Around the Green

Texas Senior Amateur Set for Sept. 27-29

DALLAS – The 82nd playing of the Texas Senior Amateur will take place Sept. 27-29 at Deerwood Club in Kingwood.
 
First held in 1937, the Texas Senior is the second oldest competition conducted by the Texas Golf Association. The Texas Amateur, which dates back to 1906, is the only championship with a longer history.
 
Deerwood Club and the TGA have forged a strong partnership over the years, working together to promote the amateur game of golf. This will be the first Texas Senior and fifth overall major championship contested at Deerwood. The club was previously the site of the 2014 Texas Four-Ball, 1999 and 1986 Texas Amateur and 1989 Texas Mid-Amateur. Deerwood also played host to the TGA’s 2013 and 2004 South Regional Amateur, as well as numerous USGA qualifiers.
 
One of the five courses that comprise The Clubs of Kingwood, Deerwood opened for play in 1982 and was designed by the architectural team of Joe Finger, Ken Dye and Byron Nelson.
 
The trio took full advantage of the site’s natural features – gently rolling terrain, meandering creeks and streams and groves of towering pine trees – to create a classic layout that has stood the test of time. With narrow fairways and cavernous bunkers guarding large, undulating green complexes, Deerwood has proven repeatedly to be a comprehensive challenge for the state’s finest amateur players, regardless of age.
 
The Texas Senior is open to male amateurs with a GHIN Handicap Index of 6.4 or less, have reached the age of 55 on or before the tournament start date and are current Texas residents.
 
The format for the championship is 54 holes of individual stroke play. The starting field of 144 golfers play two rounds on Sept. 27-28. At the completion of the 36 holes, the field is cut to the low 54 players and ties for the final round.
 
Lewis Stephenson of Mansfield, who won the 2018 championship at The Hills Country Club in Austin, will be back to defend his title. Stephenson carded a final round 5-under-par to storm back from a four-shot deficit. His 5-under 211 total was one stroke better than Mike Booker of The Woodlands, the 2015 champion at Oak Hills Country Club. It’s the second Senior Amateur title for Stephenson in three years; he won in 2016 at Escondido and finished runner-up in 2017 at Royal Oaks Country Club in Dallas.
 
In addition to Stephenson and Booker, who will be inducted into the Texas Golf Hall of Fame in Oct., five other past champions are set to tee it up at Deerwood Club. They are Ed Brooks of Fort Worth (who won in 2017), two-time winner Ron Kilby of McAllen (2014, ’11), Mike Peck of Irving (2013), Chuck Palmer of Dallas (2012) and John Grace of Fort Worth (2010).
 
The exceptionally strong field this year also includes reigning South Senior Amateur champion Scott Smith of Houston, Mickey Jones of Odessa and Wayne Wright of Fort Worth, respective winners of the 2018 and 2017 Texas Super Senior Amateur, and John Pierce of San Antonio, the 2017 Senior Player of the Year.
 
Live scoring updates and daily recaps, as well as tee-times and pairings, will be available at txga.org once the action gets underway from Deerwood. To learn more about this year’s championship please contact the Texas Golf Association main office at (214) 468-8942.
 
ABOUT THE TGA: Founded in 1906 as the governing body of amateur golf in Texas, the TGA is an official representative of the United States Golf Association and the only licensed distributor of USGA GHIN Handicaps. We serve all golfers across Texas with elite competitive championships and recreational playing opportunities for men, women, seniors and juniors. The TGA is represented by hundreds of public and private facility Member Clubs throughout the state. It is our honor and responsibility to promote, protect and grow the game of golf on all levels. To learn more, click here.