Super Senior National Championship

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.