Tag: senior golf

Gene Elliott named Golfweek’s 2021 Yancy Ford winner

Thea ward is presented to an individual who has made significant contributions to senior-amateur golf.

The Yancey Ford Award is presented annually by Golfweek to an individual who has made significant contributions to senior-amateur golf. This year it will be presented on January 16, 2022, at Tampa Palms CC following the first round of the Golfweek Player of the Year Classic.

Gene Elliott may just be the most fitting recipient of the award.

The Bettendorf, Iowa, native has created an impact well beyond the Hawkeye state. Gene has competed on the national level his whole career. With both British and U.S. Senior Amateur victories in 2021, Elliott has plenty to be thankful for as the calendar turns to 2022.

However, it’s what Elliott has done off the course that has piqued the interests of the Yancy Ford Award committee. Helping save the Iowa Golf Association (IGA) back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Elliott has been a big part of what the IGA has become.

“It was kind of a turbulent time,” Elliott told Golfweek. ”I just want[ed] to make golf better.”

Elliott did just that. After a couple of years on various boards for the IGA, Elliott revamped the state match play tournament. The event had been defunct since before he got to the IGA, but after getting other events to better courses and helping rebuild the IGA’s reputation, Elliott got the green light to reassert an event that is held in high regard across most state golf associations.

Revamping the Iowa State Match Play, being a part of the USGA mid-am committee for seven years (1999-2006), and being a part of the IGA’s board of directors for 16 years (2004-2019) helped earn Elliott an Iowa Golf Association Hall of Fame induction in 2012 at the age of 50. 

In his letter nominating Elliott, close friend and 2011 Iowa Golf Hall of Fame inductee, Mike McCoy said, “Gene has conducted himself as a true gentleman throughout his life both on and off the golf course. He has developed friendships throughout the golf world and is universally respected and liked by all.”

Current IGA CEO and executive director Chad Pitts spoke for everyone at the IGA when he told Golfweek that he did not want to see Elliott leave the Board of Directors in 2019. But rules are rules and Elliott exited the IGA’s Board of Directors in 2019 but still plays a role with the association here and there.

As good as his work is off the course, his volunteerism in golf is overshadowed by his playing career as Elliott is the top ranked senior in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and has won twelve of his 27 Iowa majors since turning 50.

Now with a Yancy Ford award to add to the ever-growing Elliott home trophy case, Elliott’s 30+ years of growing the game in the Hawkeye state and around the world, have been formally recognized.

Meghan Stasi, Sarah Ingram out front at new LNGA Mid-Am & Senior with a who’s who list trailing

The leaderboard at the inaugural event is like a who’s who in women’s mid-amateur and senior golf.

The deepest field in golf this week might be the one at Anthem (Arizona) Golf Club. On one side of the scoreboard, a four-time U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion has the lead. On the other, a Curtis Cup captain with three Women’s Mid-Amateur titles of her own is setting the pace.

The inaugural Ladies National Golf Association Mid-Am and Senior Championship is like a who’s who in women’s amateur golf. The resumes are staggering, but the opening day was plenty challenging.

“It a great golf course which tests you,” said Meghan Stasi, co-leader in the mid-am division. “But the wind died down a little today from the practice rounds and I could attack a few more pins.”

Scores: LNGA Mid-Amateur & Senior Championship

Stasi, who is an eight-time Player of the Year honoree in Florida, had five birdies offset by three bogeys and a double in and opening round of even-par 72. Gretchen Johnson, the 2017 and 2018 Oregon Golf Association Tournament of Champions winner, matched her with a 72 that included one bogey and one birdie.

“I kept it where the lawnmower goes most of the day,” said Johnson, a semifinalist at the 2018 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur. “It’s kind of tight, like target golf and I hit a lot of greens and I got it up and down every time.”

Behind that pair, 2015 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion Lauren Greenlief and Dawn Woodard, who will partner with Stasi in next week’s U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball, are tied for third at 74.

Kelsey Chugg, a Salt Lake City, Utah, resident who won the Women’s Mid-Am in 2017, had a 75.

In the senior division, Sarah Ingram, still a few months removed from her Curtis Cup captain duties this fall, was 3-over through four holes but overcame early struggles to finish with 75. That’s one stroke better than Corey Weworski, the 2004 U.S. Women’s Mid-Am winner from Carlsbad, California. Past U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur champion Mina Hardin, of Fort Worth, Texas, and Evelyn Orley, of Cardiff, California, trail Ingram by two.

“I had to work hard today,” said Ingram, who made three U.S. Curtis appearances as a player. “It was not an easy 75. I hit some good shots. My game was better than it’s been since coming back two years.”

Both championships are 54-hole stroke-play events in their inaugural year and are conducted by the Ladies National Golf Association.

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2021 Golfweek Player of the Year Classic

Join us for the 2021 Player of the Year Classic where we will honor Golfweek’s top three nationally ranked players in each division, The Senior, Super Senior, Legends and new for 2021 the Super Legends Divisions. Just outside of Tampa in Dade City …

Join us for the 2021 Player of the Year Classic where we will honor Golfweek’s top three nationally ranked players in each division, The Senior, Super Senior, Legends and new for 2021 the Super Legends Divisions.

Just outside of Tampa in Dade City Florida sits beautiful Lake Jovita Golf & Country Club home to two of Florida’s finest golf courses. All three rounds will be played on the tournament South Course. The South Course was designed and built on 220 beautiful acres of rolling landscape by former US Open Champion Tom Lehman, along with renowned course architect, Kurt Sandness. Their strategy was simple, take full advantage of the uniquely hilly terrain and create a golf course that is PGA tour quality in every sense.

IMPORTANT NOTE: All Golfweek senior amateur tournaments are counting tournaments leading to 15 exemptions into the 2021 U.S. Senior Amateur at The Country Club of Detroit in Grosse Pointe, MI.

Gene Elliott holds off Bob Royak, Team Kinkopf in double win at Golfweek Challenge Cup

Gene Elliott, the top-ranked senior amateur in the game, scored a pair of wins at the Golfweek Challenge Cup at PGA National.

When the playing captain wins the tournament, chances are good his team will, too. That was Gene Elliott’s story on a soggy week at the Golfweek Challenge Cup. Elliott captained his team to a 46-shot victory at PGA National. The event was shortened from 54 to 36 holes because of rain, but Elliott’s path to individual victory took on one extra hole.

The Challenge Cup pitted teams of top seniors captained by Elliott, the No. 1-ranked senior player in the world, and Ken Kinkopf, Golfweek’s 2019 Senior Player of the Year, against each other at PGA National, a PGA Tour venue. The best 10 scores on each man’s team counted toward the total.

At the top of the senior division leaderboard, however, it felt like a match-play tournament. Elliott actually went head-to-head on the final day with a member of his own team, Bob Royak. Elliott had a one-shot lead at the beginning of the day, turned it into a five-shot lead by the fourth hole then watched as it evaporated over the back nine. He fired a 73 to Royak’s 72 and after both men finished at 3 under, Elliott defeated Royak in an extra trip up the 18th hole.

Scores: Golfweek Challenge Cup

“I felt like I had the tournament all day long and then all of a sudden, a bogey and double bogey by me and a birdie by him, and then here we are, it’s a real horse-race,” Elliott said. “He’s a great player, I have a lot of respect for Bob Royak. He’s a wonderful guy.”

The two men already did battle at the Jones Cup in March, with Royak, the defending U.S. Senior Amateur champion, coming out on top of that. Because of that experience, and many others, Elliott knew he couldn’t just walk through the final round with Royak chasing him.

Gene Elliott

After the second round of the Challenge Cup was washed out, players returned to tough, wet conditions. PGA National showed its teeth regardless.

“You have to hit golf shots. There’s no faking it around there,” Elliott said. “Getting to know that course over the last few days, I have a lot of respect for it.”

Royak felt like the wet conditions may have helped him a bit because of his long game.

“I do feel like it favors me,” he said. “I think it favors good ballstrikers, I kind of consider myself a pretty good ballstriker. When the wind is blowing like that you just have to hit it really solid.

“I’m pretty steady and concentrate on hitting the ball flush, solid every time.”

Royak also knows what to expect out of Elliott. He doesn’t often have a bad hole and opponents know he’ll be right at par or better by the end of the round.

While Elliott and Royak played a starring role on the winning team, Team Kinkopf got a big boost from Doug Hanzel, T-4 in the senior division, and Johnny Blank, who won the legend division. Ultimately, it just wasn’t enough.

From here, Elliott and Royak both plan to plan another team event next month: the East West Matches at Maridoe Golf Club in Carrollton, Texas. Royak will play on the East team while Elliott is on the West. The teams are made up of elite senior amateurs, mid-amateurs and four top collegians.

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Gene Elliott leads his team to 33-shot advantage in opening round of Golfweek Challenge Cup

eam Elliott was leading after the first day at PGA National and by 33 shot.

When Gene Elliott was asked to captain a team of top senior amateurs for the Golfweek Senior Challenge Cup, he used his Iowa connections. Elliott, the top-ranked senior in the world, got 10 captain’s picks. He worked the phones to secure commitments.

“I had some Iowa guys and some of them came down and played,” he said. “It kind of got some guys playing that might not have played in this Golfweek event.”

Outside of the Iowa Cup, an in-state event that pits pros against amateurs, Elliott doesn’t have much experience as a captain. Regardless, Team Elliott was leading after the first day at PGA National and by 33 shots. Each team’s score is made up of the low 10 players’ scores on that team.

Leaderboard: Golfweek Challenge Cup

That left Ken Kinkopf, Golfweek’s 2019 Player of the Year, realizing he needed to stir up his squad for a second-round rally when the tournament switched from PGA National’s Champion course to the Fazio course for the second round.

“Narrow that gap tomorrow and close in on those guys on Team Elliott, hope to give it a good comeback tomorrow so that we can make a nice close match on the third,” he said.

Kinkopf doesn’t have much experience in this team format either. There are a handful of senior-amateur powerhouses in the Challenge Cup field, Kinkopf and Elliott among them. That list also includes reigning U.S. Senior Amateur champion Bob Royak and former Senior Am champ Doug Hanzel.

“You just go down the list and you want to make sure you have half the top guys,” Kinkopf said of selecting his team.

Royak went to Elliott’s team while Kinkopf got Hanzel.

Kinkopf, 59, looked at the first-round leaderboard and knew he needed to make up a little ground on his opposing captain. Elliott, 58, fired an opening 68 for the lead in the senior division while Kinkopf posted an uncharacteristic 85.

The Golfweek Challenge Cup medal

Kinkopf has struggled with back pain recently, and has had three back surgeries. He said his back wasn’t the problem in the opening round, but admits that it’s an issue. It hardly seemed to cut into a banner year in 2019 when Kinkopf was winning almost everything.

“Somehow I played well enough last year to become a ranked player,” he said. “I came out of nowhere to win one event and then I won six.”

Because of his play last year, Kinkopf would have been eligible for the U.S. Senior Amateur and the Canadian Senior Amateur in 2020, two of the marquee senior events on the calendar.

As for Elliott, even though he’s miles away from his Des Moines, Iowa, it still feels like a home game because he has a residence near PGA National.

For Elliott, COVID cancellations on the national senior amateur calendar meant more time at home in the Midwest. He played more golf with his wife Dalena at Glen Oaks Country Club in West Des Moines.

“It’s been a funny year and with the U.S. Senior Am and all that stuff getting canceled was just too bad,” Elliott said. “Hopefully we can just take off in 2021 and a lot of the tournaments will happen and they’ll figure this thing out and we can get back to normal senior golf.”

The calendar may look anything but normal, but Elliott’s game – and his position at the top – doesn’t look any different at all.

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Walt Martin wins Golfweek super legends title as he sets sights of topping new age division

What Walt Martin lacks in instruction he makes up for in sheer tournament experience.

Walt Martin can move it off the tee. The St. Augustine, Florida, resident turned 80 in September. This month, he fended off 14 other players in the super legends division of the Golfweek Super Senor, Legends and Super Legends National Championship to win that title by three shots on Sunday.

“Driving is my strength,” said Martin, who, when asked a follow-up about working with an instructor, admitted he hasn’t had a golf lesson in 30 years – back when he was still on active duty in the Navy.

What Martin lacks in instruction he makes up for in sheer tournament experience. He estimates he has played over 350 or 400 events since he started competing in national seniors events in 2004 in his mid-60s. He has been named player of the year in the super senior division and the legends division.

“So this year my goal is to be player of the year for super legend,” he said.

Leaderboard: Golfweek U.S. Super Senior, Legends, & Super Legends National Championship

The kind of play Martin displayed at the Falls Club in Lake Worth, Florida, over the past three days will get it done. Rounds of 71-77-78 left him three ahead of Tom Toombs in the super legends division. He had seven birdies in 54 holes.

Martin spent his career in the Navy. Standing on steel decks for much of his working life contributed to the back pain he feels now.

“The ability to hit ball after ball is not what I do anymore,” Martin said of pain that leads to limited practice.

Instead, he plays three times a week and often takes a  handful of clubs out on the golf course at night to walk a few holes with his wife. The Martins have a condo right on the King and Bear course at World Golf Village.

Super senior winner Dan Parkinson also had a career in service. The retired orthopedic surgeon spent 17 years in the Army.

Parkinson, of Lehi, Utah, had rounds of 68-70-76 to clip Kevin Macy by three shots in the super senior division.

“The harder the course is, the more advantage I have just because I play a lot of golf,” said Parkinson, who transitioned easily from the mountain elevation back home to sea-level conditions in Lake Worth.

Charley Yandell of Cashiers, North Carolina, was the winner in the legends division. Yandell had rounds of 70-74-73 to finish three shots ahead of John Blank, who is currently the No. 2-ranked player in the legend division of the Golfweek Senior Rankings.

Dan Parkinson, Golfweek Super Senior leader, is finding success in his return to competitive golf

There was period when Dan Parkinson was raising his seven children that he simply put the clubs away. Many players can probably relate.

There was period when Dan Parkinson was raising his seven children that he simply put the clubs away. Many players can probably relate.

Parkinson’s off period lasted roughly 15 years. That he’s back, and leading a national senior event 2,500 miles from his Lehi, Utah, home, says it all about this sport.

“What other sport allows a guy, at my age, to have that competitive spirit again?” Parkinson.

At 65, Parkinson falls into the super senior category at the Golfweek Super Senor, Legends and Super Legends National Championship. After rounds of 68-70 at the Falls Club in Lake Worth, Florida, Parkinson is 6 under and on the top of the leaderboard.

Kevin Macy of Tampa, Florida, is second at even par.

Leaderboard: Golfweek U.S. Super Senior, Legends, & Super Legends National Championship

“The harder the course is, the more advantage I have just because I play a lot of golf,” said Parkinson, who tees it up three or four times a week at Alpine Country Club in Highland, Utah.

In his Utah home, elevation comes into play. His home course sits right up against the mountains, at an elevation of 5,000 feet. Normally it takes longer for him to make the transition to such different course conditions. Where the elevation change is concerned, Parkinson says he’s not sure he hits it far enough to notice. His short irons are particularly affected, but once you get past 125 yards, it’s roughly a full club length of difference from sea level to his Utah home course.

Parkinson played college golf at BYU his freshman year (1972), on a team that was ranked in the top 5 in the nation at one point. Then he went into pre-med and decided to focus on his studies.

He is a recently retired orthopedic surgeon who spent 17 years in the Army.

Since retiring, Parkinson’s first foray back into competitive amateur golf happened roughly a year ago at the Golfweek Society of Seniors Challenge Cup. He attempted qualifiers for USGA events earlier in his golf life, but his most recent USGA experience has been as a caddie.

Parkinson carried the bag in two U.S. Amateurs for his son, Joe, who also played for BYU.

At the 2015 U.S. Amateur at Olympia Fields, the Parkinsons played stroke-play qualifying alongside Bryson DeChambeau.

Dan Parkinson’s goal with his golf game at this point is simply to enjoy it.

“I just want to play good, that’s all,” he said. “I love the competition, it’s great.”

Over the course of two days at the Golfweek Super Senior, Legends and Super Legends Championship, there have been 69 rounds in the 70s with Parkinson’s first-round 68 the low score.

Walt Martin of St. Augustine, Florida, leads the super legend division and Charley Yandell of Cashiers, North Carolina is ahead in the legend division.

For the best competition in senior golf, look no further than the Maryland men

Maryland residents John Blank and George Washburn have traded that No. 1 spot in Golfweek’s rankings of senior legends back and forth.

George Washburn only tells part of the story but luckily John Blank fills in the details. After an opening 79 at the Golfweek U.S. Super Senior, Legends, & Super Legends National Championship at the Falls Club in Lake Worth, Florida, on Thursday, Washburn bemoaned his putter.

“My putting has been a problem all summer,” Washburn said.

Blank, meanwhile, sings the praises of Washburn’s driver. Couple it with short game, and it’s easy to see how Washburn continually lands among the top-ranked seniors in the country. When both those parts of Washburn’s game are humming, Blank said, the man is unbeatable.

Blank, 73, should know. He’s right there with him at the top. So far in 2020, Washburn, 74, is the top-ranked player in the legends division (players age 70 to 74) according to the Golfweek Senior Rankings.

Leaderboard: Golfweek U.S. Super Senior, Legends, & Super Legends National Championship

Blank, of Frostburg, Maryland, and Washburn, of Frederick, Maryland, have traded that No. 1 spot back and forth these past two seasons. The top two players in the super senior rankings, John Armstrong and Jim Castagna, also hail from Maryland. Armstrong and Blank live minutes apart in Frostburg. Blank says they practice relentlessly together, compete and push each other.

“We feed off of each other and I guess it’s the competition,” Blanks said of the Maryland senior phenomenon.

Blank’s game shines around the greens.

“I don’t hit the ball that far but if my short game, wedges and chipping and putting is on, then I can compete with anybody in our division,” he said.

His even-par 72 in the opening round of the Golfweek Senior left him in second, behind only Charley Yandell of Cashiers, North Carolina, who came in with an opening 70.

Blank calls Washburn, his fellow Maryland stalwart, the tactician. Washburn is the guy who scouts courses on Google Earth and keeps track of the points standings from one tournament to the next.

“If I have any questions on who’s ahead or how many am I behind, he’ll know the answer,” Blank said.

Elite senior amateurs like Washburn and Blank could find a dedicated tournament to tee it up in nearly every week of the year. Some were canceled or postponed in light of COVID, but Blank will still get in 11 starts this year. He played 19 times in 2019.

Blank, who has never tried to qualify for a USGA event, still works part-time in the family business, Blank’s Tavern. He has lived in Frostburg his whole life, having grown up there and played one year on the varsity team at Frostburg State University.

Washburn, a retired engineer who spent his career working for Bechtel, played three years of college golf at Penn State from 1965-68. He played in the 1967 NCAA Championship. Despite qualifying for the national tournament again the next year, Washburn didn’t play. He was completing ROTC summer camp.

Washburn was born in Alabama, grew up mainly in Ohio before moving to Philadelphia in high school, and has spent 27 years in Maryland. When asked why so many good senior golfers of late have called Maryland home, he references the climate.

“We have usually a reasonably good season,” he said. “Last year, we played all year. We had one day of snow, about an inch of snow. We could play all year round.”

Washburn typically plays in about 20 national senior events through the year and is a force, together with partner Barry Flaer, in the Maryland Senior Four-Ball.

“I’ve been up near the top and won a lot of tournaments so played well,” he said of his goal in this game. “I’m just trying to go out and win a tournament when I enter. That’s about my only goal.”

He competed in the 2002 U.S. Senior Open but has mostly given up USGA qualifiers, feeling like he no longer has the length to compete at that level. Washburn, a formidable competitor in the mid-70s cohort, hopes someday the USGA might create an opportunity for that age group.

“There’s a lot of senior golfers out there, very good golfers, that are over 65 and there’s a world of difference between 55 and 65,” he said. “Fifty-five-year-olds hit it a long way and 65, still a few guys that are long but not that are anywhere near as long as the younger guys.

“It would be nice to have a national championship that supported that age.”

Should that ever come to fruition, there’s a crew of men from Maryland who would be a good bet to carry off the title.

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Golfweek to host dedicated 65-and-over national championship for fourth year

When it comes to national competition, there’s a void for the 65-and-over age category. Golfweek has taken the lead in filling it.

When it comes to national competition, there’s a void for the 65-and-over age category. There currently is no dedicated U.S. Golf Association event for this group of players. In 2017, Golfweek took the lead in creating a tournament opportunity for a group of players with decades of history in this game. That event – the Super Senior, Legends, and Super Legends National Championship – joined the Golfweek’s Elite Senior Players Series and will continue next month at the Falls Club of the Palm Beaches in Lake Worth, Florida.

Many world-class amateurs over the age of 65 have experienced a point in life where golf was put on the back shelf, behind family responsibilities and business obligations. Tournament glory took a back seat, but the competitive spirit never dwindled.

“We have spent the last several years advocating for this group of talented players,” said Armand Cimaroli, Director of Events for USA Today Sports/Golfweek.

A dedicated tournament for this age group offers a unique opportunity at winning a national championship. Golfweek will continue to crown elite super senior, legend and super legend champions from around the U.S. and give them the opportunity to hoist a national trophy in each of those divisions.

About the event

Super Senior (age 65-69)
Legends (age 70-74)
Super Legends (age 75+)

Dates

October 7-10, 2020 – 54 hole stroke play competition in three divisions.

The venue

The Falls Club of the Palm Beaches, Lake Worth, Florida

In the heart of the golf rich coast of Southeast Florida lies the Falls Club of the Palm Beaches. Known as one of the most exclusive clubs in the Palm Beach area, the Falls Club has opened their doors to the Golfweek Elite Senior Players Series.

Last time

Super Senior champion – Mark Coward, Paradise Valley, Arizona

Legends champion – Russell Randolph, St Simons Island, Georgia

Players to Watch

In the Super Senior Division, Jim Castagna from Sandy Springs, Marlyand, currently sits at No. 2 in the Golfweek National Senior Rankings but is having a career year. Look for him to break out in the Super Senior division.

Also anticipate a Legends division battle between No. 1 George Washburn of Frederick, Maryland, and No. 2 John Blank of Frostburg, Maryland. There must be something in the water in Maryland because both of these players are world class and seemingly battle it out every year.

In the Super Legends Division, Walt Martin of St. Augustine, Florida, sits at the top of the rankings but is being pushed hard by Charlie Busbee of Stockbridge, Georgia. Either player could come out on top but Walt has the momentum going into the tournament.

For more information and to register for the Golfweek Super Senior, Legends, & Super Legends National Championship click HERE!

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KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship canceled in wake of coronavirus

The KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship Scheduled for May 19-24 at Harbor Shores Resort in Benton Harbor, Michigan has been canceled.

The PGA of America announced Thursday the 2020 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship has been canceled.

Scheduled for May 19-24 at Harbor Shores Resort in Benton Harbor, Michigan, the event was canceled after Michigan enacted a stay-at-home order on March 23.

“While we are incredibly disappointed, we all understand that protecting public health is the highest priority,” PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh said in a statement. “We are especially disappointed for the Benton Harbor community, our friends at KitchenAid and the fans and volunteers who support this important championship so passionately.”

The Senior PGA Championship will return to Harbor Shores Resort in 2022. In 2021, the event will be held at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from May 25-30, 2021.

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