Golfweek Senior Amateur – Syndication Server

Mark Strickland, newly 55, claims Golfweek Senior Amateur with birdie on the final hole

Since turning 55 and becoming eligible, Mark Strickland is one for one.

Since turning 55 and becoming eligible for events on the senior amateur schedule, Mark Strickland is one-for-one. The San Diego resident’s 55th birthday was March 28. He teed it up in the Golfweek Senior Amateur eight days later and walked away with the title on April 7.

At Desert Willow’s Firecliff Course in Palm Desert, California, Strickland had at least a share of the lead after every round. He was bogey-free in an opening 5-under 67, then followed with rounds of 71-70 for an 8-under total.

Strickland birdied the par-5 18^th hole to edge Randy Haag or Orinda, California, by a single shot.

“I knew it was really tight,” Strickland said of the final round. “I really didn’t do a lot of scoreboard watching, just kind of played my game. . . . I didn’t know that we were tied going into 18, so he missed a birdie putt of maybe 15 feet and then I had one that was 12 feet and was lucky enough to get that one to fall.”

Scores: Golfweek Senior Amateur

Haag and Strickland represent some of California’s best talent in the senior game, even if Strickland has only called California home for three years. He was a longtime resident of Georgia before moving west when his wife took a different job. Strickland transferred within Yamaha Golf Car Company and now represents the Southern California territory.

In the past six months, Strickland played in the 2023 Stocker Cup and the Jewel at Hacienda, a four-ball event, but otherwise, his senior calendar is just getting started. He landed at the Golfweek Senior Amateur because it was a short two-hour drive from his home.

For the time being, Strickland may be best known for finishing as the low amateur at the 2023 U.S. Senior Open at SentryWorld in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. That finish would have exempted him into the 2023 U.S. Senior Amateur but for the fact that he wasn’t yet 55. It did get him into both the U.S. Mid-Amateur and the U.S. Amateur in 2023, but he missed match play in both events.

“It gets me in the Senior Open this year, which that’s the biggest prize of all for me,” Strickland said. “I just love competing in those USGA events, any of them, but the Senior Open is a treat.”

Strickland will head to Newport (Rhode Island) Country Club in June for that event before traveling overseas in July for the British Senior Amateur.

None of this is new for Strickland, who has played in 21 USGA events in his career, including five U.S. Amateurs and four U.S. Mid-Amateurs. He played four straight U.S. Ams from 2003 to 2006, reaching the Round of 16 at Hazeltine Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota, in 2006 when he was 37. Strickland lost to Alex Prugh.

Strickland played college golf at Wake Forest from 1987 to 1991. As a sophomore, he roomed with 2011 Open Championship winner Darren Clarke. He also overlapped Len Mattiace and Billy Andrade (though Andrade was out of playing eligibility by the time Strickland arrived). After graduation, Strickland played in Asia and South America plus teed it up on the Hooters Tour. After five years, he left the professional game before being reinstated as an amateur in 1998.

Even though the senior amateur circuit has now opened up for him, Strickland isn’t ready to begin touring again, so to speak. He’ll continue working for Yamaha while picking and choosing where to tee it up.

“I’ve been looking forward to competing with some of the senior guys that I’ve known forever,” said the easygoing Strickland, “and it’s kind of fun to see them again and compete with them.”

Super Senior Division

Pete Higgins of Mercer Island, Washington, was able to leapfrog Jim Starnes of Ft. Myers, Florida, for a one-shot win after having co-led with Starnes after the first round. Higgins, who finished at 3 under, lost ground when Starnes had a second-round 65, but posted a final-round 73 as Starnes fell to 77 in the final round.

Bob Cooper of Monroe, Louisiana, posted a final-round 65, but his charge left him one shot short, tied with Starnes at 2 under.

Legend Division

Michael Jonson of Sammamish, Washington, won at even par after rounds of 72-75-69 and James Saivar of San Diego closed out a wire-to-wire victory in the Super Legend Division at 4 over.

Jim Starnes lights up Desert Willow’s Firecliff for Super Senior lead at Golfweek Senior Amateur

“It all came together today,” Starnes said of a bogey-free 65.

Jim Starnes had shot his age twice before Saturday, but never in a tournament. So when Starnes, who is 66 ½, went bogey-free for a 7-under 65 on Desert Willow’s Firecliff Course in Palm Desert, California, for the second round of the 2024 Golfweek Senior Amateur, he not only took a year off, he shot to the top of the leaderboard.

“It all came together today,” Starnes said.

Starnes was laser-like with his irons on Saturday and hit 16 greens in regulation. He made a birdie putt of 35 feet on No. 16, but the other four birdies were off of putts inside 10 feet. On the par-5 18th, his ninth hole of the day, he faced 215 yards to the green on his second shot and decided to lay up with 7-iron. With 66 yards left to the green, he two-hopped a 60-degree lob wedge into the hole.

“Drove it extremely well and so it was fundamentally pretty low stress,” he said. “If I wasn’t making a birdie, I was making fairly easy pars so it was fun and I hope I can do it again.”

Scores: Golfweek Senior Amateur

After an even-par round of 72 in Friday’s opening round, Starnes now leads the super senior division by three shots over Pete Higgins of Mercer, Washington. Higgins, who had a co-lead at the start of the day, posted a 3-under 69 on Saturday.

Starnes, who hails from Ft. Myers, Florida, is ranked second in the Super Senior division of Golfweek’s National Senior Amateur Rankings. He finished 2023 third on the points list for his division, and in 2016 he was named the Senior Player of the Year as the top points-getter.

To claim a POY title is a labor of love that forces men like Starnes to tee it up frequently and to play well. For Starnes, that means 22 to 25 national senior starts, plus a half dozen four-ball events and a few Florida State Golf Association events.

Already this year, Starnes has won the Florida Azalea Senior. He was top 5 at the Heron Creek Senior and the Moot Thomas Invitational. Starnes, who has been retired three years from Pitney Bowes postage meter company, still enjoys the ride and camaraderie even as he chases a spot in the rankings.

In his career, Starnes has qualified for three USGA events: the 2016 and 2021 U.S. Senior Amateurs, plus the 1974 U.S. Junior Am. He plans to keep trying for the Senior Am.

“I’ll keep swinging until the courses get too long or I get too short,” he said.

Starnes plays out of Fiddlesticks Country Club in Ft. Meyers, Florida. He has sought help from many different teachers around the country over the years, but currently is working with Mike Shannon out of TPC Sawgrass. A veteran player like Starnes knows it’s always a work in progress.

“It’s a combination of putting little pieces from all these different people together,” he said. “When things aren’t going right, watch YouTube or Instagram.”

Senior division

First-round co-leader Mark Strickland, from San Diego, followed his opening 67 with a 71 to take a slim solo lead. At 6 under for the tournament, Strickland, who was the low amateur at the 2023 U.S. Senior Open, has a one-shot lead. Greg Sanders, of Anthem, Arizona, and Randy Haag, of Orinda, California, are right behind him at 2 under.

John Brellenthin made up the most ground near the top of the senior leaderboard with a second-round 66. Brellentin, of Dallas, made six birdies in a back-nine 31 including four in a row from Nos. 13-16. He is 4 under for the tournament after opening with 74.

Legends, Super Legends

Jeffrey Knox of Jupiter, Florida, leads the Legends division at 1 over while James Saivar of San Diego held onto his lead in the Super Legends division. Saivar is 3 over.

Golfweek Senior Am: A pair of 67s highlights opening day at Desert Willow’s Firecliff Course

Only 11 players broke par across the four divisions, which features 167 players total, with another seven at even par.

Outside of a pair of 67s atop the senior division leaderboard, Desert Willow’s Firecliff Course didn’t give up much in the opening round of the Golfweek Senior Amateur in Palm Desert, California. Only 11 players broke par across the four divisions, which features 167 players total, with another seven at even par.

Mark Strickland of San Diego and Greg Sanders of Anthem, Arizona, claimed the pair of 67s with only one bogey between them. Sanders bogeyed the par-4 second but more than made up for it with five birdies over his first eight holes.

Strickland, meanwhile, was bogey-free for the day, throwing out a steady supply of birdies as the day wore on.

Scores: Golfweek Senior Amateur

Northern California native Randy Haag was responsible for the third sub-70 score, and his 69 left him in third in the senior division. Haag, a well-known player in the NorCal area who has multiple NCGA Player of the Year titles, had a colorful day. His card included five birdies offset by four bogeys, but most notably a hole-in-one on the par-3 14^th, which played 141 yards from the senior tees on Thursday.

The Golfweek Senior Amateur is the second senior event in the desert this week, following the Golfweek Senior Division National Championship, which Denver’s Jon Lindstrom won on Wednesday. Lindstrom had an opening 1-over 73 on Firecliff which left him in a tie for 13^th along with Kirk Maynord, Jerry Gunthrope and Craig Hurlbert, among others, who all finished in the top 6 at Desert Willow’s second layout, the Mountain View Course.

In the super senior division, Pete Higgins of Mercer Island, Washington, and Bob Cooper of Monroe, Louisiana, both had opening rounds of 1-under 71. Higgins’ included an eagle at the par-5 seventh.

Michael Jonson of Sammamish, Washington, leads the legends division with an even-par 72. Pete Van Ingen, who hails from Palm Beach, Florida, is a shot back, and a group of three men are tied for third at 2 over.

San Diego resident James Saivar led the super legend division with a 2-under 70.

Jon Lindstrom cruises to victory at Golfweek Senior Division National Championship

Lindstrom never looks at the scoreboard, he prefers to play his game and let the chips fall where they may.

Jon Lindstrom never looks at the scoreboard on the golf course, preferring to play his game and let the chips fall where they may.

In the final round of the Golfweek Senior Division National Championship, he was 16 holes deep in the round – and five shots under par – before a playing competitor let him know he had a five-shot lead.

“Once I heard that, I played it pretty conservative on the last two holes,” said Lindstrom. “I really wasn’t paying attention other than I knew I was beating the guys in my group but I wasn’t sure if somebody ahead of me was going low.”

After parring in for a closing 67 on Desert Willow’s Mountain View Course in Palm Desert, California, Lindstrom claimed his first major senior amateur victory of the year. At 8 under, he was three better than runner-up John Brellenthin from Dallas, who fired a 68 in the next-to-last group on Wednesday.

Scores: Golfweek Senior Division National Championship

Kirk Maynord of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the second-round leader, birdied three of his final four holes on his way to a final-round 68 but it wasn’t enough to catch Lindstrom. Maynord finished solo third at 4 under, followed by Jerry Gunthorpe of Ovid, Michigan, in fourth at 2 under.

Lindstrom, 56, who still works full-time for the insurance brokerage firm Marsh & McLennan, overseeing the Denver and Salt Lake City offices, flew to Palm Desert from his Denver home a few days early, which helped him acclimate.

“I had been hitting it good the whole week just haven’t been making a lot of putts,” he said of his final round. “I hit it closer today than the previous two days and I was making putts, so it was a good combination.”

His first birdie came on the opening hole, when he hit it to 3 feet and converted. He was 4 under on the front nine and never made a birdie putt longer than 6 feet. Lindstrom’s ballstriking played a big role as he kept leaving himself with looks.

The 56-year-old thinks he hits the ball farther than average in this age group, though he’s not particularly long in the bigger picture. He had irons into every par 5 this week, even hitting a 9-iron on one hole.

“That doesn’t happen on mid-am courses,” he said, “for me, at least.”

Lindstrom is in only his second year competing on the senior circuit, but this lifestyle is familiar. He competed in mid-amateur events until turning 55 and welcomed the shorter yardage and competitors closer in age. In 2023, his debut year on the senior circuit, Lindstrom put together his schedule strategically.

“Last year I knew I had the full year, I wanted to get into as many events as possible to get as many points as possible,” he said.

After winning the Trans-Miss Senior and the Heron Creek Senior, plus making match play at the U.S. Senior Amateur and logging several other top-5 finishes in senior amateur events, Lindstrom’s ranking climbed. He’s currently No. 422 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and No. 6 among players 55 and older. He qualified for the 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur based on his World Ranking and will be exempt into the 2024 U.S. Senior Amateur, too.

The Trans-Miss win gave Lindstrom not only a boost in points but a boost in confidence. This circuit is still loaded with talent, and, as Lindstrom noted, it’s always meaningful to win. He felt that again Wednesday at Desert Willow.

“Although I had two or three wins, I had a number of top 5s, which is always satisfying, which means I’m always competing,” he said of 2023. “It was just a matter of having a day like today where I could move up significantly.”

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Preview: Back-to-back Golfweek events bring nation’s best senior amateurs to Palm Desert

When a week-long run of senior amateur golf begins on April 1, the contenders list will be deep.

When a week-long run of senior amateur golf begins at Desert Willow Golf Club in Palm Desert, California, on April 1, the contenders list will be deep.

The Golfweek Senior Division National Championship field of 90 players, ages 55 and older, will compete in one division from one distance over 54 holes. The past two champions of the event, Jerry Gunthorpe and Gary Albrecht, will return, and that only scratches the surface. The field also includes three of the top six players in the current Golfweek Senior Rankings: top-ranked Kevin VandenBerg plus Matt Avril (No. 3) and Steve Maddalena (No. 6).

Desert Willow is a public facility owned by the city of Palm Desert that includes the 18-hole Mountain View layout, where the Golfweek event will be played, as well as another 18 holes, named Firecliff. Both layouts opened in the late 1990s and have been extremely popular among community members. The design team responsible for Desert Willow includes Michael Hurdzan, Dana Fry and former PGA Tour player John Cook, plus local landscape architect Eric Johnson.

Mountain View features more water than Firecliff but also mountain views all around. The entire facility was designed to both highlight the desert landscape on which it sits – starting with the mile-long approach to the resort that allows visitors to acquaint themselves with the landscape — and operate in an environmentally sensitive way.

A year ago, Albrecht, a 66-year-old who had dropped down an age division for this event, needed an extra hole to claim his title. After winning, Albrecht got right back to it, teeing it up a day later in the Golfweek Senior Amateur. Again this year, the Senior Amateur will directly follow the Senior Division National Championship at Willow Creek on April 5-7, but will feature four separate divisions for ages 55-64, 65-69, 70-74 and 75 and over.

The Golfweek Senior Amateur also has the distinction of being one of 10 events at which senior players can earn points toward a spot on the U.S. team in the Concession Cup, a Walker Cup-style match put on by the Amateur Golf Alliance that pits the best mid-amateurs and senior amateurs from the U.S. against those from Europe.

Two-thirds of the field at the Golfweek Senior Division National Championship field will stay in Palm Desert to compete in the Golfweek Senior Amateur. That includes Albrecht, Avril and VandenBerg. Other notable names in the senior division include longtime Louisiana-based amateur Grady Brame, who has appeared in several USGA championships; Craig Hurlbert, a playing captain at the Golfweek Challenge Cup in 2022; and Allen Peake, a former member of the Georgia State House of Representatives who has become the marathon man of senior golf.

Golfweek’s top-ranked super senior Jim Starnes plus defending champion Jeff Burda highlight the 65-69 year-old division.

John Seehausen is back to defend in the Super Legends division.

Golfweek Amateur Tour, Senior Amateur Tour add Srixon as partner

The Golfweek Amateur Tour has firmly established itself as a platform for amateur golfers of all skill levels and ages.

The Golfweek Amateur Tour and Senior Amateur Tour have announced a new partnership with Srixon as the Official OEM partner for both Tours. This collaboration aims to provide Golfweek and Senior Amateur Tour members with the unique opportunity to experience Srixon’s award-winning products, including their premium clubs, balls, and gear trusted by the world’s best players.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be the Official OEM partner for these Tours,” says Mike Powell, president and COO of Srixon. “We love the concept of amateurs being able to enjoy the competitive spirit of the game, just like the best players in the world. We believe this partnership will greatly benefit the golfing community and contribute to the growth of the sport.”

With over 6,450 members nationwide, the Golfweek Amateur Tour has firmly established itself as a platform for amateur golfers of all skill levels and ages. Offering over 775 tournaments annually, the Tour provides a competitive, yet friendly environment for golf enthusiasts to compete for trophies and prizes via flighted, stroke play tournaments.

Similarly, the Senior Amateur Tour, open to individuals aged 50 and above starting October 1, 2024, boasts a membership of over 2,400 individuals who participate in over 350 tournaments each year.

Both Amateur Golf Tours offer events at premiere locations, including Regionals, and utilize live/online scoring to enhance the overall experience for participants. The pinnacle of the season is at the year-end National Championship Tournament, where the combined field of 1,245 competitors, including 791 Golfweek Amateur Tour members and 434 Senior Amateur Tour members, battled it out over nine courses in a thrilling five-day event last October.

The Tour’s tagline “Where Amateurs play like the Pros,” comes to life during this special event, as golfers from all walks of life compete.

This year, the experience will be further enhanced by the presence of Srixon, which will have representatives on-site at the 2024 National Championships to showcase their exceptional range of products and explain the meaning behind their philosophy.

“Loving the game is what drives you to compete at your best, and what’s driven us to create state-of-the-art equipment for 130 years of athletes just like you,” said Dennis McCormac, president of both the Golfweek Amateur Tour and the Senior Amateur Tour. “We’re excited to kick off the 30th anniversary of the Golfweek Amateur Tour and the 26th season of the Senior Amateur Tour with the introduction of Srixon as our Tours’ official OEM. This partnership enriches the overall Tour experience, provides members with added benefits, and offers opportunities for our members to enhance every facet of their game.”

From Michigan triple crown to national senior crown: Kevin VandenBerg’s 2023 golf marathon was POY-worthy

“I know I’d like to become one of the better players in what I call the senior circuit, that’s what I’d like to do,” Kevin VandenBerg said.

Back in the summer of 2000, Kevin VandenBerg swept Michigan’s three major amateur tournaments: the Michigan Amateur, Golf Association of Michigan Championship and the Michigan Mid-Amateur. He still remembers a conversation from the next spring. A younger player approached VandenBerg, in his mid 30s at the time, and questioned why, after that hat trick, he hadn’t turned pro – everyone just assumed he would but VandenBerg, who played college golf and baseball at Kalamazoo College in Michigan and was nearly drafted as a catcher, never had those pro aspirations.

Fast forward to 2021 when VandenBerg turned 55 and entered the senior amateur division. He still harbors no pro dreams, but there is something else now.

“I know I’d like to become one of the better players in what I call the senior circuit, that’s what I’d like to do,” he said. “I’m just trying to focus on my game, take care of the things I can do and improve my game the best I can.”

You get there by playing tournaments. Lots and lots of tournaments. In 2023, VandenBerg, a money manager who owns his own company, Apogee Investment Management, teed it up in competition 44 times between Golfweek senior events, Society of Senior events, local tournaments and USGA qualifiers.

Plus, he said, “I played more in 2022.”

But while 2022 ended with VandenBerg runner-up to Rusty Strawn for Golfweek Player of the Year honors in the Senior division (players aged 55-64), VandenBerg did one better in 2023 and took the title for himself. He finished 144 points ahead of Bob Royak, winner of the 2019 U.S. Senior Amateur, courtesy of a T-2 finish at the Ralph Bogart Tournament at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Florida. He knew he needed a finish of third place or better at Copperhead to top Royak.

“I didn’t look at the scoreboard until the last day we were on 17,” VandenBerg said, “and I looked at the scoreboard and I think I was fourth or tied for third. I knew I needed to make a birdie on one of the last two holes, probably, and I made a 20-foot birdie putt on the last hole and that put me over the top.”

VandenBerg, now 57, was motivated by the realization he had a limited window of time on the low end of the senior age bracket.

“I wanted to try and play in as much as I could to try and take advantage of it,” he said, “so I just wanted to play in stuff when I’m earlier and when I’m healthier.”

Knowing his health would play a big role in his golf, VandenBerg lost 60 pounds in 15 months. It went a long way in taking pressure off his back and knees so that he could keep up with such a demanding tournament schedule. It’s possible to play too much, and VandenBerg felt that a few times in the past two years.

An equipment switch to PXG also briefly set back his game this past spring, bringing his handicap from +4 to 0 in a span of two months, but by April he had begun to figure out his new clubs.

“I’m still working on trying to hone in my putting,” he said, “but I’m really satisfied with where my game is now that my equipment is kind of settled in.”

Notably, VandenBerg won the Two Rivers Senior Invitational in 2023 and reached the quarterfinals of the Golfweek Senior National Match Play. Having won the Plantation Senior Invitational and finished third at the Gateway Senior Invitational to start 2024, VandenBerg now counts 13 top 5s in his last 20 starts.

VandenBerg splits the year between Naples, Florida, and Pulaski, New York. In 2023, his wife Nikki took a year off from her job as a middle school special education teacher so she could travel the senior amateur circuit with her husband. They often traveled by RV – an unusual method among VandenBerg’s competitors.

Golf is always a part of VandenBerg’s daily routine – whether it’s work in the morning and play in the afternoon or vice versa – and he recognizes the good fortune in that. A recent goal has been to get his game to the point that he can be competitive in the major events, and 2024 could be the year for that breakthrough.

“I think it’s helped – a couple of people have talked with me and said that I should feel confident in trying to play in some bigger events and really trying to do better in some of the events,” he said.

Marcus Beck was the Golfweek Super Senior Player of the Year in 2023.

Marcus Beck, 66 and winner of Golfweek Player of the Year honors in the Super Senior division (for ages 65-69), is trying to get back there too. He last competed in the U.S. Senior Amateur in 2016, at Old Warson Country Club in St. Louis, and made match play.

For Beck, who works for Merrill Lynch, this past season was about testing the water to see how many events he’d like to play. In 2023, he competed in not quite 20. Beck anticipates he may play fewer times in 2024 – instead picking his favorites and returning to those spots – though the pull of the competition schedule is hard to ignore.

“It’s kind of contagious if you do well, you know? You want to go on to the next one,” he said. “You make a lot of friends and you see them again at the next one and then my wife might travel with me, she’s got friends now. So it turns out to be a nice thing.”

Beck won the Florida Senior Azalea and the Reynolds Senior Invitational. A runner-up at the Senior Porter Cup and a third-place finish at the North & South Senior also make the highlight reel.

Beck was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida, and still resides there, playing out of Capital City Country Club. His bunker game is sharp, he’s tough inside 100 yards and his distance stacks up well in his age division. The big difference in his game in 2023, though, came from a putting lesson he took with Mike Shannon at TPC Sawgrass.

“Same lesson I got when I was 14 years old,” Beck joked, “but it clicked pretty well and I was happy with that.”

In the Legends division (ages 70-74), George Walker of Fairhope, Alabama, won the Player of the Year title with 7,475 points, which was 1,393 better than Peter Allen of South Port, North Carolina, in second. Walker reached the semifinals of the Golfweek Senior National Match Play.

For the second consecutive year, John Blank of Frostburg, Maryland, won the Super Legends division (ages 75 and over) Player of the Year title, this time by 1,635 points over Bill Engle of St. Augustine, Florida.

Vance Welch, Jeff Burda, George Walker, John Seehausen take home wins at drama-filled Golfweek Senior Amateur

There was no shortage of drama at the 2023 Golfweek Senior Amateur.

The Firecliff course at the Desert Willow Golf Resort in Palm Desert, California, played host to one of the more dramatic finishes in Golfweek Senior Amateur history, with two of the events needing a playoff to decide things.

Vance Welch outlasted four others in a wild playoff.

Jeff Burda was dominant in the Super Senior division.

George Walker overcame a snowman on the scorecard earlier in the week.

John Seehausen defeats a former NBA star to win the Super Legends division.

Here’s more on each of the four divisions:

Senior Division (55-64)

Five players in the senior division ended up tied at 2 over following 54 holes. 36-hole co-leaders Tommy Brennan and Kirk Maynord both slipped from the top rung of the leaderboard following rounds of 4-over 76 to find themselves in a five man dog fight for the title.

The three challengers were all coming of sub-par rounds with Loren Lopeman having the hottest hand following a 4-under 68 to earn a spot in the playoff.

After playing the par-4 1st hole, Mike Combs bowed out with a bogey. The four remaining players then headed to the par-4 9th where Loperman and Brennan were eliminated.

Just as the sun was setting over the San Jacinto mountains, Vance Welch won the championship with a par on the par-3 8th. Welch, a Maryland native, improved each day en route to the win using rounds of 75, 72 and closing with a final 71 to backdoor his way to the win.

Super Senior (65-69)

Jeff Burda didn’t just play this week. He dominated.

The lone super senior that was exempted into last year’s U.S. Senior Amateur ran laps around not just his age bracket, but the entire field.

The So Cal native built a seven stroke lead with back-to-back rounds of 70 but saved his most impressive round for last. His bogey free final round 64 was the lowest score to par all week across all age groups and was six shots off of the all-time scoring record of 18 under.

Curtis Worley carded a final round 71 to secure a solo second place finish at 4 over while Scott Masingill rounded out the podium with a 5-over performance on the week.

Legend Division (70-74)

Legend George Walker had himself quite a roller coaster of a week.

Opening the tournament with four consecutive birdies, Walker ended his first round with an eight for a three-way tie for the 18-hole lead. After a second round 76, Walker trailed the leader, Fred Clark, by four shots heading into the final round.

Repeating his hot start from Thursday, Walker birdied the first four holes. Unlike Thursday, however, Walker was able to close out his round strong and avenged his snowman on 18 with a birdie to capture the championship and win by two shots.

Fred Clark finished second at 2 under for tournament while Patrick Rohan finished third at 2 over.

Super Legend (75+)

Another playoff occurred, this time in the 75+ Super Legend division. John Seehausen and former NBA star Jack Marin were both tied at 7 over through 54 holes.

Losing a playoff in this event two years ago, Marin was once again a bridesmaid as Seehausen defeated him in a one-hole playoff to take home the championship.

If you think you have what it takes to play against some of. the best senior amateur players from across the country check out the Golfweek Senior Amateur schedule here.

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Golfweek Senior TOC will decide final standings in several age brackets

With only three Senior National Ranking tournaments left in 2020, each division is still up for grabs except the Super Legends.

Golfweek is opening the door to the exclusive Forest Country Club in Fort Myers, Florida, for the top senior players in the nation. The Golfweek Senior Tournament of Champions will be played Dec. 2-4 on the Bear Course. The field features 96 of the nation’s top senior players 55 years of age and older, broken into four divisions: Seniors (55-64), Super Seniors (65-69), Legends (70-74) and Super Legends (75 and older).

The high-calibur field includes some of the game’s top senior amateurs, including Gene Elliott, the top-ranked senior player in the world. The Des Moines, Iowa, resident recently played in the inaugural East West Matches with some of the game’s best amateurs, and before that, captained the winning team at the Golfweek Senior Challenge Cup.

With only three Senior National Ranking tournaments left in 2020, each division is still up for grabs except the Super Legends where Walt Martin has locked up the first ever Super Legends National Trophy. The Senior National Rankings can be found here.

Craig Hurlbert - senior amateur golf — Craig Hurlbert

In the Senior Division, former Georgia state representative Allen Peake trails Craig Hurlbert of Magnolia, Texas, by 1,732.5 points. With 2,800 points still up for grabs in 2020, Peake needs to run the table to overtake Hurlbert.

In the Super Senior Division, Mark Fried of Solon, Ohio, leads John Armstrong of Frostburg, Maryland, by 349.2 points but with Fried sitting out the Senior TOC, there is a good chance Armstrong will take over the No. 1 spot.

In the Legends Division, two other Maryland players are fighting for the top spot. John Blank of Frostburg, Maryland, leads George Washburn of Frederick, MD by 977.5 points. Both are in the field at the TOC and both have been playing well.

In the first year of competition for the Super Legends Division, Walt Martin of St Augustine, Florida, has the title locked up with a 2,788.3-point lead over Charlie Busbee of Stockbridge, Georgia. Both are in the field in Ft. Myers.

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Walt Martin wins Golfweek super legends title as he sets sights of topping new age division

What Walt Martin lacks in instruction he makes up for in sheer tournament experience.

Walt Martin can move it off the tee. The St. Augustine, Florida, resident turned 80 in September. This month, he fended off 14 other players in the super legends division of the Golfweek Super Senor, Legends and Super Legends National Championship to win that title by three shots on Sunday.

“Driving is my strength,” said Martin, who, when asked a follow-up about working with an instructor, admitted he hasn’t had a golf lesson in 30 years – back when he was still on active duty in the Navy.

What Martin lacks in instruction he makes up for in sheer tournament experience. He estimates he has played over 350 or 400 events since he started competing in national seniors events in 2004 in his mid-60s. He has been named player of the year in the super senior division and the legends division.

“So this year my goal is to be player of the year for super legend,” he said.

Leaderboard: Golfweek U.S. Super Senior, Legends, & Super Legends National Championship

The kind of play Martin displayed at the Falls Club in Lake Worth, Florida, over the past three days will get it done. Rounds of 71-77-78 left him three ahead of Tom Toombs in the super legends division. He had seven birdies in 54 holes.

Martin spent his career in the Navy. Standing on steel decks for much of his working life contributed to the back pain he feels now.

“The ability to hit ball after ball is not what I do anymore,” Martin said of pain that leads to limited practice.

Instead, he plays three times a week and often takes a handful of clubs out on the golf course at night to walk a few holes with his wife. The Martins have a condo right on the King and Bear course at World Golf Village.

Super senior winner Dan Parkinson also had a career in service. The retired orthopedic surgeon spent 17 years in the Army.

Parkinson, of Lehi, Utah, had rounds of 68-70-76 to clip Kevin Macy by three shots in the super senior division.

“The harder the course is, the more advantage I have just because I play a lot of golf,” said Parkinson, who transitioned easily from the mountain elevation back home to sea-level conditions in Lake Worth.

Charley Yandell of Cashiers, North Carolina, was the winner in the legends division. Yandell had rounds of 70-74-73 to finish three shots ahead of John Blank, who is currently the No. 2-ranked player in the legend division of the Golfweek Senior Rankings.