Golfweek Senior National Championship

Top-ranked Vance Welch, Walker Taylor share lead at 2023 Golfweek Senior National Championship

Talking to his daughter before the round, Vance Welch found out he is going to be a grandfather again.

[connatix div_id=”3f8b015acdd24c648befc5d5dac47469″ player_id=”b5b22055-8c69-4186-8375-d8426b37ec56″ cid=”7cbcea0d-4ce2-4c75-9a8d-fbe02a192c24″]

Vance Welch’s day was already made before he even hit a practice shot before his second round at the 2023 Golfweek Senior National Championship at the Grandover Resort (East Course) in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Talking to his daughter before the round, Welch found out he is going to be a grandfather again, this time for a baby girl due in October.

“That just put me in a happy place,” he said. “It didn’t matter if I hit a bad shot today. What an awesome day today was when I found out I was going to have another grandchild.”

With a smile on his face, Welch may have been the happiest man to ever be over par for a round. One over through eight holes and seven back of the lead, his golf turned around when he holed out for an eagle on the par-5 18th.

Not looking back, the top-ranked player in Golfweek’s Senior Amateur Rankings closed out his second round with a bogey-free back nine 33, good for a 68 and share of the lead alongside 18-hole leader Walker Taylor (3 under).

With two wins under his belt on the season, Welch acknowledges he’ll have a target on his back during Wednesday’s final round. No matter what happens in Wednesday’s final round, Welch is excited for a post-round celebration.

“My girls live in Raleigh, about an hour away [from Greensboro]…as soon as I get finished tomorrow I’m going to go hug my daughter and rub her belly and hold my girls. Both of my daughters live in Raleigh so I’m looking forward to spending time with them tomorrow night.”

Paired with Welch in the final group are co-leader Walker Taylor and Carolinas Golf Association Hall of Fame member Paul Simson.

Taylor pulled out to a seven-shot lead halfway through the second round after a 3-under front nine. Coming back to the clubhouse at 4 over, Taylor slipped from solo command of the lead and now finds himself in the middle of a dogfight. Tied with Welch and holding a one-shot advantage over Simson, Taylor looks to settle unfinished business after letting the 2022 Golfweek Senior National Championship slip away from him last year.

Simson was back in typical form following a tough first round of 4 over.

“I was pretty disappointed with my round yesterday,” Simson said. “I played a lot better than that 76 and today quite honestly, I played about the same. But I made a few putts and I holed a sand wedge on the 13th hole for my second eagle of the week.”

Out in 4 under, Simson was able to post another red number on his way back in to card a 5-under 67, right in the thick of things at 1 under and two back of the leaders.

North Carolina’s Sherrill Brent is also in the mix at 1 under. Improving upon his even-round start, Brent will lead the way for the penultimate group and look to apply pressure ahead of the final group. His playing partners Rick Cloninger and Michael Arasin both vie for the championship at even par total.

Super Seniors (65-69)

Randy King and Bob Edens look to duke it out in the Super Senior age division. Both at 2 over par and improving upon their first-round scores, the pair have a three-shot lead on the rest of the field.

Legends (70-74)

First-round leader Charley Yandell commands the leaderboard through 36 holes. With one of just four sub-par rounds in Tuesday’s action, Yandell carded a 2-over 74 but still enjoys a five-shot cushion as he looks to go wire-to-wire.

Super Legends (75+)

Sharing the lead after day one alongside Bill Engel, Frank Costanzo’s steady play through the second round has earned him a five-shot advantage with 18 holes to play. Carding consecutive rounds of 73, Costanzo searches for the win on Wednesday.

Walker Taylor leads stacked field at 2023 Golfweek Senior National Championship

Walker Taylor, 61, leads the 2023 Golfweek Senior National Championship.

[connatix div_id=”3f8b015acdd24c648befc5d5dac47469″ player_id=”b5b22055-8c69-4186-8375-d8426b37ec56″ cid=”7cbcea0d-4ce2-4c75-9a8d-fbe02a192c24″]

Walker Taylor, 61, leads the 2023 Golfweek Senior National Championship after Monday’s first round at Grandover Resort (The East Course) in Greensboro, North Carolina. The scene is a dose of deja vu for the North Carolina native who led the tournament after one round last year.

Pacing the field with an opening 68, the former touring professional and three-time Ironman competitor out of Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, had himself quite the back nine.

One under through 10, Taylor found the hazard on the par-4 11th. After a three-putt double bogey, Taylor was a bit irritated with himself as he walked to the 12th tee.

“I was actually standing on that tee and I was kind of mad at myself but I was calm,” he said. “I was like ‘Man, maybe if you ace you get back to under par.’”

Stepping into his tee shot on the 117-yard par 3, Taylor didn’t feel comfortable and backed off to reset and find the right mind space before hitting his next shot.

Flushing his wedge, Taylor one-hopped his ball right into the hole for an ace, immediately erasing the damage done on the previous hole.

The ace is Taylor’s ninth of his career but first in competition play.

With the good fortune, Taylor resumed his near-automatic play as he looked to finish strong. Birdies on Nos. 13, 14, 17 and 18 resulted in Taylor playing his final seven holes at 5 under par and granted him a first-round 68.

Currently an insurance broker, Taylor has plenty of experience playing on big stages. After finishing college at Clemson, Taylor made it to the final stage of European Tour Q-School and even made a PGA Tour start before hanging up his professional golf dream.

Since regaining his amateur status in 1989, Taylor has teed it up in five U.S. Mid-Ams, four British Amateurs, two U.S. Amateurs and most recently has advanced to match play in both of his U.S. Senior Amateur appearances. He’ll be making a trip across the pond later this summer to play in his third British Senior Amateur.

With 29 putts and 15 of 18 greens hit on the day, Taylor looks to build upon his hot start with one mantra borrowed from his good friend and Walker Cup Captain, Mike McCoy: “Keep moseyin’ on.”

He’ll have plenty of competition with one of the best fields of the year lurking behind him.

Georgia’s Mike Combs, ranked No. 15 in Golfweek’s Senior Amateur Rankings, posted a 1-under 71 and is tied for second alongside Alabama’s Michael Arasin (No. 20). Another friend of Taylor’s, Sherrill Britt (No. 79), carded an even-par round to take sole possession of fourth place through 18 holes. Golfweek No. 1 Vance Welch looks to apply some pressure after an opening round 73, giving him a three-way share of fifth place alongside Golfweek’s No. 10 senior amateur Rick Cloninger.

Other notables: 2022 Golfweek Senior National Champion Kevin VandenBerg (+6, T18), Carolina amatuer golf legend Paul Simson (+4, T14)

Super Seniors (65-69)

Randy King holds a one-shot lead following a first-round 73. Bill Long (+2) and Bob Edens (+3) lead the rest of the pack of nine players within five strokes of the lead.

Legends (70-74)

Charley Yandell earned the top spot in the Legends age bracket with an opening 71. The score holds as one of just four rounds under par and the only sub-par round outside of the Senior division.

Super Legends (75+)

Bill Engel and Frank Costanzo share the lead at 1 over. John Blank (+3) looks to give chase ahead of a three-man group at 4 over.

‘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.