Tag: Joe Lyons

International Senior Invitational: Ireland’s Joe Lyons returns; three past U.S. Senior Am champs to tee it up

Joe Lyons has officially entered his travel golf season.

Joe Lyons has officially entered his travel golf season. It just so happens that it falls opposite the travel season for most players in his part of the world.

Lyons, co-founder of Lyons Links, which operates luxury golf and sightseeing tours in Ireland and the United Kingdom, lives a life that revolves around the game. Now in the offseason, Lyons, 52, of Galway, Ireland, will play for the Team Ireland at this week’s International Senior Invitational at Cartersville (Georgia) Country Club.

The tournament, in its second year of a three-year run at Cartersville, features 30 three-man teams competing in a three-count-two format. Several states across the U.S. will be represented by a team as will England, Scotland, Germany, Canada and, of course, Ireland.

A team and an individual champion will be crowned after 54 holes, and Lyons happens to be the returning individual champion.

Lyons has been a golfer since he was 9 years old and pours energy into both his own game and his work in golf. From April to September, he sprinkles tournaments into his schedule around the obligations that come with being a golf tour director amid the peak golf travel season.

“I am lucky enough to have an exceptional team around me that makes sure our clients are looked after during those months and allows me to compete in a select number of men’s amateur and seniors events during the summer in Europe,” he wrote by email.

Lyons’ resume is robust. Notably, he has won the Irish Senior Men’s Amateur Close Championship each of the past two years and in February, won the Spanish International Seniors Championship.

“Strangest experience this year was winning the Spanish Seniors Amateur and being prevented from bringing the trophy home on the plane as it was not in line with the airline’s ‘baggage policy,’” Lyons wrote.

Luckily, he noted, he had no such issue bringing home the trophy he won at this event a year ago for lowest individual and it now sits in a place of pride at his home.

Lyons’ golf life spans many arenas, from competitive senior golf to top-notch golf tourism, but he also continues to fly the flag for fiftysomethings by remaining competitive among a younger generation of golfers. Scroll the results of this year’s Amateur Championship at Ballyliffin in Ireland and there, in the top half of the 288-man field, you will find Lyons’ name. He fired rounds of 76-75 but missed the match-play cut.

When asked what goals remain for his game, Lyons, who is ranked among the top-20 players age 50 and over, listed winning the U.S. Senior Amateur or British Senior Amateur Championship when the time comes (he won’t be eligible for either until he turns 55). He also noted he would love to win low amateur at the Senior Open Championship.

With such lofty sights, Lyons is among good company at the International Senior Invitational. The field includes three past U.S. Senior Amateur champions: Doug Hanzel (2013), Bob Royak (2019) and Rusty Strawn (2022).

Kevin VandenBerg, the top-ranked player in Golfweek’s National Senior Amateur Rankings, is also in the field, and so is Mike McCoy, the 2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion who captained the 2023 U.S. Walker Cup team.

Ireland’s Joe Lyons holds on for wire-to-wire victory at Golfweek International Senior Invitational

The 51-year-old Irishman picked up his second win in the United States and his first as a senior.

CARTERSVILLE, Ga. – Joe Lyons entered Saturday’s final round at Cartersville Country Club with a three-stroke lead. Six under through 36 holes, the Irishman was confident in his ability to close, but knew it would be a tall task given the strength of the field and venue.

“One of the big selling points for us [Team Ireland] coming across is that it’s a WAGR-ranked event,” Lyons told Golfweek. “Our events aren’t so highly ranked. WAGR is important nowadays and we don’t have so many WAGR-ranked events across the pond.”

With the field rating being second only to the U.S. Senior Amateur, everyone in attendance knew it would be a battle for the ages.

Paired with Utah’s Shane McMillan and Oklahoma’s Michael Hughett, the trio traded blows throughout the day but never caught up to Lyons until the back nine. Just past the halfway mark, the pressure cooker that is playing for a championship, made for some fantastic golf.

On the par-3 13th, all three men found the bottom of the cup in two, covering each other’s birdies from well beyond 20 feet. McMillan’s putter would stay hot on No. 14, making birdie from 60 feet, giving him a share of the lead with four holes to play.

On the par-4 17th, McMillan dropkicked his drive left, nestling up against a tree. Taking an unplayable, he came away with a double to fall one back of Lyons heading to the final hole. Meanwhile, Hughett made a late charge. Calmly in control of his game, the Oklahoman clawed his way into a tie with Lyons at 4 under as they trekked to the 18th tee box.

All three men missed the fairway on the par-5 18th, leaving it anyone’s ball game.

“Probably the best shot I hit this week was my second shot into 18,” Lyons said. “I was in hardpan but there was Bermuda [grass] around the ball, I had to dig for it. I was hitting rescue and I knew I had to miss it left, I couldn’t miss it right.”

From about 235 yards out, Lyons ripped his 3-hybrid pin-high, just left of the greenside bunker, leaving himself a straightforward up-and-down opportunity to make birdie and win the championship.

McMillan double-crossed his second shot, making bogey while Hughett knocked his third shot to 12 feet for his potential tournament-winning birdie.

Lining up his pitch shot from around 25 yards out, Lyons did this:

Nearly making an eagle, Lyons tapped in for birdie, leaving the pressure on Hughett to force a playoff.

“I actually thought I holed it,” said Lyons. “I thought Michael (Hughett) might hole his [birdie putt] afterwards. I won’t say I was wishing him any bad luck or anything but my heart definitely slowed a little once he missed.”

With a 54-hole total of 5-under 211, the 51-year-old Irishman picked up his second win in the United States and his first as a senior.

Aside from taking home the trophy, Lyons’ favorite part of the week? The Southern hospitality shown by Cartersville Country Club and their volunteers.

“Hats off to everybody at Cartersville. The staff, the volunteers…the welcome we received was unbelievable and the golf course is really so well presented. The greens were amazing. It was a great week all-around.”

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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