Around the Green

Kramer, Grace Lead After Second Round of Super Senior Amateur

SUGAR LAND — Jeff Kramer of The Woodlands took the lead in the Texas Super Senior Amateur after a second round 72. In the Legends Division, Fort Worths’ John Grace extended his lead to eight shots following another round of even par.

Leaderboard

Leaders: Kramer followed up his first round 74 with another round of steady golf carding even-par 72 that included three birdies to sit at 146 overall through two rounds.  Kramer opened his round with a clean scorecard on the front nine that featured birdies on holes 1 and 4.  Kramer continued his solid play with a par and birdie on his first two holes on the back nine.  Kramer would finish the back nine 2-over after a bogey on hole 12 and a double bogey on hole 16.  He will head into the final round of the Super Senior Amateur just one stroke ahead of the field.  Grace began his second round with extremely steady play, carding a par on the first seven holes.  His clean card would not last the entire nine however when he slipped up with a bogey on hole 8.  Grace’s back nine started and ended on a high note carding birdies on 10 and 18.  Just like the first round Grace was able to keep a cool head following a bad hole.  After a bogey on hole 14 he immediately followed it up with a birdie on 15.  Another bogey on 16 was answered with the forementioned birdie on 18.  Grace sits at even par 144 the lowest two round total in the Legends Division in Super Senior Amateur history.  He will look to hold onto a sizeable lead heading into the final round.

In Contention: In the Super Senior Division, David Leiss of Houston sits one back of Kramer after a second round 70 that included five birdies.  First round leader Bill Ashley slipped down to solo third after a second round 6-over 78.  Bobby Baugh of San Antonio sits in fourth place at 150 overall.  Tied for fifth are Dick Stone of Bullard and Hollis Sullivan of Westworth Village at 151.

In the Legends Division, Bill Holstead of Wichita Falls remained solo second after an impressive 3-over-par 75 that included birdies on holes 16 and 18.  Holstead sits at 152 overall after the second round.  In third place is Dallas’ Dan Nicholson who also shot 3-over during the second round and is now at 156 for the tournament.  Rounding out the top five of the Legends Division are Gary Kirwan of McKinney in fourth place at 157 and Jay Trahan of Montgomery in fifth at 161.

Course: Founded in 1957, River Bend Country Club is one of the Greater Houston area’s most acclaimed member owned country clubs. River Bend Country Club holds rich history that includes the club record once being held by Ben Hogan.   River Bend was designed by Press Maxwell Jr. who has had a hand in designing and renovating other famous courses throughout the United States like Prairie Dunes Country Club in Kansas, a course which his father originally designed.  In 2010 Jeff Blume added to the prestige of the club during a $1.4 million dollar renovation adding rolling fairways, extra bunkers, and changing some green complexes and installing Bermuda grass to the greens.  Blume again added to the course with an additional bunker renovation in 2019.

Today’s Super Senior Division was contested at 6,210 yards while the Legends Division played at 5,805 yards for the second round.

Tournament History: First played in 2015, the Texas Super Senior features two age divisions: 65 and older (Super Senior) and 75 and older (Legends). Entries are open to male amateur golfers who meet the age requirements by the first round of tournament play and have a certified Handicap Index® of 12.4 or less (16.4 or less for Legends) issued through a TGA Member Club.

The format for the championship, is 54 holes of individual stroke play with no cut. Each age division competes from different tees and yardages, with a separate champion recognized. Prizes are also awarded to low Net scores in both Super Senior and Legends Divisions.

POY Points Race: Super Senior Player of the Year points will be awarded to the Top 20 finishers of Texas Super Senior. The champions will each get 1,000 points towards the statewide honor, followed by 750 for runner-up; 650 for third; 600 for fourth; and 550 for fifth. A complete breakdown of the Texas Super Senior Player of the Year, including points allocation, can be found here.

What’s Next: The final round of the Texas Super Senior will begin at 8:30 a.m. off holes No. 1 and No. 10 at Riverbend Country Club. The leaders of the Super Senior going last off hole No. 1 and the leaders of the Legends going last off hole No. 10.

About the TGA: The Texas Golf Association was established in 1906 with a mission to promote the playing and advancement of the royal and ancient game of golf in Texas. The association is one of the most respected in the country with an ongoing commitment to its members, contestants, volunteers and all who strive to preserve the great traditions of the game.

For More information about the Texas Super Senior, click here.