and Golfweek is revisiting some of its top venues from past College Series and Amateur Series events to offer competitive opportunities for amateurs at any level – junior to college to mid-amateurs and seniors.

Golfweek has expanded its summer tournament series to four tournaments, all of which are 54-hole events and will be ranked in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. As indicated below, one is women’s-only field only and one is a men’s-only field.

Click the tournament name to register.

Golfweek Summer Series

Golfweek Myrtle Beach Amateur
June 14-16
Prestwick Country Club, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Purdue Men’s Amateur
Aug. 1-3
Kampen Course, West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue Women’s Amateur
Aug. 1-3
Kampen Course, West Lafayette, Indiana

Golfweek Hoosier Amateur
August 8-10
The Pfau Course, Bloomington, Indiana

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.

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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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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Riley Lewis, Po En Huang take victories at rain-shortened Golfweek International Junior Invitational

Riley Lewis and Po En Huang took home medalist honors after a rain-shortened 18-hole shootout.

The 20th annual Golfweek International Junior Invitational was still able to crown two new champions, despite being shortened to just 18 holes thanks to a rained-out first round on Saturday.

There were 21 countries represented, and in the end, it was Riley Lewis of the United States and Po En Huang of Taiwan who took home medalist honors after the 18-hole shootout at Eagle Landing Golf Club in Orange Park, Florida.

Huang was paired with Maximillian Jelinek of the Czech Republic, who led the event for the majority of the day thanks in part to a trio of birdies to take a 2-under score to the halfway house. Huang bided his time and was just one shot back of Jelinek as the pair made the turn, alongside a handful of other competitors.

It wasn’t until the duo got to the par-3 13th where the tide turned. Huang birdied while Jelinek bogeyed, forcing a two-shot swing.

With the roles reversed, Huang was able to hold off any further advances from the field with five pars to close out his round for a 2-under 70 and a one-shot victory.

On the girls’ side, Lewis was able to use her back-nine birdie barrage to finish with a 4-under 68 and a two-shot victory over McKenzie Mages.

One over through nine holes, Lewis turned on the afterburners with birdies on Nos. 10, 11, 12, 14, and 15 to gain the difference over the field.

“I played alright on the front side,” Lewis told Golfweek. “[I] knew I needed some more birdies for a top finish. Once I made birdies on [Nos.] 10, 11, and 12, I thought to myself ‘time for a comeback’.”

Pulling off just that, the 2022 Iowa commit found herself in the winner’s circle after an extended break from tournament golf.

With their wins, Lewis and Huang join a list of champions that include Nick Gabrelcik, Morgan Hoffmann, Stephanie Meadow, Annie Park, Bailey Tardy and Peter Uihlein.

Riley Lewis poses with the trophy after winning the 2021 Golfweek International Junior Invitational. Photo by of Ron Gaines/Golfweek

Past champions of the Golfweek International Junior Invitational

2001

Chanin Puntawong and Nicole Perrott

(Champions Gate, Orlando)

2003

Jon McLean and Tiffany Chuda

(Sea Trail, Sunset Beach, North Carolina)

2004

Peter Uihlein and Jenny Arseneault

(Sea Trail, Sunset Beach, North Carolina)

2005

Rafael Lee and Isabel Lendl

(Sea Trail, Sunset Beach, North Carolina)

2006

Morgan Hoffmann and Elisa Aoki

(Ocean Plantation, Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina)

2007

Julian Suri and Stephanie Kim

(Grand Cypress, Orlando)

2008

Josh Eure and Stephanie Meadow

(Longleaf, Pinehurst, North Carolina)

2009

Mike Miller and Stephanie Meadow

(Reunion Legacy, Orlando)

2010

Sam Chun and Doris Chen

(Reunion Independence, Orlando)

2011

James Yoon and Annie Park

(Shingle Creek, Orlando)

2012

Zachary Healy and Yueer Cindy Feng

(Celebration, Orlando)

2013

Luis Garza and Bailey Tardy

(Shingle Creek, Orlando)

2014

Marcos Montenegro and Ana Paula Valdes

(Champions Gate, Orlando)

2015

Robin Wang and Ya Chun Chang

(Lake Buena Vista and Tranquilo, Orlando)

2016

Jan Schneider and Chin Tzu Chen

(Disney Magnolia and Palm, Orlando)

2017

Jeremy Sisson and Chin Tzu Chen

(Innisbrook, Palm Harbor, Florida)

2018

Nick Gabrelcik and Meiyi Yan

(Mission Inn, Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida)

2019

Tony Chen and Jenny Kwok

(Champions Gate, Orlando)

2020

Alejandro Fierro and Toa Yokoyama

(Hammock Beach Conservatory and Ocean Courses, Palm Coast, Florida)

2021

Po En Huang and Riley Lewis

(Eagle Landing Golf Club, Orange Park, Florida)

Golfweek International Junior Invitational moves to Hammock Beach for 2020

The Golfweek International Junior Invitational will be played at Hammock Beach Golf Resort & Spa in Palm Coast, Florida, for the first time.

The Golfweek International Junior Invitational will be played for the 19th time this fall. Over the past two decades, the final Golfweek junior event of the year has identified up-and-coming talent, like PGA Tour players Peter Uihlein (2004) and Morgan Hoffmann (2006) and LPGA players Stephanie Meadow (2008 and 2009) and Annie Park (2011).

The event will be played at Hammock Beach Golf Resort & Spa in Palm Coast, Florida, for the first time this year. The 36-hole event will take place Nov. 7-8 with the boys field competing on the Conservatory Course and the girls field playing the Ocean Course.

Fields are limited to 90 boys and 60 girls. Players who are ranked inside the top 200 in the Golfweek/Sagarin, Junior Golf Scoreboard and WAGR rankings will be automatically accepted into the field.

Register: Golfweek International Junior Invitational

Any player who has finished in the top five in his or her state junior championship should submit a playing resume to be considered for a special invitation.

The AJGA has awarded the “International” with the following PBE status:

Boys and Girls Champions: 12 Stars

Boys top 5 and Girls top 3: 8 Stars

Boys top 10 and Girls top 5: 4 Stars

Boys top 15 and Girls top 10: 1 star

Past champions of the Golfweek International Junior Invitational

2001 — Chanin Puntawong and Nicole Perrott

(Champions Gate, Orlando, FL)

2003 — Jon McLean and Tiffany Chuda

(Sea Trail, Sunset Beach, N.C.)

2004 — Peter Uihlein and Jenny Arseneault

(Sea Trail, Sunset Beach, N.C.)

2005 — Rafael Lee and Isabel Lendl

(Sea Trail, Sunset Beach, N.C.)

2006 — Morgan Hoffmann and Elisa Aoki

(Ocean Plantation, Ocean Isle Beach, N.C.)

2007 — Julian Suri and Stephanie Kim

(Grand Cypress, Orlando, FL)

2008 — Josh Eure and Stephanie Meadow

(Longleaf, Pinehurst, N.C.)

2009 — Mike Miller and Stephanie Meadow

(Reunion Legacy, Orlando, FL)

2010 — Sam Chun and Doris Chen

(Reunion Independence, Orlando, FL)

2011 — James Yoon and Annie Park

(Shingle Creek, Orlando, Fla.)

2012 — Zachary Healy and Yueer Cindy Feng

(Celebration, Orlando, FL)

2013 — Luis Garza and Bailey Tardy

(Shingle Creek, Orlando, FL.)

2014 — Marcos Montenegro and Ana Paula Valdes

(Champions Gate, Orlando, FL.)

2015 — Robin Wang and Ya Chun Chang

(Lake Buena Vista and Tranquilo, Orlando, FL.)

2016 — Jan Schneider and Chin Tzu Chen

(Disney Magnolia and Palm, Orlando, FL.)

2017 — Jeremy Sisson and Chin Tzu Chen

(Innisbrook, Palm Harbor, FL.)

2018 — Nick Gabrelcik and Meiyi Yan

(Mission Inn, Howey-in-the-Hills, FL.)

2019 — Tony Chen and Jenny Kwok

(Champions Gate, Orlando, FL.)