Golfweek – Syndication Server

After successful inaugural championship, National Golf Invitational returning in 2024

The NIT of college golf is returning.

The National Golf Invitational is back.

After a successful inaugural championship, the NIT of college golf is returning this May at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes in Maricopa, Arizona. Last year, the Texas State men and Penn State women won their respective tournaments.

The NCAA announced in May of 2022 it would allow teams to play in one season-ending event. Golfweek teamed up with Ak-Chin Southern Dunes, just south of Phoenix, to host the NGI.

This year, the NGI will again feature a men’s and women’s championship, each with a maximum of 18 teams playing 54 holes of stroke play. Women will play first, May 9-12, with the men the following week, May 16-19.

There were 13 men’s teams and 10 women’s teams who participated last year, and more teams are expected to play this May. The field is limited to 18 teams using rankings and committee picks.

The NGI gives teams on the outside of the NCAA postseason a chance to have a season-ending championship of their own.

To stay up to date with updates from the NGI, follow its Instagram page here.

Three Player of the Year titles up for grabs at 2023 Golfweek Senior Tournament of Champions

Player of the Year honors are up for grabs.

The best senior amateurs in the United States have descended upon The Forest Golf & Country Club in Fort Myers, Florida, for the 2023 Golfweek Senior Tournament of Champions.

Three of the four age brackets are duking it out not just for the Tournament of Champions title, but for Golfweek Player of the Year honors, too. Alabama’s George Walker ran away with the Legends (ages 70-74) PoY title, clearing the field by nearly 3,000 points for the season.

With three PoY titles up for grabs, every shot matters just that much more this week.

Seniors (55-64)

Florida’s John Barry paces the senior field after 18 holes of play with an opening salvo of even-par 72.

Sitting at 2 under through five, Berry bogeyed five of his next eight holes to fall to 3 over. Locking back in, Barry closed his round strongly with birdies on Nos. 14, 16 and 18 to take a one-shot lead into Wednesday’s second round.

Four players are tied at 1 over while last year’s ToC winner, Ken Kinkopf lurks in solo sixth place at 2 over.

Third-ranked Kevin VandenBerg can pull off a massive comeback, as both No. 1 Bob Royak and No. 2 Jon Lindstrom are not in the field this week. With 800 points separating VandenBerg from the top spot, he needs a win to take a 300-point lead. A second-place finish would put him about 50 points off Royak with one point event remaining on the calendar.

No matter what happens this week, Lindstrom and VandenBerg both have an opportunity to take the top spot, as they are teeing it up next week at the Society of Seniors Ralph Bogart Tournament in Palm Harbor, Florida.

Currently tied for 27th, VandenBerg has a hill to climb, but with tough scoring conditions making the Jack Nicklaus-design playing even harder than normal, VandenBerg’s consistency can easily help catapult himself back into condition.

Super Seniors (65-69)

Fifth-ranked Greg Goode had a consistent day, as he took a one-shot lead into moving day. He closed out an even-par round with birdies on Nos. 14 and 17. Navigating the chilly and breezy conditions, he sets out to fend off Golfweek No. 2 Steve Humphrey (+1), No. 3 James Starnes (+2) and No. 7 Mike Arter (+2).

A win for Humphrey or Starnes would allow them to slide by No. 1 Marcus Beck for Player of the Year honors. A win would also make two Senior Tournament of Champions wins for Humphrey, who took the title last year at PGA National.

Legends (70-74)

North Carolina’s Pete Allen enjoys the largest lead among the four age divisions, commanding a three-shot lead following an opening round 2-over 74.

Allen peppered his card with four birdies, showing promise as the event turns to the final 36 holes.

Paul Schlachter (5 over) and John Osborne (6 over) round out the podium.

Super Legends (75+)

Texas’ Gary Hardin matched his age with a first-round 75. He holds a one-shot lead over No. 6 Super Legend, Jack Marin. Top-ranked Johnny Blank is tied for eighth while No. 2 Bill Engel is one shot behind Blank at 11 over.

With 505 points separating the two, plenty of golf is left before we crown a Player of the Year.

Big names highlight the field at Golfweek International Senior Invitational

There are 28 teams from the United States, three from Europe and one from Canada.

CARTERSVILE, Ga. – Ninety-six of the world’s best senior amateur golfers are set to duke it out for team and individual glory at Cartersville Country Club.

Twenty-eight teams from the United States, three teams from Europe and a team from Canada have descended on CCC. Among them are some of the biggest names in the senior amateur game.

Reigning Walker Cup captain Mike McCoy is captaining Team Iowa alongside teammates Terry Cook and Joe Palmer. Doug Hanzel (Georgia), Jon Lindstrom (Colorado) and Bob Royak (Georgia) are the top three ranked seniors in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR). The field boasts 10 of the top 50 WAGR seniors and two of the top 20 European seniors.

This week, it’s not just about the golf legends. Former NFL quarterbacks Stan Humphries and Billy Joe Tolliver are also teeing it up this week. Tolliver and Humphries, who played in Super Bowl 29 with the then-San Diego Chargers, both are feeding their craving for competition as they tee it up with the best in the game.

Nine Europeans have made the trip across the pond to test their game against a stacked field of Yanks.

Leading the charge is Team Scotland, who have No. 4 ranked WAGR European senior Ronnie Clark and are captained by No. 20 ranked Derek Patton.

Team Ireland, Germany and Canada are all vying for the upset to take home the International crown.

As the Golfweek senior amateur season begins to come to a close, the Golfweek Player of the Year race is just heating up. With 16 players inside the top 100 of the Golfweek player rankings, individual PoY points are on the line, making this week just that much more important.

Golfweek No. 1 Bob Royak has less than a 900 point lead on Doug Hanzel. No. 3 ranked Rusty Strawn, No. 6 Jon Lindstrom and No. 10 Mike Combs can all make a huge jump in the rankings this week with a strong finish or even a win.

Combs (1990 Public Links), Hanzel (2013 Senior Am), Royak (2019 Senior Am), Strawn (2022 Senior Am) and Mike McCoy (2013 Mid-Am) are the five USGA championship winners in the field this week with another near countless amount of USGA championship starts among them as well as their fellow competitors.

Play begins Thursday, Oct. 5 at 8 a.m. ET. Live scoring is available on Golf Genius (GGID: 23GWISI).

Bradley Karns seals local win, Scott Masingill goes wire-to-wire at Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Championship

The 2023 Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Amateur had everything you could ask for as a golf fan. A winner chasing records; a sweaty, down-to-the-wire finish; and four new champions were crowned this week at Wine Valley Golf in Walla Walla, …

Seniors (55-64)

Bradley Karns began Wednesday’s final round three shots back of the leader, Jon Lindstrom.

With over 275 rounds recorded, a 2016 Washington State Senior Amateur win and a runner-up finish in last year’s event all at Wine Valley, Karns felt confident in his abilities to get the job done.

“When you get to this age and you’re kind of in the mix a little bit, playing in tournaments,” Karns told Golfweek. “You just kind of [put your] head down and continue to grind.”

Lindstrom struggled towards the back half of the front nine, carding a front nine 38 and dropping two strokes to Karns as they made the turn. With a birdie on the par 3 11th, Karns moved his way into a tie for the lead, setting up a shootout over the final seven holes.

Lindstrom regained the lead with a birdie on No. 13 only to relinquish the lead on No. 16 with a bogey.

Karns would get his first solo lead of the tournament on No. 17 thanks to another bogey from Lindstrom. Using his local knowledge, the three-time U.S. Senior Am qualifier made easy work of the par 5 18th, taking his first Golfweek Senior Amateur win by one stroke over Lindstrom.

“I’ve played enough and competed against high-level players, that I feel very comfortable when I go tee it up,” he said. “So, I just try to put my head down and keep grinding away… There’s some really good players around the Pacific Northwest and I’m just trying to fit in is all I’m trying to do.”

For Lindstrom, his runner-up finish will move him inside the top 5 of the Golfweek Senior Amateur rankings. Previously 6th in the rankings coming into the week, Lindstrom benefits two-fold as the top 5 players were not in the field.

Super Seniors (65-69)

With a 16-stroke lead heading into the final round, the only question remaining for Scott Masingill was not if he was going to win, but by how many.

“Yesterday, we talked about confidence,” Masingill told Golfweek. “You know, you can be too confident and think ‘I don’t really have to concentrate.”

No matter how experienced you are or how well you may be playing, golf has a funny way of humbling you.

Masingill had a tap in left for par on the par-4 9th. Sweeping it into the hole, it lipped out and resulted in a bogey for the 1971 Pac-8 conference champion (1971, Oregon State). Closing the championship with a 3-over 75, Masingill had wise words that everyone can benefit from:

“There’s the right amount of confidence and there’s the right amount of intensity. You can’t try too hard and you can’t assume that you’re such a good player that you can just go out and play and everything will work out, because it won’t.”

Despite the uncharacteristic day, Masingill closes the week at Wine Valley with the best score to par across the entire field at 7 under 209 and a 17-stroke win in the Super Senior division. Not too shabby for the 72-year-old Idaho legend.

Dan Parkinson (10 over) and Frank Maxwell (12 over) rounded out the podium spots.

Legends (70-74)

Michael Jonson retained his 36-hole lead, taking the Legend division crown with a 10 over 226. Greg Tatham (12 over) takes runner-up honors.

Super Legends (75+)

Oklahoma’s Craig Collins (10 over) takes the 75-and-up division crown. Three straight sub-80 rounds of golf gave him a one-shot victory over No. 2 ranked Bill Engel. Tightly contested, the top six finishers in the Super Legends bracket were separated by just six shots.

The Golfweek Senior Amateur Series tees off yet again next week, this time just outside of Atlanta, Georgia for the Golfweek International Senior Invitational at Cartersville Country Club in Cartersville, Georgia.

Coverage for the event will begin on Tuesday, October 3.

Scott Masingell continues domination at Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Championship

“Every once in a while you’ll hit a streak where you just don’t put a lot of pressure on yourself.”

Round 1 Super Senior division leader Scott Masingell came into the week just looking to post three rounds around 70. The 72-year-old from Idaho made the quick trip to Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, Washington, to test his game. He didn’t think he would dominate the way he has.

“Every once in a while you’ll hit a streak where you just don’t put a lot of pressure on yourself,” Masingell said. “And that’s where I am right now.”

A 2004 Pacific NW Golf Association Hall of Fame inductee, Masingell has not only lapped the field. He has lapped them nearly three times.

Following his opening round 65 with a 3-under 69 on Tuesday, Masingell holds a commanding 16-stroke lead on the rest of the Super Senior age bracket, currently sitting at 10 under.

“The confidence has built,” he said. “I’ve been able to clear my mind and build on that confidence. It was a good day, and I didn’t get everything out of my round today like I did yesterday. There was no stress and I could’ve been lower, but anyway, it’s great.”

With just one bogey through 36 holes of play, Masingell has only his game and the course between him and the trophy.

Utah’s Dan Parkinson and Louisiana’s Frank Maxwell round out the podium through two rounds at 6 over and 7 over, respectively.

Seniors (55-64)

Trailing overnight leader Jerry Gunthorpe by one shot heading into Tuesday’s second round, Jon Lindstrom set out to make a move on moving day.

Executing his plan to near perfection, Lindstrom followed up his Monday 68 with a 3-under 69 on Tuesday. Starting his day on the back nine, Lindstrom made the turn at 1 under before lighting up hole Nos. 1-4 with a trio of birdies.

A bogey on the par-3 sixth ended his 27-hole bogey-free streak, but nonetheless, the Denver native takes a three-shot advantage into Wednesday’s final round.

Bradley Karns stayed stagnant with an even-par 72 to remain in second place at 4 under. Jon Brown lurks in third place at 2 under with a pair of 71s. Kevin VandenBerg, Kevin Sullivan, Tom Brandes and Jerry Gunthorpe share fourth place at 1 under.

Legends (70-74)

Michael Jonson (6 over) vaulted first-round leader Kerry Booth (9 over) with a second-round 73. Greg Tatham (10 over) and Bruce Meyer (18 over) round out the division.

Super Legends (75+)

Greg Mokler (2 over) overtakes the top spot in the Super Legends division with a 72. Wayne Peddy (5 over), Craig Collins (6 over), Henry Cole (7 over), Bill Engel and Larry Dodds (8 over) all look to apply pressure in Wednesday’s final round.

Championships set following rain-soaked day at 2023 Golfweek Senior National Match Play

Duke University Golf Club in Durham, North Carolina, is playing host.

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The 2023 Golfweek Senior National Match Play event began with 42 of the country’s top senior golfers ranging in age from 55 years old to 75 and up, now finds eight players vying for one of four championships.

With Duke University Golf Club in Durham, North Carolina, playing host, 16 players teed it up in search of continuing their quest towards 1,200 Golfweek Player of the Year points. With just a few events left in the season, every shot matters as the season begins its final stretch.

NOTE: Seeding for this event was based off of the Golfweek Player of the Year rankings as of August 1st. If the player was not ranked in Golfweek’s PoY rankings, random draw or national ranking was used.

Senior Bracket (55-64)

After a no-contest in the first round and a 3 and 2 victory over No. 1 seed Todd Hendley in the quarterfinals, No. 8 Craig Hurlbert squared off with No. 4 Brian Keenan.

Winning three of the first six holes, Hurlbert took a 2 up lead into the par-5 7th. Both Hendley and Hurlbert walked away with bogeys as Keenan looked to gain a bit of momentum before making the turn.

Knotting it back up with wins on Nos. 8 and 9, Keenan was able to use a hot putter to get the match back to all square.

“Nine was another little turning point,” Kennan told Golfweek. “I hit a so-so chip shot…I curled it [the putt] in and got it to even through the turn.”

After Hurlbert won No. 11 with a par, Keenan drained a 50-foot downhill sliding putt on the par-3 12th to tie the match back up before an hour-long rain delay forced players off of the course.

“That was another one I was just trying to get close,” Kennan said. “It just trickled, trickled, trickled and it went right in the middle. He [Hurlbert] just started to shake his head a little bit, but he’s a good competitor and a friendly, good guy to play against.”

After the rain delay, both players exchanged pars before Keenan was able to win No. 16 with a par. With two holes left to play, pars were exchanged with Keenan coming away with a 1 up victory and an even par round of 72.

Facing Keenan in Friday’s championship match is the hot-handed 6-seed, Ken Kinkopf.

En route to the championship round, Kinkopf has won his matches 8 and 7, 4 and 2 and finally a 6 and 5 victory over No. 7 seed Kirk Wright.

Kinkopf needed just 49 shots through 13 holes to advance past Wright and earn his spot in the championship match. An eagle and four birdies highlighted his card on Thursday. For the week, Kinkopf is officially even through 47 holes of golf. Unlike many of his competitors, Kinkopf continues to play after his match is over to keep his game sharp. The strategy is clearly paying off as both he and Keenan are in top form heading into Friday’s championship match.

Super Senior Bracket (65-69)

No upsets took place in the eight-man Super Senior bracket Wednesday as all four of the top seeds advanced to Thursday’s semifinals.

In the No. 1 versus No. 4 matchup between Marcus Beck and Keith Waters, it was Waters who was able to squeak by the top man in the division with a 2 up win.

No. 2 James Starnes and No. 3 John Armstrong battled it out for 17 holes as Starnes solidified his spot in the finals with a pair of birdies on Nos. 16 and 17.

Legends Bracket (70-74)

Advancing to the semifinals with back-to-back 4 and 3 wins, five-seed Pete Allen looked to take down No. 1 George Walker.

Averaging 225 yards off of the tee, Allen gave up 75+ yards to Walker who, despite his age, is able to drive the ball over 300 yards at times. Tack on the fact that Walker got a first-round bye and Allen needed 30 holes to advance to the semis and Allen would appear to be the David to Walker’s Goliath.

Nicknamed ‘Pointblank Pete’ by John Daly following a pro-am event back in 1994, Pete Allen took the fight to Walker, quickly gaining a 3-up advantage through the first three holes.

It wasn’t until the par-3 8th that Walker was able to get on the board. Two down and making the turn, the horn blew and the match was paused as storms moved through the area.

“It [the rain delay] helped me because I was fading,” Allen told Golfweek.

After the quick rest, Walker returned the hot start Allen had to begin the day with three straight wins on holes 10, 11 and 12. Down in a match for the first time all week, Allen knew he had to get something going if he was going to advance.

Tied through No. 14, Allen made birdie on the par-3 15th with a chip-in birdie to take a 1-up advantage. Holding on to the lead the rest of the way, Pete Allen’s run to the championship continues Friday, facing off against No. 3 Bev Hargraves.

Hargraves defeated second-seeded Sam Robinson 3 and 2 to advance.

Super Legends Bracket (75+)

After a 7-and-5 win in the quarterfinals, top-seeded John Blank looked to continue his strong play against No. 5 Joe Pavoni.

Doing just that, Blank advances to the title match after defeating Pavoni 4 and 3.

Meeting him there is No. 2 George Owens.

Playing his way into the semis with a 5-and-3 win on Wednesday, Owens was in control of his match against No. 6 seed John Casstevens. 1 down through 12, Casstevens elected to withdraw for reasons unknown, setting up a one-two matchup with 1,200 Golfweek Player of the Year points on the line.

Day 1 of Golfweek Senior National Match Play sets semifinal matches

Catch up on the action here.

Forty-two of the top senior amateur players from across four age brackets and traveling from all four corners of the United States have made their way to Duke University Golf Club in Durham, North Carolina, to, well, duke it out.

Over the next three days, four age divisions will crown a match-play champion with each winner receiving 1,200 Golfweek Player of the Year points. With just a handful of events left in the Golfweek senior amateur season, the competition is sure to be cranked up as the season winds down.

Senior Bracket (55-64)

Thirteen players began the event, giving the top three seeds (Todd Hendley, Eddie Hargett and Kevin VandenBerg) byes into the afternoon quarterfinal matches.

First to advance from the morning matches was 2020 Golfweek Senior Player of the Year and 2022 Challenge Cup captain, Craig Hurlbert. As the 8-seed, Hurlbert was set to take on 9-seed Thomas Immenschuh. Unfortunately, Immenschuh had travel issues and was unable to make it to the course in time for the 7:50 a.m. match time. With the forfeit, Hurlbert found himself a date with top-seeded Todd Hendley.

Back-to-back three-putt bogeys put Hurlbert in a quick 2-down hole to start the match.

“I started really slow,” Hurlbert told Golfweek. “But it actually kind of helped me focus.”

Winning the third hole to get it back to one down, Hurlbert worked his way back to even as the pair made the turn.

Winning hole Nos. 9, 10, 11 and 12, Hurlbert was able to put the throttle down in the blink of an eye to take a commanding 3-up lead through 12. Hendley was able to pick up a hole on No. 15 but was defeated on No. 16, 3 and 2.

For Hurlbert, this event is a prime tune-up for the U.S. Senior Amateur later this month.

“I feel like I’m getting close, but all these reps really help,” Hurlbert said. “It’s a Golfweek event so that’s one of the reasons I like to come [play] and the other reason is because it gives you invaluable reps in match play which candidly we don’t get a lot of on the senior circuit so to speak.”

As he continues to come into form, Hurlbert will face off against 4-seed Brian Keenan.

Defeating 13-seed Brian Kennedy 5 and 4 in the morning session, Kennan faced off against 5-seed Allen Peake who won his morning match 1 up against 12-seed Steve Pitts.

Keenan and Peake battle back and forth for much of the day with Peake erasing a 2-down deficit an eagle on the par-5 9th and a birdie on the par-4 10th.

A birdie, par combo on holes 14 and 15 gave Kennan a 2-up advantage allowing him to close out the quarterfinal match on No. 17 with a par.

In the bottom half of the bracket, a couple of mid-seeds have begun their title run.

No. 6 Ken Kinkopf made light work of No. 11 Jeff Kane, winning 8 and 7 for the largest margin of victory of the day, regardless of division. In the afternoon session, Kinkopf faced 3-seed Kevin VandenBerg, only needing 16 holes to defeat him 4 and 2.

No. 7 seed Kirk Wright had a bit of a tougher road to the semifinals. Ten-seed Michael Healey took Wright to 18 where Wright came away with a 2-up win. In the afternoon, 2-seed Eddie Hargett erased Wright’s 1-up lead on the 18th to force extra holes.

Needing 37 holes to grind his way into the semis, Wright will square off with Kinkopf, who, comparatively speaking, is well-rested. The two will battle it out in a rest-versus-rust match for a chance to run the gamut and catapult themselves into the thick of a playoff run for the Golfweek Player of the Year.

Super Senior Bracket (65-69)

Eight men make up the Super Senior bracket, making byes irrelevant.

The entire bracket so far has been chalk as the top four seeds have advanced to the semifinals.

One-seed Marcus Beck defeated 8-seed Jim Webb 6 and 5; 2-seed James Starnes took down 7-seed Bill Hardaker 3 and 2; number 3 John Armstrong defeated No. 6 John Bailey 3 and 2 and 4-seed Keith Waters won 2 up against No. 5 Greg Goode.

Legends Bracket (70-74)

Another 13-player division set up quite a day in the Legends bracket.

Top two seeds George Walker (No. 1) and Sam Robinson (No. 2) were able to take advantage of their byes, playing their way into the semifinals 2 and 1 and 1 up, respectively.

Facing the top two seeds are No. 5 Pete Allen and No. 3 Bev Hargraves.

Allen rides into Thursday on the backs of a pair of 4 and 3 wins over 12-seed Fred Clark and 4-seed John Osborne. He’ll look to take down No. 1 ranked George Walker for a shot at the championship.

Defeating No. 10 Dale Porter 1 up, Sam Robinson will face an Arkansas legend in Bev Hargraves.

Getting a first-round bye, Hargraves needed 19 holes to put away Don Kuehn to advance. Kuehn, typically a Super Legend, played down an age bracket, wanting to test his game. After defeating No. 6 Charley Yandell 4 and 2 in the opening round, Kuehn falls just short of a semifinal run, losing out to Hargraves in extras.

Super Legends Bracket (75+)

The eight-man bracket has a bit more parity than its Legends bracket counterpart.

No. 1 ranked John Blank soundly beat No. 8 Ben Dowdey 7 and 5 for the biggest margin of victory on the day. No. 2 George Owens cruised to a 5 and 3 win over No. 7 Richard Kline.

Playing against Blank in the semifinals is 2022 Yancey Ford Award winner Joe Pavoni. As the 5 seed, Pavoni faced off against No. 4 Marty O’Connell. Pulling away late, Pavoni takes a 3 and 2 win into Thursday’s semifinals.

As the 6-seed, John Casstevens pulled off the best upset of the day within the division, taking down No. 3 John (Jack) Marin on the final hole, 1 up to advance to Thursday’s semifinals.

Steve Humphrey runs away with 2023 Golfweek Super Senior National Championship

Humphrey stays in second place in the Golfweek Super Senior rankings.

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Steve Humphrey held a three-shot lead heading into Thursday’s final round of the Golfweek Super Senior National Championship at The Golf Club of Georgia.

Earning the lead with rounds of 76 and 67, the 66-year-old from Ocala, Florida, stuck to his game plan, immediately making birdie on the reachable par-5 1st. Turning on his cruise control after birdies on holes Nos. 3 and 7, Humphrey put the championship away with a trio of birdies to start the back nine, including a near ace on the par-3 13th.

With a six-shot lead through 13, Humphrey made just one bogey the rest of the home to card a 5-under 67 to take the national championship trophy by eight shots and a 7-under 209 total for the week. The win marks his 12th win since turning 65.

After the round, Mike Arter, who played the final round alongside Humphrey, came up to him with a statistic that would leave a smile on Humphrey’s face.

“After the round, Mike [Arter] said ‘You should want to play with me more often.That’s three times we’ve played in the final group and you’ve won all three tournaments,’” Humphrey told Golfweek,

“I said, well I’m going to the Hesler [Society of Seniors] in two weeks, you wanna go? He’s been a bit of a good luck charm for me.”

Arter finished third (3 over) behind Chris Hall (1 over).

With the win, Humphrey stays in second place in the Golfweek Super Senior rankings but has made plenty of headway towards the top spot, currently held by Marcus Beck.

“The goal is always to be number one,” he said.

After losing out on the Player of the Year honor by just 77 points, Humphrey is glad he’s able to take advantage of ranked tournaments when he can.

“It all comes down to one tournament, making 75 points instead of 150…so each tournament you play in [is important], the higher you finish, the more points you get.”

With Beck walking away with 250 points on the week (T-13, 12 over), Humphrey closes the gap from over 1,500 points heading into the tournament, to just a 588 point difference. With each shot making a difference, Humphrey will look to overtake the top spot at the Society of Seniors Jack Hesler Tournament in two weeks.

Legends (70-74)

Bob Casamento closed out the Legends National Championship with a final round 73. Opening with a 2 over 74 and grinding his way into the lead with a moving day 71, Casamento took a five stroke lead into Thursday’s final round. The margin would hold as he cruised to the winner’s circle with a tournament total of 2 over, 218.

Don Russell (7 over) and Charley Yandell (8 over) round out the podium.

Super Legends (75+)

Alabama’s Wayne Gardner bested his age twice this week en route to victory. Carding 74, 78, 74, Gardner (10 over) bested California’s James Saviar by two strokes to take home the Super Legends National Championship trophy.

Steve Humphrey sets out to win 2023 Golfweek Super Senior National Championship

Currently ranked second, Humphrey is looking to not only win but close the gap between him and No. 1 ranked Marcus Beck.

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Tournament leader Steve Humphrey isn’t nervous as he sleeps on the 36-hole lead at the Golfweek Super Senior National Championship at The Golf Club of Georgia.

“I don’t get nervous,” the 66-year-old said. “We have day jobs. We work for a living, and now we’re doing something we enjoy. I want to win, I don’t go into a tournament that I don’t want to win but I don’t get nervous.”

Sitting at No. 2 in the Golfweek Super Senior rankings, Humphrey is looking to not only win but close the gap between him and No. 1 Marcus Beck.

“I gotta get Marcus [Beck] to not play in every golf tournament so I can catch him,” He joked.

Beck is currently out of the points in a tie for 15th at 11 over.

Steve Humphrey poses with his trophy following win at the 2023 Golfweek Super Senior POY Classic. (Ron Gaines/Golfweek)

For Humphrey, his moving day round Wednesday was a clean one. Playing the back nine first, Humphrey was bogey-free, carding a front-nine 5-under 31. Many of his birdies were essentially kick-ins, as his wedges were on fire.

With a clean card and 7 under through 14 holes, a bogey on his 15th hole (No. 6) found its way onto Humphrey’s card thanks to a 7 iron that flew a bit too long into the 169-yard par 3.

Quickly amending the error, Humphrey bounced back with his eighth and final birdie of the day on the par-4 seventh, sticking his 140-yard approach to a foot. Another bogey on the 8th and a par on the last would force Humphrey to settle for a 6-under 66. His mindset for Thursday? Easy.

“Go make birdies.”

With the low round of the week so far, Humphrey slides by his buddy and first-round leader Chris Hall to take a three-shot lead heading into Thursday’s final round.

Hall’s day simply never got going. With five bogeys on the day, Hall was able to muster his lone birdie on the par-3 sixth to stop some of the bleeding. He’ll begin the final round three back of Humphrey and will look to apply pressure on his buddy, as they’ll be cartmates as they battle for the title.

Rounding out the final group is Mike Arter (2 over) and Robert Allen II (3 over).

Legends (70-74)

Bob Casamento holds sole possession of the lead with 18 holes remaining at The Golf Club of Georgia.

His second round 1-under 71 moved him up the leaderboard while 18-hole leader Don Kuehn fell to a tie for second following a 77 on Wednesday. Casamento commands a five-shot lead over Kuehn and Phil Pavoni. Charley Yandel (7 over) and Don Russell (7 over) round out the top five.

Super Legends (75+)

Wayne Gardner (8 over) looks to complete a wire-to-wire victory on Thursday. Following his opening 74 with a 6-over 78 on Wednesday, Gardner enjoys a slim, one-shot lead over Greg Mokler (9 over). Henry Cole, Jim DuBois and Bill Engel all look to give chase as the trio are tied at 10 over.

Chris Hall in front after opening round at 2023 Golfweek Super Senior National Championship

Hall not only qualified for the U.S. Senior Am but is atop the leaderboard early on at the Golfweek Super Senior National Championship

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Chris Hall isn’t your typical elite senior amateur golfer.

The 65-year-old golf course arborist isn’t able to play in a lot of the big events throughout the year because of his job. Assisting in jobs across the country, Hall most recently completed a project at the Honors course in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and is starting another at East Lake soon.

That hasn’t stopped him from completing one of the hardest achievements to accomplish in the senior amateur game – qualifying for the U.S. Senior Amateur.

In what will be his sixth U.S. Senior Amateur later this summer, Hall was able to forego qualifying for the event, earning an exemption into the event as a top-25 senior golfer in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

“I’m not a ‘professional amateur’,” Hall said. “They get to play nearly every week somewhere. I don’t get to do that.”

Despite not teeing it up regularly, Hall not only qualified for the U.S. Senior Amateur but finds himself atop the leaderboard early on at the Golfweek Super Senior National Championship held at The Golf Club of Georgia in Alpharetta.

Hall carded a bogey-free 3-under 69 in the opening round.

“This is my first super senior event, and I’m still pretty long,” he said. “(The course) takes the longer clubs out of my bag. I’m hitting a lot of 3-wood and rescue off of the tee.”

Feeling his way through the golf course, Hall stuck to his game plan of keeping his ball in the short stuff, resulting in hitting 14 greens in regulation and just 30 putts. Not too bad for a guy new to the 65-70 age division.

So what’s the mentality for Hall the rest of the way? Well, it’s simple.

“Play smart golf.”

Three shots back from Hall is Georgia’s Robert Allen II who looks to piece together another solid round following a first-round 72. Mike Arter (1 over) is in third and will look to close the gap during Wednesday’s second round.

Five more players are tied at 2 over, including Hall’s Central Alabama Community College teammate Emile Vaughan.

Legends (70-74)

Don Kuehn paces the legends age division, shooting a 73. Kuehn takes a one-shot lead into moving day. Three players are tied at 2 over. and five more are within five shots of Kuehn.

Super Legends (75+)

Alabama’s Wayne Gardner bested his age to take command of a one-shot lead in the Super Legends division. With three birdies on his scorecard, Gardner could have flirted with a sub-70 score had it not been for an eight on the par-5 11th hole.

Gardner leads the way with Florida’s Bill Engel just one shot back (3 over) and eight more golfers within five strokes of his lead.