The 2022 Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Championship has just 18 holes remaining.
The 2022 Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Championship has just 18 holes remaining before crowning its inaugural champions at Wine Valley Golf Club, nestled in the rolling hills of southern Washington, offering a beautiful landscape against a gorgeous background of the Cascade Mountains in Walla Walla, Washington.
Building on his lead from Tuesday’s first round, Craig Larson gained yet another stroke on the field with a 1-under 71 second round. With two double bogeys on his card, Larson hung tough and carded five birdies on the day. Nails down the stretch, Larson closed his round with three birdies on his final four holes to increase his lead to five strokes in the senior division.
Closest to Larson is Bradley Karns, who stayed put with an even par round. While not completely written off, Karns has plenty of work ahead of him if he wants to put pressure on the leader. Behind Karns sits three players in a tie for third at 3 over.
Super senior Peter Jennings overtook overnight leader George Walker, erasing a four shot deficit to take a one shot lead with just 18 holes remaining.
One lone bogey on the day aided by two birdies allowed Jennings to slide by Walker with a 36-hole score of 2 over. Walker was not full of mistakes as he tallied four bogeys that were spaced well throughout the scorecard. Without birdie putts falling, it’s now Walker who will be in chase mode at 3 over.
Lurking at 8 over par is Glen Clark. If he can piece together a solid round, he could make things interesting within the final grouping.
Joe Barth and Greg Mokler are holding down their respective legendary divisions. The duo have matched each other with reciprocating rounds of 71 and 74. Both at 1 over, the duo makes it look easy while shooting their age.
The final round of the Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Championship commences tomorrow beginning at 8 a.m. local time, 11 a.m. ET.
Four different age divisions are competing in the inaugural Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Championship.
Four different age divisions have taken center stage at the inaugural Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Championship. Over the entire field of elite amateurs, it is one man who leads them all.
Craig Larson carded a 2-under 70 at Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, Washington, on Tuesday. The Lakewood, Washington, native is making the most of his near five-hour trek so far.
After a tumultuous opening nine that saw just two pars on the scorecard, Larson settled in nicely on the back nine. With three birdies on Nos. 10, 15 and 18, he was able to erase a front-nine 37 with a bogey-free 33 to take a four-stroke lead over Bradley Karns and Nicholas Bock in the senior division.
Super senior George Walker trails Larson by a single shot but leads the 65-69 year old division by four. Much like Larson, Walker was shaky on the front nine but settled in as he came back towards the clubhouse. Cruising with six pars and three birdies coming in, the Portland, Oregon, native will look to continue his balanced play in Wednesday’s second round.
With contestants ranging in age from 55 to older than 75, scoring was no issue in Tuesday’s first round. A field average of 76.75 was aided in part by Joe Barth. Competing in the super legend division (75+), Barth fired an opening 1-under 71, besting his age by plenty. Barth leads Craig Collins by three strokes as he looks to build on a solid start.
Greg Mokler can officially put the cruise control on despite 36 holes remaining. He leads the Legends division by a whopping 11 strokes after carding a first round 2 over 73.
The second round of the Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Championship commences tomorrow beginning at 8 a.m. local time, 11 a.m. ET.
Gotterup rose from No. 136 to No. 1 of the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings.
With both a fall and spring season, college golfers have ample time and opportunities to improve their game and subsequently their ranking.
As men’s and women’s teams across U.S. prepare for the start of the 2022-23 season, Golfweek has teamed up with Rapsodo to show just how much a player can improve over the course of a college golf season with the inaugural Most Improved Players powered by Rapsodo. The award winners were decided by using the Golfweek/Sagarin Men’s Collegiate Individual Rankings to determine which player improved the most by percentage from the 2020-21 season to the 2021-22 season.
Chris Gotterup, who transferred to Oklahoma from Rutgers for his final year of college golf, had a standout senior season that saw him rise from No. 136 to No. 1 of the rankings, an impressive 99.26 percent improvement. The New Jersey native won the Haskins Award and was named Golfweek’s Men’s Player of the Year thanks to a pair of victories at the East Lake Cup and Puerto Rico Classic as well as top-five finishes in six events, including a second place showing at the Big 12 Championship and T-5 at the NCAA Championship. Gotterup finished the year with an impressive 63-26-3 record against the top 25.
Eighteen holes remain to crown two individual and two team champions.
Eighteen holes remain before crowning the 2022 International Mid-Am and Senior champions. Separating themselves from the pack, two men pulled away in the individual race.
Justin Young holds the mid-am lead. Following an opening 4-under 68 with a 69 on Saturday, Young jumped from T-2 to solo first. Opening up a four-shot lead, Young will have plenty of chasers pursuing him Sunday.
Among those chasing is first round leader Marc Engellener. Posting an opening 67, Engellener stumbled Saturday with a 2-over 74. At 3 under for the tournament, he leads a group of five players hot on Young’s heels.
Philip Reale and Travis Woolf are both at 2 under with three more players at even par.
The mid-am team portion is simply waiting for the fat lady to stop her vocal practice. Team West Virginia (9 under) commands a 10-shot lead over the nearest squad, Team North Texas. Cam Roam (T-2), Philip Reale (T-7) and Sam O’Dell (T-12) rallied together for a combined score of 2-under 213. After being a counting score on Friday, Pat Carter (T-9) carded a 75 on Saturday.
Team South Texas (2 over), Team Fort Worth (3 over) and Team Alabama (5 over) all lurk within striking distance.
On the senior side, Jon Lindstrom has continued to build on an impressive week. Kicking the tournament off with an event-best 6-under 66, Lindstrom stayed put with an even par 72 on Saturday. Losing no ground, Lindstrom holds a one-shot lead heading to the final round.
Nipping at his heels is Wes McNulty. He built upon his 3 under first round with another under-par round. Firing a 2-under 70, he now finds himself a shot back and in prime position to apply pressure to Lindstrom on Sunday.
Not only are the two duking it out for the individual title, they’re both leading their teams toward a shared title.
McNulty’s Team Arkansas squad, sitting at 2 under, holds a two-stroke advantage over Lindstrom’s Team Colorado. Team North Carolina (East) lurks three shots behind Arkansas while Team Missouri (East) and Team Georgia (South) both are at 4 over.
With 18 holes left, four championships will be claimed on some of the most beautiful golf property in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, come days end on Sunday.
Check out the All-Americans from the 2021-22 season.
The 2021-22 college golf season is in the books after two long weeks of championship golf at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
It was a Stanford sweep at the NCAA Championship, with freshman phenom Rose Zhang claiming the individual title by a dominant three shots and leading her Cardinal to the team title over Oregon in a final duel between the nation’s top-two teams.
Now that the dust has settled on the season, it’s time to hand out some individual awards. Here are Golfweek’s First Team, Second Team, Third Team and Honorable Mention All-Americans for the 2021-22 women’s college golf season.
The 2022 Golfweek Senior National Championship leaderboard looks like it could be a preview of what’s to come at Brookline this weekend. The East Course at Grandover Resort in Greensboro, North Carolina, is playing tough for some of the best senior …
The 2022 Golfweek Senior National Championship leaderboard looks like it could be a preview of what’s to come at Brookline this weekend.
The East Course at Grandover Resort in Greensboro, North Carolina, is playing tough for some of the best senior amateurs in the country this week. A total of 33 golfers over four different age divisions have teed it up this week with just one man still in red numbers two-thirds of the way through the championship.
Super legend John Blank remains the overall leader at 1 under after a second-round 73. Chalking up four bogeys in his first five holes, Blank got his feet underneath him with his first par of the day coming on the par 5 6th. Regaining his senses, Blank went 2 under through his final 13 holes, resulting in a seven-shot lead in the Super Legend division.
The young guns flexed their muscles as the cream of the crop rose back to the top of the leaderboard in the senior division. Golfweek No. 2 Kevin VandenBerg trailed by six heading into moving day.
“I never quit,” VandenBerg told Golfweek. “If I tee it up it doesn’t matter what position I’m in. I feel like I have the game to make a run for the title.”
It wasn’t easy for the Michigander. With five bogeys on his card on the day, VandenBerg clawed and chipped away at the deficit thanks to a back-nine 2-under 34. He now sits atop the leaderboard in a two-way tie for first at 5 over alongside Steve Maddalena.
Maddalena, a fellow Michigander, won’t make it easy for VandenBerg to run away with the victory. A three-time Michigan Amateur winner and a member of the Golf Association of Michigan Hall of Fame (Class of 2007), Maddalena has plenty of game to match VandenBerg’s experience on the Golfweek stage.
The two share a lead at 5 over with round one leader Walker Taylor hot on their heels at 6 over. Guy Child and Larry Nunez round out the top five at 8 over and 11 over, respectively.
In the super senior division, the four-man flight is a three-man race with Larry Vaughan and Tim Vigotsky looking to track down Stephen Fox, who followed up his opening 1 over with an even-par 72.
Vigotsky earned low-round of the day honors with a 1-under 71, good not just for his age division, but the entire field. He now sits just one back of Fox at 2 over for the week and Vaughan lurks stage left at 4 over for the tournament.
Another dual will take place in the Legends division as Pete Allen and Charley Yandell have matched each other through 36 holes at 6 over. In third place, Bev Hargraves looks to apply some pressure as he trails by just three strokes.
Set with the difficult task of chasing down John Blank in the Super Legend division is Barry Flaer. After rounds of 77 and 73, Flaer will need to continue to improve his score in order to make up the seven-stroke deficit that lies between him and Blank.
Four champions will be crowned following Wednesday’s action with the winner of the senior division earning himself 1,200 Player of the Year points.
He joined Turnstile Publishing, which then owned Golfweek, in 2010 and stepped down due to his battle with ALS.
Former Golfweek CEO and President Fran Farrell, who guided the magazine and website through an important time in its growth, died May 10. He was 63. The cause of death was COVID-19, his family confirmed.
Farrell’s extensive publishing background included notable leadership roles as publisher of Men’s Journal, National Geographic Adventure and The Sporting News.
“He loved every part of the publishing business,” said Patti Green, who succeeded Farrell as Turnstile Media Group president in 2016. “The ups and downs of advertising revenue brought out the fighter in him. But he was equally comfortable having heated debates with the editorial staff.”
He joined Turnstile Publishing, which owned Golfweek at the time, in November 2010 and stepped down due to his battle with ALS.
Farrell was born Oct. 6, 1958 in Pittsfield, Mass., the fifth of nine children. He was a graduate of Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont. He moved to New York in 1980 to pursue a career in publishing, which included a variety of high-level positions at American Express Publishing with Food & Wine and Travel & Leisure magazines.
“Fran was a great leader,” said Green. “He was just as interested in the staff’s personal lives as their work challenges. He would walk around the building in the mornings saying hi and asking how things were going. He developed strong bonds with his team, and it made collaboration easier.”
In 2012, Farrell was diagnosed with ALS. From the start, he was adamant that while the illness might shorten his life, it would not define it. As his body weakened, his inquisitive mind, his faith and his commitment to gratitude did not. An eye gaze-controlled tablet allowed him to read, play several chess games simultaneously, meditate on his daily devotionals and communicate with family and friends. He continued to ski, bike, hike and run vicariously through his loved ones, and to remind his 27 nieces and nephews, “Don’t let anyone have more fun than you.”
Former Golfweek editor Jeff Babineau recalled a three-day Golfweek staff retreat in Naples, Florida, one year.
“We’re about to start a morning meeting, and I get a call from Fran, asking if I could stop by his room,” Babineau said. “He was in the early stages of ALS, and when I got there, he needed help to button his shirt. I asked him, ‘Fran, where have you been?’ And he looks out his window to the ocean, which was churning huge waves that day. ‘Out there. I went for a swim,’ he said, with a big, mischievous smile on his face. ‘It was AWESOME.’ He wasn’t about to let ALS do anything to slow his adventurous spirit, and that was inspiring to see.”
Finding solace and joy in the natural world made him a passionate environmentalist. Even in his final years, he marked the first snowfall of each winter with a barefoot walk in the fresh snow.
Farrell is survived by his wife of 38 years, Denise, and five children. His family noted his favorite saying was, “Who’s got it better than us?” Farrell looked for and found beauty and joy everywhere, and he inspired anyone he met to join him.
Golfweek’s longtime equipment reporter, James Achenbach, is remembered as a lover of the game and a thoughtful, caring person.
Folding my 6-foot, 4-inch frame into the passenger seat of James Achenbach’s tiny purple Pontiac Solstice convertible was almost impossible, as was reading the GPS screen after it flew off the dashboard and rolled under my feet as he made a sharp turn off International Drive in Orlando. After a few minutes in the car with the godfather of golf equipment writers, I was ready to hide under the seat, too.
We got to Orange County National Golf Center & Lodge safely that morning for the 2014 PGA Merchandise Show’s Demo Day, and we made it back safely that night after Jim and I walked around the massive circular driving range. Since 1975 Jim had been a Golfweek columnist – and for many of those decades he was the magazine’s equipment editor – and at every booth, all of them, people came out to shake Jim’s hand, chat and show off something new. He was available for all of them, speaking slowly and carefully, but enthusiastically.
Before in-hand photographs of the pros’ golf clubs and Sunday night “What’s in the bag” columns became standard fare for equipment reports, Achenbach developed a platinum-level Rolodex that included the direct phone numbers to CEOs, designers, salespersons, marketing managers and every key person in the golf equipment industry. He also had longstanding relationships with key people at the USGA and Augusta National Golf Club, and he was a fixture at major events for decades.
When I joined Golfweek in 2013 to write about gear, I was nervous that Jim might feel angry that someone else was coming in and working his beat, but he put that notion out of my head quickly with a phone call during my first week on the job. He was welcoming, said that he’d admired my work for years and was excited that I had joined the staff.
I can’t say that we worked perfectly together because, like so many other people, I rarely knew where he was and only had an inkling of what he was going to write any given week. Editorial calendars and planning meetings were more like suggestions for Jim.
Jim Achenbach in 2013 (David Dusek/Golfweek)
What I came to learn was Achenbach was passionate about equipment and the people who designed it. He was not just an insider, he was the voice of weekend warriors who dreamed of hitting a draw off the tee. He was fluent in technical terms but always translated them into simple ideas for golfers who chronically three-putted. And, most of all, he had a soft spot for shafts and helped readers understand the mystic arts of graphite and steel.
When I called, texted and emailed people over the weekend to let them know that Jim had died, the reactions were a mixture of sadness and appreciation for hard work, friendship and kindness. Below are a few notes Golfweek received.
From John A. Solheim, chairman and CEO of Ping Golf:
“I’m deeply saddened at Jim’s passing. He was a great friend to myself and my wife, Sunny. Jim and I had a standing meeting every year at the Masters that I cherished. He loved talking all things golf. He was a great listener and very inquisitive. We spoke frequently during his amazing career, mostly about equipment as he was very interested in understanding how and why things worked or didn’t work. He was very curious and challenged the status quo to bring his readers stories that mattered to their games. He loved tinkering with his own equipment, whether trying longer shafts, different grips, or changing lofts. He embodied the term ‘gearhead’ before it was made popular.
Of course, Jim’s golf writing skills weren’t limited to reporting on equipment. He was extremely versatile. He’s covered the greats of the sport and all the big events, but he also always had time to file a story about the state or local event that gave those golfers the exposure they deserved. Those were some of his best stories, as they always had a human-interest element to them that embodied the spirit of the game.
I’ll remember Jim for his friendship, passion, fairness and love of the game.”
From Chip Brewer, president and CEO of Callaway Golf:
“I’m truly sorry to hear of Jim’s passing. I met Jim during my early days with Adams (Golf), probably around 1999, and stayed close to him after moving to Callaway up until his retirement. I always enjoyed being around him and was always impressed by his work. He was a true professional writer and a straight shooter — but also always had a smile on his face. Other than family, I don’t think he loved anything more than either writing about or playing golf. He will be missed; and, sadly, another of our legends of old-school golf writing is no longer with us. Time moves on, but I’m saddened by this loss and will toast him among friends when I next have that chance.
My condolences to his family and friends. He was a wonderful man.”
From Dave Schnider, president and COO of shaft maker Fujikura:
“Jim Achenbach was a very unique and gifted writer. In my younger years in the golf business, I constantly asked Golfweek why Jim wouldn’t write stories about Fujikura. We would send him our press releases and marketing materials but he never seemed interested in covering our products for a story. But when I personally took the time and got to know Jim, things changed and I realized Jim was a golf equipment junkie like myself. He was so passionate about improving his game with the new and latest equipment, and this sparked my passion each time we talked. He had an amazing knack for asking questions and turning my answers into brilliant storytelling. He was a great ambassador for the game of golf and will be sorely missed.”
From Mark Gunther, vice president of sales and marketing of shaft maker Mitsubishi Chemical America:
“Really, was there ever anyone with a quicker wit than Jim? He was so sharp. I always respected and admired his professionalism as well. When we started our office in 2004-05, he treated me like I was [as big as] Callaway. That’s how he made us feel. It was a gift.”
In the senior division, Robert Funk claimed top dog with a final round 1-over 73 on Saturday.
With the LPGA playing their first major of the year just 20 minutes down the road, some of the nation’s best senior amateurs descended upon PGA West in La Quinta, California, for the Golfweek Senior National Championship.
In the senior division, Robert Funk claimed top dog with a final-round 1-over 73 on Saturday. Rounds of 73, 71, 73 (217) were good for a three-shot victory for the Canyon Lake, California, native.
“I played very consistent until the back nine,” Funk told Golfweek.
Funk was 3 under at the turn before crawling in with two bogeys and a double on the par 5 7th. However, a 73 was all Funk needed to hold onto his lead he started the day with. One of the key pieces to Funk’s win? His flatstick.
“What turned my game around is my new putter,” Funk said. “I guess it gives me confidence that I can hit it online.”
Unable to catch Funk, Billy Mitchell. Twice a bridesmaid on the west coast swing, Mitchell heads back to Atlanta with two top-3 finishes under his belt. Firing a 1-under 71 to add some pressure, Mitchell was unable to fully recover from his opening 77 which left a three-stroke difference between him and Funk.
Rounding out the podium was Don Whittemore who tied with Mitchell at 4 over while last week’s winner Jerry Gunthorpe racked up a T-6 finish at 7 over.
Super senior Jeff Burda had himself a fantastic week, running away with the 65- to 69-year-old age bracket by 13 strokes. Playing in his hometown, Burda used his local knowledge to go wire-to-wire and close the tournament in style with an event low 67.
With one bogey on No. 1, Burda kept the rest of his card clean with six birdies on Saturday, leaving no doubt among the super senior division. Burda’s 7-under 209 would’ve been good for a win in any age division and his 14 birdies in 54 holes also led the entire field.
Rounding out the top-5 were Gary Albrecht (6 over), Larry Vaughan (7 over), John Armstrong, and Curtis Worley (8 over).
After taking the lead through two rounds, Evan Long never looked back. His 54 hole total of 6 overtook the cake in the legend division as he cruised to a six-shot victory over Don Donatoni. Mickey Jones (+13), Peter Van Ingen (+14) and Rick Lawrence (+18) rounded out the top-5.
In the super legend division, John Seehausen and John Banks needed three holes to declare a winner where Seehausen claimed the championship. Beginning the day two back of Blank, Seehausen came in clutch down the stretch with an eagle on the par-5 15th en route to a final round 73 to help force the playoff.
Golfweek has amateur events for juniors, amateurs, mid-ams, and seniors all throughout the year. If you are interested in teeing it up in one of Golfweek’s amateur events, head on over to our events page here to see if you meet the criteria.
There weren’t a lot of red numbers on Friday, but the few that were able to card sub-par rounds made it count.
There weren’t a lot of red numbers to go around at PGA West’s Pete Dye Dunes course course on Friday, but the few that were able to card sub-par rounds made them count.
Robert Funk of Canyon Lake, California, took the senior division lead ahead of the final round thanks to a 1-under 71. With four birdies on the day, Funk made the jump from third place over round 1 leaders Don Whittemore and Larry Nunez.
Both Whittemore (1 over) and Nunez (2 over) are well within striking range after rounds of 73 and 74, respectively.
Last week’s runner-up Jerry Slagle looks to redeem himself on Saturday as he is just two shots back of Funk. Slagle had the low round of the tournament not just within the 55-64 age division, but the whole tournament with a moving day 68.
Funk has plenty of players to keep in his rear view mirror as 10 players are within six shots of him heading into Saturday’s final round.
In the super senior division Jeff Burda maintains his lead following an even-par 72. Thanks to over par rounds from those contending after day 1, Burda enjoys a six shot lead over his nearest competitor.
One back to begin the day, legend Evan Long was the only man in the 70-74 age bracket to get to red numbers on the day with an age matching 2-under 70 to get to 2 over for the tournament.
Living up to the title of ‘legend’, Long paces round 1 leader Peter Van Ingen by five strokes.
Super legend John Blank was among a trio of players who trailed John Walker by a shot as moving day began. Blank rose above the rest, including Walker, with a round of 4-over 76. Walker trails by four strokes with John Seehausen (+6) and Gaylord Davis (+7) bridging the gap between the two. Two players are within five of the lead.
Four champions will be crowned Saturday at PGA West with each winner earning 1,200 points toward the Golfweek Player of the Year race.
