Around the Green

Texas Senior Amateur Set for Sept. 25-27

The 83rd playing of the Texas Senior Amateur will take place Sept. 25-27 at Ridgewood Country Club in Waco.

“We are extremely excited to have the opportunity to conduct the Texas Senior Amateur at Ridgewood Country Club,” TGA Tournament Director Chris Untiedt said. “The club has been a huge supporter of TGA events over the years and will be a terrific venue for one of our oldest and most prestigious major championships.”

Ridgewood Country Club will host its first Texas Senior Amateur and seventh TGA championship this year. The club was previously the site of the 2019 Texas Super Senior Amateur and five Women’s Texas Amateurs dating back to 1956.

Designed by Texan Ralph Plummer, Ridgewood opened for play in 1947. Plummer utilized the site’s natural features – rolling, wooded land overlooking Lake Waco – to create a classic layout that features narrow fairways, cavernous bunkers and exceptionally quick, undulating green complexes.

“Ridgewood’s superintendent Travis Moore and his team have the golf course in incredible condition and the bentgrass greens are rolling fast and true,” Untiedt said. “We’re confident Ridgewood will present a comprehensive challenge for the state’s finest senior players and identify a worthy champion.”

The Texas Senior is open to male amateurs with a WHS 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. 25-26. At the completion of the 36 holes, the field is cut to the low 54 players and ties for the final round.

Gary Durbin of Houston, who won the 2019 championship at Deerwood Club in Kingwood, will be back to defend his title. Durbin posted a three-day total of one-over-par 213 for a two-stroke victory over Kip Estep of Rockwall and John Pierce of San Antonio.

In addition to Durbin, six other past champions are set to tee it up at Ridgewood. They are two-time winners Lewis Stephenson of Mansfield (who won in 2018, ’16) and Ron Kilby of McAllen (2014, ’11), Ed Brooks of Fort Worth (2017), Mike Peck of Irving (2013), John Grace of Fort Worth (2010) and David Pocknall of Katy (2009).

Live scoring updates and daily recaps, as well as tee-times and pairings, will be available once the action gets underway from Ridgewood.

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