Jerry Gunthorpe – Syndication Server

Joe Lyons, Team Ireland lead 2023 Golfweek International Senior Invitational

Rain made Cartersville Country Club in Georgia play longer than it did in the first round.

CARTERSVILLE, Ga. – Joe Lyons and his fellow countrymen are 18 holes away from a wire-to-wire victory at the Golfweek International Senior Invitational.

Lyons maintained his three-stroke lead at 6 under despite a second-round 2-over 73. Off and on rain made Cartersville Country Club play longer than it did in round one, making scoring a premium. The wet conditions allowed Lyons to lean on his knowledge from back home and adapt it to the Bermuda grass he’s not fully accustomed to.

“I’m not all that new to Bermuda,” Lyons told Golfweek. “I have an idea. I still wouldn’t say I’m entirely comfortable on it [Bermuda grass]. Basically, I’m just hitting bunker shots out of the rough and trying to convince myself.”

One thing Lyons is a bit more familiar with? Leading.

“It’s always hard when you’re you’re out on your own in front. I’ve won events back home potter to post. It’s a difficult thing to do because you’re sleeping on the lead. You know the stats are not good for people following a low round but I’m very happy with today’s round.”

With a history of being able to close out championships, Lyons has a simple game plan for Saturday’s final round, albeit a difficult game plan to execute.

“Just try to play like yesterday.”

Giving chase are Utah’s Shane McMillan and Oklahoma’s Michael Hughett, both at 3 under. Behind them are two members of the ‘Georgia Mafia’, Bob Royak (2 under) and Mike Combs (1 under). Wes McNulty (1 under ) hopes to help Team Arkansas erase Ireland’s one-shot lead.

Three more players are in a tie for seventh at even par and another six players are within seven shots of Lyons, making every shot count come Saturday.

On the team side, Ireland holds a slight one-shot lead after a second-round charge from Team Arkansas.

All three players from Arkansas carded sub-par rounds, with McNulty (69) and Stan Payne (70) acting as the counting scores. Gordy McKeown carded a 1 under 71 to move inside the top 10 at 1 under for the championship.

Bob Royak’s Georgia team (even), one of five in the field, is three back of Ireland. South Carolina (1 over) and California (2 over) round out the top five. Five more teams are within eight shots of the lead.

With cool, breezy and sunny conditions anticipated for Saturday, plenty of scoring opportunities should make the final round a fun one.

Live scoring can be found on Golf Genius (GGID: 23GWISI).

Joe Lyons, Team Ireland lead after first round of the Golfweek International Senior Invitational

CARTERSVILLE, Ga. – Ireland is taking care of business early at the Golfweek International Senior Invitational at Cartersville Country Club. Individual leader, Joe Lyons, and his teammates have gotten out of the gates quickly, taking a three-stroke …

CARTERSVILLE, Ga. – Ireland is taking care of business early at the Golfweek International Senior Invitational at Cartersville Country Club.

Individual leader, Joe Lyons, and his teammates have gotten out of the gates quickly, taking a three-stroke lead over the field after the first round. Lyons did much of the heavy lifting, firing a 7-under 65.

“A very special day for me, really,” Lyons told Golfweek. “We [Team Ireland] came over about a week ago. We’ve been enjoying Southern hospitality for the last week. We’ve played some great golf, played some really cool golf courses last week, getting climatized to playing off of Bermuda [grass].”

The preparation paid off for Lyons, as he hardly missed a fairway all day. The Irishman went out in 2 under with his lone bogey on the day coming on the par-4 8th hole. On his way back in, Lyons caught fire, making birdie on six of his final nine holes.

“Delighted with my day today,” Lyons said. “There’s another two rounds to go, so, I’m an amateur golfer, I shot 65 today, I could easily shoot 80 tomorrow so I’m just going to try to enjoy today and see how it goes tomorrow.”

Helping Lyons build Ireland’s lead, team captain Karl Bornemann (T-24) carded a 2-over 74. Rounding out the trio, John Reynolds (T-44) looks to make his score count in Friday’s round after an opening 76.

On the team side, Oklahoma commands solo second place at 2 under thanks to Michael Hughett (68) and Jon Valuck (74). Ricky Bell matched Valuck’s 74, giving the Sooner State natives plenty of momentum heading into tomorrow.

Team Michigan, South Carolina and California share third place at 1 under par.

On the individual side of the championship, there are a handful of players looking to hunt down Lyons.

Utah’s Shane McMillan rebounded well from an early bogey to post a 5-under 67. Michael Hughett (Oklahoma) used a bogey-free 11 holes to card a 4-under 68 while Michigan’s Jerry Gunthorpe had an up-and-down day en route to an opening salvo of 2 under.

Four more golfers are knotted up at 1 under with nine more players at even par.

Sharing Lyons’ sentiment, anything can happen in amateur golf, keeping the championship up in the air until it’s all said in done. But, if Lyons and his teammates have anything to say about it, the closing ceremony and trophy presentation will be accompanied by the sweet sounds of the Irish national anthem, Amhran Na Bhfiann.

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Scott Masingill, Jerry Gunthorpe go low at Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Championship

The Golfweek senior amateur circuit has made its annual stop in Wine Country.

Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, Washington is a stunning Dan Hixson design that perfectly uses the natural features of southeastern Washington in the shadow of the Blue Mountains. With open fairways and rarely a tree in sight, the course plays tough thanks to wild grasses, undulating greens and strategic bunkering, Wine Valley is one of the best tests of golf in the Pacific Northwest.

Two men were able to use those features to their advantage to take leads in their respective age divisions.

Super Seniors (65-69)

72-year-old Scott Masingill had the round of the day, posting a bogey-free 7-under 65 to take an eight-stroke lead in the Super Senior age bracket.

“I’ve played this golf course quite a bit,” Masingell said. “And it’s really one of my favorite courses of anywhere that I’ve played. In about the past two months, my game has come around, and it’s really just about confidence now.”

The Idaho native has plenty to be confident about. Starting his scoring early, Masingell carded four birdies through his first seven holes. Keeping it on cruise control, he parred the next seven holes before adding three consecutive birdies on hole Nos. 15-17. Needing to knock home a 4-footer on 18 for par to keep his bogey-free round in check, Masingell found the bottom of the cup.

“I got a little nervous and sweaty on the last hole,” he said. “I was proud of the fact that feeling some stress on that last putt, I just knocked it in the middle of the hole. I’m real pleased with the way I played, I’ve been working on my fitness and my game, and I got a result.”

Masingill is not a stranger to playing with the best. With a U.S. Open, two Senior Opens, a U.S. Am and two U.S. Mid-Ams under his belt, he’s no stranger to being in the mix with elite golfers.

As for how he’ll take on the next 36 holes?

“With a big lead like this, I’m really just competing with myself at the moment. So, just not getting distracted by that and [focus] on the cliche of all time, playing one shot at a time. That’s the only way to do it.”

George Walker (No. 1 in the Golfweek Super Senior rankings) and Frank Maxwell are in a two-way tie for second at 1 over.

Seniors (55-64)

In the senior division, Michigan’s Jerry Gunthrope leads the way thanks to his opening round of 5-under 65. His week began on the wrong foot, as his driver shaft was snapped on his flight out to the West Coast.

Finding a similar shaft at a store 45 minutes from the course, Gunthorpe was able to put the driver in play Monday but still didn’t feel 100 percent comfortable with it throughout the day. Relying on a driving iron and his woods for the most part, Gunthorpe’s wedges made up for the rest.

“I had a lot of wedges,” Gunthorpe said. “I hit a lot of really good wedges so that’s where I made a lot of birdies.”

Not completely satisfied with his game, Gunthorpe looks to improve on his par 5 scoring as well as his tee and approach shots. If the Michigander can get those facets of his game to lock in, it could be a long week for the rest of the field.

He takes a one-shot lead into Tuesday’s round, as Bradley Karns and Jon Lindstrom look to keep their play rolling with matching 68s. Seven more golfers are at par or better.

Legends (70-74)

Kerry Booth (+4) holds a two-stroke lead over Greg Tatham.

Super Legends (75+)

Bill Engel posted an even par round and commands a two-shot lead over Greg Mokler.

Jerry Gunthorpe leads field at the 2022 Golfweek Senior Amateur Championship at PGA West

The Golfweek Senior Amateur Series will be played at PGA West for a full-field event this week.

After a limited field event in Palm Desert, California, the Golfweek Senior Amateur Series rolls on down the street to PGA West in La Quinta, California, for a full-field event.

Winning the Golfweek Senior Division National Championship earlier this week was Jerry Gunthorpe. Having essentially only worked on his game on his home simulator, the Ovid, Michigan, native trekked out of the snow to pull off a come from behind victory on Tuesday.

Gunthorpe leads the pack of notable names in the field, with a handful of players from the 55-64 senior bracket staying in the area for this week’s championship.

Podium finishers Jerry Slagle and Billy Mitchell are among those looking to capitalize on their solid play in hopes to joining Gunthorpe in having to figure out a way to fit a trophy into their carry on luggage.

In the Super Senior division, Bob Kearney looks to gain on Golfweek Player of the Year points leader, Tim Vigotsky, who is not in the field this week. No.-5 ranked John Armstrong looks to make a big leap as well as the only other top-10 ranked player in the field.

Legend Don Donatoni currently holds a 100-point lead over Jim Rollefson in the 70-74 age bracket. With both teeing it up at PGA West this week, drama will surely unfold as the duo are matching up for an early season battle for supremacy. If either stumble, Mike Jackson lurks just 151 points behind Donatoni ready to hurdle the big board.

In the 75+ Super Legend division, five of the top-10 point getters have made the trip to shuffle up the standings. With 22 players in the field, it will be interesting to see who makes the biggest jump (or fall) in the early season standings.

The 54-hole stroke play event will be played at PGA West’s Pete Dye Dunes and the Mountains course with age-appropriate yardages ranging from 5,400 to 6,500 yards.

Each age division will compete within itself and four champions will be crowned. Each winner will earn 1,200 points towards their divisions respective year long race for Golfweek Player of the Year.

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Jerry Gunthorpe wins Golfweek Senior Division National Championship

Jerry Gunthorpe tracked down 36-hole leader Jerry Slagle to claim the championship.

The Firecliff Course at Desert Willow Golf Club in Palm Desert, California, played host to an eventful and dramatic Golfweek Senior Division National Championship.

The 54-hole event was graced by some of the best senior amateur golfers in the nation, with one man claiming his title and 1,200 points towards the year-long race for the Golfweek Player of the Year honor.

In the final round, Ovid, Michigan’s, Jerry Gunthorpe tracked down 36-hole leader Jerry Slagle on Tuesday to claim the championship. Behind by three strokes to start the final round, Gunthorpe made easy work of the front nine, carding a 2-under 34.

“Things were clicking,” Gunthorpe told Golfweek. “It started out easy right away.”

Slagle was not as fortunate with double bogeys on Nos. 5 and 8, erasing a birdie on No. 2, for an opening 39.

The five-shot swing put Gunthorpe in the driver’s seat at the turn. He relied on previous experiences on big stages both at the state level in Michigan and the national level as he came up just short to Gene Elliott in the 2021 U.S. Senior Amateur.

“When I have a little bit of adrenaline, that means it matters to me,” Gunthorpe said. “If it doesn’t matter to me, I don’t do as well. When I feel the butterflies, or whatever that feeling is, that means it matters to me.”

Finding his why helped Gunthorpe stave off a late run by Slagle. Sitting at 4 over through 13 holes, Slagle turned on the jets, birdieing three of his last five holes in an attempt to make Gunthorpe feel the pressure. Gunthorpe stayed the course, swapping a birdie and bogey to close out a round of 2-under 70 and the championship.

In an interview following Sunday’s first round, Gunthorpe foreshadowed a bit saying that he always felt like he belonged in competitive senior golf.

“I always knew that I would [belong in competitive golf],” he said. “Every time I’ve competed, I’ve done well. I haven’t competed a lot, but when I have, I’ve been successful I feel.”

Well, to come back against one of the hottest hands of the week, in Slagle while also holding off the rest of the field is a success in anyone’s book.

Gunthorpe is expected to make a big jump in the Golfweek senior amateur rankings from his current spot at No. 37.

Slagle makes the trip back to Southlake, Texas, with much to be happy about as he recorded a tournament-high 16 birdies. Billy Mitchell, the 2021 U.S. Senior Open low-am, took home a solo third-place finish after a 1 over to finish at even par.

Greg Sanders (1 over) of Anthem, Arizona, and Steve McPherson (2 over) of San Jacinto, California, round out the top five.

The next Golfweek Senior amateur event will be a full-field event at the Golfweek Senior Amateur Championship at PGA West in La Quinta, California starting March 31.

‘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.

Jerry Gunthorpe leads after first round of Golfweek Senior Division National Championship

Desert Willow Golf Club’s Firecliff Course in Palm Desert, California, is hosting 84 top senior amateur players.

Desert Willow Golf Club’s Firecliff Course in Palm Desert, California, is hosting 84 of the top senior amateur players in the country for the 2022 Golfweek Senior Division National Championship.

The 54-hole event concluded its first round of play with one man on top of the leaderboard. Jerry Gunthorpe, a 58-year old mechanical contractor from Ovid, Michigan, leads by one shot following his opening 4-under 68.

A bogey-free day, Gunthorpe kept his card clean with birdies on Nos. 7 and 13 before closing with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 17 and 18 despite his lack of green control and what he described as an “abomination of ball striking”. Overcoming his struggles, Gunthorpe buckled down and got it right when he needed to.

Without having his A-game, Gunthorpe had a clean card with four pristine circles, which could spell trouble for the rest of the field.

One shot back of Gunthrope is Jerry Slagle. The Southlake, Texas, native carded a 3-under 69 that featured a tournament-high seven birdies. A much different day than Gunthorpe, Slagle is still the main challenger to the Michigander.

As always, Slagle said that his day could’ve been a lot better, but he recognized that it could’ve been a lot worse, too.

Three are tied at 1 under and six more are within five shots of Gunthorpe.

Split-tee action begins Monday at 10:15 am ET. Moving day will be scored live on Golf Genius with a winner claiming their title and 1,200 Golfweek Player of the Year points on Wednesday.

Golfweek Player of the Year Classic set to kick off 2022 Player of the Year race

The event will be contested January 16-18 at Tampa Palms Country Club.

The 2022 Golfweek Player of the Year Classic, held at Tampa Palms Country Club in Tampa, Florida, allows both reflection and elite competition.

The event will be contested January 16-18 with the top three players of the 2021 season from each division being honored at a dinner following the first round of play. Gene Elliott will also be presented with his well-deserved lifetime accolade: the Yancy Ford Award.

Featuring three different divisions, the Golfweek POY Classic is a who’s who of senior amateur golf. Elliott, the defending U.S. and British Senior Amateur champion, joins Jerry Gunthorpe, Bob Royak, Allen Peake, 2020 POY Classic champion John Wright, and 2021 Golfweek Senior Player of the Year and defending POY Classic champion, Rusty Strawn, in the senior division.

The super senior division is up for grabs with 2021 champ, Tim Pope not in the field. In the Legends division, it’s Jim Kamis who is welcomed as both the 2021 Player of the Year and defending champion.

Super Legend and St. Augustine, Florida, native Walt Martin is salivating to tee it up in the new year. Last January, Martin began his 2021 campaign by sweeping all of the January events, including the Player of the Year Classic at Lake Jovita. He’ll be itching to run it back this year at Tampa Palms Country Club. Martin earned Super Legend Player of the Year honors thanks in large part to his strong start last January.

Hopes to become the 2022 Golfweek Player of the Year start Sunday morning. The first piece of the coveted puzzle locks into place Tuesday afternoon after four new champions are crowned to kick off the 2022 Player of the Year race.

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Gene Elliott claims Golfweek Senior Tournament of Champions in a U.S. Senior Am rematch

Gene Elliott and Jerry Gunthorpe duked it out once again at the Golfweek Senior Tournament of Champions.

It may not have been the U.S. Senior Amateur, but it definitely had the star power.

Gene Elliott, 2021 U.S. Senior Amateur champion, and 2021 Senior Am runner up Jerry Gunthorpe duked it out once again at the Golfweek Senior Tournament of Champions at The Forest Country Club Bear Course in Ft. Myer, Florida, on Friday.

A part of the penultimate group, Gunthorpe carded his second 2-under 70 of the tournament. Beginning the day five shots back of Elliott, the Michigan native may have thought he had a chance at finally tracking down his U.S. Senior Am foe.

Unfortunately for Gunthorpe, Elliott had just enough juice to stave off his run.

“I thought I had a one shot lead,” Elliott said about playing the last hole. In actuality, Elliott had a two-shot lead. Thanks to a scoring error by his playing partner, Elliott indulged himself into a bit more pressure than what he really needed to. Forcing a shot he probably wouldn’t have if he knew he had two shots to play with, Elliott thought he needed to get up-and-down from 80 yards.

“I looked at my phone again and I saw that he [Gunthorpe] bogeyed 18… I thought I won by one, but I actually won by two. That’s not a great way to finish a tournament,” Elliott said through a laugh. “I played just well enough to win.”

Gene Elliott poses with the 2021 Golfweek Tournament of Champions trophy. Photo by Ron Gaines/Golfweek

Despite being twice the bridesmaid to Elliott’s bride, Gunthorpe’s second-place finish is nothing to scoff at. Coming from Michigan, Gunthorpe had minimal practice and relied on hitting balls in his upstairs simulator room as his main source of practice.

“The guy is a great player,” Elliott said. “I talked to one of the guys he played with today and he said ‘Wow! I was impressed’ and I said ‘Hell yes he’s good!’… He’s a wonderful guy and a hell of a player. I’m lucky he didn’t finish out the tournament!”

With a tournament total of even par 216, Elliot has now won back-to-back Golfweek Senior Tournament of Champion events and three total since its inception in 2018.

In the Super Senior division, it was Edward Turner who went wire-to-wire despite never having full control of the lead. Sharing the lead following both rounds one and two, Turner pulled away from the field and staved off a late run by Robin Rubrecht, who took second place just one shot off of Turner’s pace of 8 over.

David Bates of Newburgh, Indiana, took home the Legend’s top spot. Tying defending champion Jim Rollefson, the pair went to the par-4 10th to decide a winner. Rollefson dumped a ball in the water while Bates rolled in a par to claim the title over the defending champ.

Super Legend Gil Stenholm maintained his 36-hole lead over North Carolina’s Jack Marin to claim the top spot in the 75-and-over age bracket. Stenholm, a native of Illinois, took claim of the Tournament of Champions with a score of 12 over as previous winners Marin and Charlie Busbee finishing second and third, respectively.

Top-ranked senior Gene Elliott leads Golfweek Senior Tournament of Champions

Top-ranked senior amateur Gene Elliott is back where he is most familiar: atop the leaderboard.

Gene Elliott, the top-ranked senior amateur, is back where he is most familiar: at the top of the leaderboard.

With 18 holes to play at the Golfweek Senior Tournament of Champions at The Forest Country Club Bear Course in Ft. Myers, Florida, Elliott should feel pretty comfortable.

The 59-year-old from Iowa has already had a year for the record books, winning both the U.S. Senior Amateur and the British Senior Amateur. He also has a track record at this event where he has won twice since its inception in 2018.

Elliott began the second round two shots back of co-leaders Dave Bunker and Jerry Gunthorpe, who each began the day at 2 under. Carding birdies on holes Nos. 2, 3, and 4, Elliott made quick work in erasing the deficit. Despite a bogey on the par-4 16th, he did enough to take the top spot heading into Friday’s final round.

Bunker negated any ground made up on the field in the first round with a second-round 75. Having four bogeys on his card, the top-ranked Canadian senior slid from a tie for first to solo second at 1 over. As for Gunthorpe, a trio of back-to-back bogeys throughout the day saw him fall into a tie for sixth at 4 over.

Seven golfers are within five strokes of Elliott heading into Friday’s final round. The two co-leaders from round one find themselves still atop the Super Senior division. Randy King and Edward Turner account for two-thirds of tomorrow’s final pairing as they sit at 5 over with Keith McKelvy.

Defending Legend champion Jim Rollefson leads the pack that will be looking to chase Charley Yandell, who backed up his opening 1-over 73 with yet another to take a commanding four-stroke lead in the Legend division.

Gil Stenholm of Illinois bounced back from a first round 78 with a 1-over 73 on Thursday to go 7 over for the tournament. The 75-year old leads by two over Jack Marin who sits in solo second. Round 1 leader Steve Wilson and defending champion Charlie Busbee lurk at 10 and 11 over respectively.

Four golfers will take home trophies and have bragging rights as a ‘Champion of Champions’ following play on Friday.