Randall Conn Wins North Senior Amateur; Tom Takes Claims Super Senior Division

Briefly: Trophy Club’s Randall Conn wins the North Senior Amateur title with a final round 72 to finish at five-over-par 145 for the tournament, to claim the win over the field by five strokes.  This is Conn’s first Texas Golf Association championship.

Tom Takes of Weatherford, claimed the Super Senior Division at 7-over-par 147, a one shot victory over second place Sam Manning of Dallas.  This is Takes first Texas Golf Association victory as well.

Final Results

Golf Course: This is the third Texas Golf Association regional championship at Walnut Creek Country Club. Most recently they hosted the 2019 North Four-Ball, won by Jason Schultz and Dru Fenimore. Located in Mansfield approximately 30 miles southwest of downtown Dallas, Walnut Creek Country Club opened in 1974 and was designed by Don January and Bill Martindale.  Walnut Creek Country Club has been rated as one of the best clubs in the DFW area by Avid Golfer every year since 2020.

Weather: Tuesday’s opening round of the North Senior Amateur presented an extreme challenge to the players with overcast skies and strong winds out of the northwest blowing at 25-30 mph all day with gusts up to 40 mph. Tuesday’s high reached into the upper 60s. Wednesday welcomed the players with slightly better conditions, the wind continued to blow out of the northwest at about 8-10 mph and gusts up to 20 mph. The final round temperature reached the low 70s.

Top Finishers: Conn fired a very impressive three-over-par 73 in the first round of the North Senior amateur in brutal conditions with wind gusts reaching upwards of 40 mph.  Conn recorded one birdie during his first round on the par 3 fourth hole.  Conn shot 72 in the final round, running away from the rest of the field by taking advantage of much better playing conditions.  Conn put a stamp on his victory with an eagle on hole 18.

Tim Mauser, of Aledo, fired rounds of 74-75-150.  Mauser entered the final round one back of Conn after the tough first round playing conditions and started strong with a birdie on the first hole of the final round but Conns stellar play was enough to pull away from the field. 2022 and 2023 North Senior Amateur Champions Neal Barfield of Dallas and Jon Schaefer of Plano finished in a tie for third place after round of 79-72-151 and 76-75-151, respectively.  Rounding out the top five were David Johnson of Trophy Club and Lee Sandlin of Dallas who both finished at twelve-over-par for the tournament.

Super Senior Division: Takes played consistent golf over the two days with rounds of 74-73-147 to claim the Super Senior Division of the North Senior Amateur by one stroke over Sam Manning.  Takes and Manning were neck and neck throughout the entire final round with Manning firing four birdies to make a strong run at Takes.  However, it would end up being a par on hole 16 that would be the deciding factor in Takes’ win as Manning finished bogey, bogey, birdie versus Takes par-bogey-birdie. Finishing in third place Michael Puls of Irving, shot 76-74-150.  Gary Kirwan of McKinney and Russell Cox of Woodway rounded out the top five with tournament totals of 152 and 153.

Player of the Year: Senior and Super Senior Player of the Year points will be awarded to the top finishers at the 2024 North Senior Amateur. The winning player in each division will receive 500 points, followed by 400 for second, 300 for third, 200 for fourth, and 100 for fifth. For Senior and Super Senior POY information, click here and here.

 What’s Next: The next event in the Regional Series will be the 96^th West Texas Amateur at Quicksand Golf Course in San Angelo. Registration will open to players from all over Texas on May 22^nd and the event will have three divisions – Open, Senior, and Super Senior. The final event in the North Regional Series will be the North Amateur held at Tempest Golf Club in Gladewater, TX. Registration for the North Amateur will open on June 12^th.

More Info: The Texas Golf Association extends its sincere appreciation to the staff, members of Walnut Creek Country Club, and our volunteers for their integral part in making the North Senior Amateur a memorable and successful event. For more information on the North Senior Amateur, click here.

Regional Senior Amateurs Set for April 2-3

The Texas Golf Association’s 2024 men’s regional tournament series rolls on in the first week of April with the North and South Senior Amateurs. The championships will be held concurrently from April 2-3.

The North Senior Amateur will be played on the Pecan Course at Walnut Creek Country Club in Mansfield. Tapatio Springs Hill Country Resort in Boerne will be the host site for the South Senior Amateur.

This will be the fourth TGA championship held at Walnut Creek and the sixth at Tapatio Springs. The last TGA championship held at Walnut Creek was the 2019 North Four-Ball, won by Dru Fenimore and Jason Schultz. Tapatio Springs most recently hosted the 2023 Texas Father-Son, won by Brian and Wick Comegys. The resort has also hosted the TGA’s Texas Shamble, a mixed team event, for the last six years.

The Pecan Course at Walnut Creek Country Club opened in 1974 and was designed by Billy Martindale and Texas Golf Hall of Fame member Don January. The classic, parkland-style layout weaves through groves of trees, natural water hazards, and unspoiled native areas. Located approximately 30 miles northwest of downtown San Antonio, Tapatio Springs Hill Country Resort opened in 1981 with a course originally designed by Bill Johnston. In 2015, Tripp Davis & Associates completed an extensive renovation of the facility which included reshaping and rebuilding all fairways, bunkers, teeing areas, and green complexes.

First played in 2003, the Regional Senior Amateurs feature two age divisions: 55 and older (Senior) and 65 and older (Super Senior). Entries are open to male amateur golfers who meet the age requirements by the first round of tournament play, have an up-to-date Handicap Index® not exceeding 8.4 (10.0 for Super Senior) issued through a member club of the TGA, and reside in the region relative to their respective championship. The delineation between the North and South regions is the 31st parallel that passes through the city of Salado.

Both championships are conducted using the same competitive format. The starting field of 84 players (60 Seniors, 24 Super Seniors) will play 36 holes of individual stroke play over two days with no cut. Each age division will compete from different tees and yardages, with separate champions recognized. Players who are 65 and older can opt to compete in the Senior Division at the time an entry form is submitted.

The top 15 finishers and ties in the Senior Division, regardless of age, will earn exemptions into this year’s Texas Senior Amateur to be held Sept. 27-29 on the TPC Course at The Nelson Golf & Sports Club in Irving. In addition, the top five finishers and ties will earn performance points which will be applied to the year-long Senior Player of the Year race.

Starting times and pairings for the first round of both championships will be posted on the TGA website no later than March 27. Live scoring updates and daily recaps will also be available online once the action gets underway from Walnut Creek Country Club and Tapatio Springs Hill Country Resort.

At the 2023 championships, Mike Booker secured his fifth overall South Senior Amateur title with a 36-hole total of 2-under-par 140 at Gus Wortham Park Golf Course in Houston. Charles Reeve won the Super Senior Division on the second playoff hole over Steve Moran after the two players tied at 4-over 146 at the end of regulation play. John Schaefer won the North Senior Amateur with rounds of 74-75 (+5) over 36 holes at Whitestone Golf Club in Benbrook. Rick Lindsay took home the honors in the Super Senior Division with a 7-over 151 total.

Regional Senior Amateurs Set for April 3-5

The Texas Golf Association’s 2023 men’s regional tournament series rolls on in the first week of April with the back-to-back playing of the North and South Senior Amateurs.

The North Senior Amateur will be held April 3-4 at Whitestone Golf Club in Benbrook, while the South Senior Amateur will be contested April 4-5 at Gus Wortham Park Golf Course in Houston.

Located about 12 miles southwest of Fort Worth, Whitestone Golf Club opened in 2000 and is a design collaboration between Jeff Brauer and Jay Morrish. Set on 150 acres of beautiful rolling land, the par-72 layout plays just over 6,450 yards from the middle set of tees. Gus Wortham Park Golf Course traces back over 100 years to when it opened in 1908 as the original site of Houston Country Club. The 6,388-yard, par-71 course, which has been owned by the City of Houston since 1973, was completely renovated and modernized in 2019 by the architectural firm of Finger Dye Spann, Inc.

First played in 2003, the Regional Senior Amateurs feature two age divisions: 55 and older (Senior) and 65 and older (Super Senior). Entries are open to male amateur golfers who meet the age requirements by the first round of tournament play, have an up-to-date WHS Handicap Index® not exceeding 8.4 (10.0 for Super Senior) issued through a member club of the TGA, and reside in the region relative to their respective championship. The delineation between the North and South regions is the 31st parallel in Salado.

Both championships are conducted using the same competitive format. The starting field of 84 players (60 Seniors, 24 Super Seniors) will play 36 holes of individual stroke play over two days with no cut. Each age division will compete from different tees and yardages, with separate champions recognized. Players who are 65 and older can opt to compete in the Senior Division at the time an entry form is submitted. The top 15 finishers and ties in the Senior Division, regardless of age, will earn exemptions into this year’s Texas Senior Amateur to be held Sept. 8-10 at Amarillo Country Club.

Starting times and pairings for the first round of both championships will be posted online the TGA website no later than March 31. Live scoring updates and daily recaps will also be available online once the action gets underway from Whitestone Golf Club and Gus Wortham Park Golf Course.

At the 2022 championships, Mike Booker of Houston secured his fifth overall South Senior Amateur title with a 36-hole total of 5-over-par 147 at Beaumont Country Club. Mike Vacek of Weimar finished at 8-over 150 to win the Super Senior Division for the second straight year. Neal Barfield of Dallas won the North Senior Amateur with rounds of 73-71 (+4) over 36 holes at The Golf Club of Dallas. Jim Quinn of Arlington took home the honors in the Super Senior Division with a 3-over 143 total.

Barfield and Quinn Win at North Senior Amateur

Dallas — Neal Barfield of Dallas won the Senior Division of the North Senior Amateur after firing a 1-over 71 amidst windy conditions on Wednesday. Jim Quinn of Arlington completed his wire-to-wire victory of the Super Senior Division with rounds of 67-76 at Golf Club of Dallas.

Click here for full leaderboard

Leaders: Barfield made four birdies in his second round and posted the low score on Wednesday in both divisions. His 4-over total pushed him two strokes ahead of the field as he won the North Senior Amateur for the first time. Quinn started steady in round two, going out at even-par 35, but ran into a four-hole stretch where he played 6-over. He finished with three pars and five strokes ahead of the field.

In Contention: In the Senior Division, Burleson’s Lewis Stephenson and Grapevine’s Michael Goff finished tied for second at 6-over, while Irving’s Steve Love and McKinney’s Donald Oconnor finished fourth and fifth. In the Super Senior Division, two-time reigning champion Gary Kirwan of McKinney finished runner-up to Quinn, followed by Rockwall’s Rick Lindsay in third, Irving’s Michael Puls in fourth and Jacksonville’s Dick Stone in fifth.

Course: Golf Club of Dallas is hosting the North Senior Amateur for the second time. The course was designed by Perry and Press Maxwell and opened in 1953. The last time the North Senior Amateur was at GC of Dallas was in 2010, which saw Jim Mundell win the Senior Division and Randy Wolff win the Super Senior Division.

Tournament History: The North Senior Amateur is in its 13^th year on the schedule and is the second regional event in North Texas in 2022. The tournament is a 36-hole stroke play event with players competing in two separate divisions. The Senior Division is comprised of players that are 55 years and older, while the Super Senior Division is made up of players that are 65 years and older.

TGA Regional Series: The TGA Regional Series is made up of four events for each region of North and South Texas. There is a Regional Four-Ball, Mid-Amateur, Senior Amateur and Amateur for both the North and South. The West Texas Amateur also serves as an event in the Regional Series and is open to any players in the state of Texas that meet eligibility.

Player of the Year: Points were awarded to the top five finishers of each division for the Senior Player of the Year and Super Senior Player of the Year. The champions each got 500 points towards the statewide honor followed by 400 for runner-up, 300 for third, 200 for fourth and 100 for fifth. The Regional Senior Amateurs were the first opportunity for players to earn points in those races.

What’s Next: The TGA heads out to Tempest Golf Club for the North Four-Ball, which was rescheduled from it’s original February date due to severe weather. Qualifying has commenced for the 113^th Texas Amateur and sites are scattered across the state for the next few months. The Legends Junior Tour heads to the Austin area for the rescheduled Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic at Crystal Falls Golf Club on April 9-10.

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 North Senior Amateur, click here. To see all the scores from Golf Club of Dallas, click here.

TGA Regional Senior Amateurs Set for March 30-April 6

The Texas Golf Association’s 2022 Regional Championship Series continues with the back-to-back playing of the North and South Senior Amateurs.

First up is the South Senior Amateur to be held March 30-31 at Beaumont Country Club. The North Senior Amateur will be contested April 5-6 at The Golf Club of Dallas.

Beaumont Country Club was established in 1906 and is one of the five founding member clubs of the TGA. The course was originally designed by Alex Findlay and opened for play the following year. Baxter Spann supervised a $2 million dollar renovation of the course in 2004. The Golf Club of Dallas opened for play in 1953 and was designed by the father-son team of Perry and Press Maxwell. The course was renovated in 2002 by past Masters champion Charles Coody.

First played in 2003, the Regional Senior Amateurs feature two age divisions: 55 and older (Senior) and 65 and older (Super Senior). Entries are open to male amateur golfers who meet the age requirements by the first round of tournament play, belong to a TGA Member Club, have a World Handicap System Index of 8.4 or less (10.0 or less for Super Senior), and reside in the region relative to their respective championship. The TGA uses the 31st parallel in Salado as the delineation between the North and South regions.

The format for both events is 36 holes of individual stroke play. Each age division competes from different tees and yardages, with a separate champion recognized. Players who are 65 and older can opt to compete in the Senior Division at the time an entry form is submitted. The top 15 finishers and ties in the Senior Division, regardless of age, will earn exemptions into this year’s Texas Senior Amateur.

Live scoring updates, daily recaps, as well as tee-times and pairings, will be available on the website once the action gets underway from Beaumont Country Club and The Golf Club of Dallas.

At the 2021 championships, Dave Davis of Saginaw secured his third North Senior Amateur title with a victory on the second playoff hole over John Derrick of Waco. The two finished regulation play tied at 2-under-par 142 at Wildhorse Golf Club in Denton. Gary Kirwan of McKinney also won the Super Senior Division for a third time by besting two-time overall champion John Grace of Fort Worth in a three-hole playoff. Both players finished 36 holes at 147 (+3). David Ortego of Spring carded rounds of 67-70 (-7) to capture the South Senior Amateur at Kissing Tree Golf Club in San Marcos. Ortego also won the event in 2015. Mike Vacek of Weimar finished at 146 (+2) to win the Super Senior Division.