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USA Today
12-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Gritty Bryan Hoops wins Golfweek Senior National Championship by eight shots
Gritty Bryan Hoops wins Golfweek Senior National Championship by eight shots Bryan Hoops is navigating his way around the senior circuit largely by word of mouth. Hoops, a gritty competitor, has long tested his game against national competition, it's just that for the past year, the 56-year-old has found himself in a new realm: senior amateur golf. Hoops, of Tempe, Arizona, added to his win column on June 11 with an eight-shot victory at the Golfweek Senior National Championship at Grandover Resort in Greensboro, North Carolina. He piggy-backed this start on top of last week's National Senior Hall of Fame Tournament at High Point (North Carolina) Country Club. 'A bunch of the guys that were in Florida stated that one of the events on the East Coast that they do make it to is either the Hall of Fame or this event. It happened to be back-to-back, it worked for me,' he said of this cross-country trip. Hoops finished one shot out of a playoff at High Point but he resumed his winning ways – he has won five other tournaments since the start of April – at Grandover. As always, there's more to the story than simply the score. Hoops came right from High Point and because of a rain-out weekend, didn't get a chance to play a practice round at Grandover. Normally, that would be a methodical day for Hoops as he carefully constructed a plan of attack for the golf course. Instead, he went into the first round on June 9 blind. Add rainy, muddy conditions and Hoops' uncharacteristic opening 75 . Hoops guesses the conditions added seven to eight shots to competitors' scores across the board. He ended the day three shots off the pace. Rain continued to fall throughout the week and the lift, clean and replace rules went into effect for the final two rounds. 'Everybody had it, I'm just lucky to stay close enough to the lead with all the things that happened,' said Hoops, who was pleased with his ballstriking all three days. Hoops closed with rounds of 66-68 – making a total of nine birdies in those final 36 holes and an eagle in each round – and at 7 under for the tournament, ultimately put eight shots between himself and runner-up Kevin VandenBerg, the two-time reigning Golfweek Senior Player of the Year. The battle between Hoops and VandenBerg for the title over the last two days could become a familiar storyline in senior golf for the next few years. VandenBerg is famous for teeing it up nearly every week – something for which he draws respect from Hoops and other competitors. Hoops' previous two victories came at the Huddleston Cup and the Trans-Mississippi Senior Championship. In April, he won three consecutive senior events – two Golfweek and one Society of Seniors – in the California desert. As the summer amateur calendar intensifies, here's a mind-blowing stat to consider: In more than 100 competitive rounds since December, Hoops has only posted two rounds over par. That makes him a very intriguing character to watch as the summer schedule plays out. Hoops said an email mix-up regarding an exemption into the second round of U.S. Senior Open qualifying will leave him on the outside looking in when that tournament is played at the end of the month, but in July, he will play the British Senior Amateur at Walton Heath Golf Club in England. While there, he will also try to qualify for the British Senior Open. Hoops has a competitive leg up in the latter department because of relationships he has built with pros on various tours who also play at his home course, Whisper Rock Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. 'Ken Tanigawa is a real close friend of mine and he goes over two weeks early, plays a bunch of the old places and gets into a lot of stuff,' Hoops said. 'Brings some friends of his – whether it's Tim Herron, whether it's Scott McCarron – all these guys that they play with every week and I'll jump in with those guys and enjoy a week of golf over there, relaxing.' Back home in the U.S., Hoops has several other starts lined up between exemptions, invitationals and USGA qualifiers. 'I filled out a lot of paperwork and I might have tournaments overlapping each other because of late confirmations and so forth so now I have to make a decision – whether I'm going to L.A. or whether I'm going to Seattle,' he said. 'I have to pick and withdraw from one, so the schedule gets a little crazy and it's really a full-time job just to keep up on the schedule.' Once he gets there, Hoops nearly always takes care of business. Super Senior division The Super Senior division was a much tighter race at Grandover than the Senior division. Randy King of Horseshoe Bay, Texas and Greg Goode of Salina, Kansas, both finished 54 holes at 9 over and returned to the course for a playoff. King won on the first extra hole. King finished in the top 5 at the Society of Seniors Senior Masters in April. Goode, meanwhile, is the top super senior player in Golfweek's National Senior Amateur Rankings. Legends division Stephen Fox of Pinehurst, North Carolina, won the Legends title at 2 over. That was five shots better than Bob MacWhinnie of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Super Legends division Pete Allen of Southport, North Carolina, pulled off a runaway victory in the Super Legends division, finishing at 5 over and eight shots ahead of runners-up Frank Polizzi of Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, and John Blank of Frostburg, Maryland.
USA Today
10-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Bryan Hoops in familiar spot after second-round 66 at Golfweek Senior National Championship
Bryan Hoops in familiar spot after second-round 66 at Golfweek Senior National Championship It took some second-round heroics, but Bryan Hoops is in position to extend his senior golf winning streak. The 56-year-old from Tempe, Arizona, entered the Golfweek Senior National Championship having won his last five senior starts, dating to April. Now Hoops, with a second-round 66 at Grandover Resort in Greensboro, North Carolina, is in position to extend that streak to six. Hoops began the tournament at Grandover with an uncharacteristic 3-over 75, but on Tuesday he redeemed himself with a 6-under 66 that not only shot him to the top of the leaderboard but gave him a five-shot lead entering the second round. Hoops, who plays out of Whisper Rock Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, (often with professionals from the Korn Ferry, PGA or Champions Tours), had five birdies on the day. His only blemish was a bogey at No. 15. He added an eagle at the par-5 18th. Scores: Golfweek Senior National Championship At 3 under for 36 holes, Hoops now leads Kevin VandenBerg, the top-ranked player in the Golfweek National Senior Amateur Rankings, by five shots. VandenBerg, of Pulaski, New York, has had back-to-back rounds of 1-over 73 at Grandover. Hoops excels at many areas of the game, but perhaps picks up the biggest advantage with his distance. 'I do things that I feel are stretching my career,' he said in April after winning the Golfweek Senior Division National Championship. 'I don't know anybody that hits it farther than I do constantly. It's a big advantage.' First-round Senior division leader David Glabicki, of Cary, North Carolina, remains in the mix at 3 over after backing up his opening 72 with a 75. After Glabicki, the next-closest player is six shots back. Greg Goode of Salina, Kansas, and Randy King of Horseshoe Bay, Texas, lead the Super Senior division at 4 over after overtaking first-round leader Stevie Cannady. James Starnes, who was the Golfweek Super Senior Player of the Year in 2024, is at 9 over, one shot behind Cannady. Bob MacWhinnie of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is 2 over and has a 1-shot lead on Stephen Fox of Pinehurst, North Carolina, in the Legends division. In the Super Legends division, Pete Allen of Southport, North Carolina, has created a comfortable lead for himself. Rounds of 73-74 left him at 3 over for the tournament, which is seven shots ahead of the next-closest competitors.
USA Today
10-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
North Carolina's David Glabicki leads Golfweek Senior National Championship at Grandover
North Carolina's David Glabicki leads Golfweek Senior National Championship at Grandover Even with a pair of heavy hitters highlighting the field at Grandover Resort in Greensboro, North Carolina, for the Golfweek Senior National Championship, a local North Carolinian is the one setting the pace. After 18 holes at the resort's East Course, David Glabicki from nearby Cary, North Carolina leads the field. Glabicki, who lives roughly 70 miles from Grandover, fired an even-par 72 in the first round. That included three birdies and three bogeys and was good for a single-shot lead on Kevin VandenBerg of Pulaski, New York. Glabicki finished in the top 10 at the Society of Seniors Jack Hesler earlier in the year and most recently was T54 at the Jones Cup Senior in February. Scores: Golfweek Senior National Championship His closest chaser, VandenBerg, is notorious for teeing it up nearly every week on the senior golf circuit. He has won Golfweek Senior Player of the Year honors the past two seasons. VandenBerg had a clean card on Monday but for a double-bogey on the par-4 11th. That canceled out a birdie on No. 9 and left him at 1-over par. Behind VandenBerg sits Bryan Hoops of Tempe, Arizona, who has won the last five senior events in which he has teed it up, including two Golfweek events in the California desert in April. Hoops had an uncharacteristically colorful card on Monday, going out in 40 on the front nine before coming home in 35 for a 3-over 75. In the Super Senior division, Stevie Cannady has the solo lead after a 2-over 74. Cannady, winner of the 2024 Golfweek Super Senior National Championship and a resident of Pooler, Georgia, is one shot ahead of Randy King of Horseshoe Bay, Texas, and Dub Huckabee of Midland, Texas. Both men posted 3-over 75 on Monday. Greg Goode of Salina, Kansas, and James Starnes of Ft. Myers, Florida, who are ranked No. 1 and No. 3, respectively, in Golfweek's National Senior Amateur Rankings, are tied for fourth at 76. Jeffrey Knox of Jupiter, Florida, leads the Legends division after a 1-under 71. Knox went out in 40 but fired an impressive back-nine 31 that included birdies at Nos. 11, 12, 14, 15 and 18. Pete Allen of Southport, North Carolina, leads the Super Legends division with a 1-over 73.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Top seniors head to Grandover for Golfweek Senior National Championship
Grandover Resort has a rich history when it comes to hosting college golf events. The Greensboro, North Carolina, resort has welcomed everything from the NCAA Division III National Championship to NCAA Division I Men's Regionals to the ACC Women's Golf Championship. And now, once again, it's the seniors' turn. Two years after extensive course renovations, Grandover will welcome a national field of senior amateurs for the Golfweek Senior National Championship. The 54-hole tournament will be played June 9-11 and players will compete in the usual four age divisions: Senior (ages 55-64), Super Senior (65-69), Legends (70-74) and Super Legends (75 and over). Grandover Resort ( The tournament will take place on Grandover's East Course, which features many tree-lined fairways as well as several holes that have a 'stadium-type effect.' The East, as well as Grandover's neighboring West Course, was designed by David Graham and Gary Panks. Advertisement A year ago, Trent Gregory won the senior division title after making birdie on the first extra hole against Michael Arasin. But neither Gregory nor Arasin will not be in the field this week, clearing the way for a new Senior Division winner. Undoubtedly, the favorite entering the event is Bryan Hoops, a Tempe, Arizona, resident who turned 56 in February and made his debut on the Golfweek senior circuit the same month. Hoops lost to Bob Royak, a former U.S. Senior Amateur champion, after a lengthy playoff at the Golfweek Pirates Classic but then won back-to-back Golfweek senior events in the Southern California desert in April. After that he just kept on winning, claiming the Society of Seniors' Senior Masters trophy days after his Golfweek wins. Hoops also won the Trans-Mississippi Senior Championship in Rancho Mirage, California, and the Huddleston Cup in Carrollton, Texas, earlier this year. The senior division, however, also includes two-time defending Golfweek Senior Player of the Year Kevin VandenBerg, who won this event in 2022. VandenBerg and Hoops are Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in the Golfweek National Senior Amateur Rankings. Advertisement In the Super Senior division, the top four players in the Golfweek rankings will all tee it up: Marcus Beck, Greg Goode, James Starnes and Stevie Cannady. That division also includes 2023 champion Bob Edens. Golfweek's top-ranked Legends player, Greg Osborne, is among the field in that division at Grandover and so is No. 2-ranked Jeff Knox. Defending champion George Owens is back in the Super Legends division. This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Golfweek Senior National Championship at Grandover Resort
USA Today
07-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Top seniors head to Grandover for Golfweek Senior National Championship
Top seniors head to Grandover for Golfweek Senior National Championship Grandover Resort has a rich history when it comes to hosting college golf events. The Greensboro, North Carolina, resort has welcomed everything from the NCAA Division III National Championship to NCAA Division I Men's Regionals to the ACC Women's Golf Championship. And now, once again, it's the seniors' turn. Two years after extensive course renovations, Grandover will welcome a national field of senior amateurs for the Golfweek Senior National Championship. The 54-hole tournament will be played June 9-11 and players will compete in the usual four age divisions: Senior (ages 55-64), Super Senior (65-69), Legends (70-74) and Super Legends (75 and over). The tournament will take place on Grandover's East Course, which features many tree-lined fairways as well as several holes that have a 'stadium-type effect.' The East, as well as Grandover's neighboring West Course, was designed by David Graham and Gary Panks. A year ago, Trent Gregory won the senior division title after making birdie on the first extra hole against Michael Arasin. But neither Gregory nor Arasin will not be in the field this week, clearing the way for a new Senior Division winner. Undoubtedly, the favorite entering the event is Bryan Hoops, a Tempe, Arizona, resident who turned 56 in February and made his debut on the Golfweek senior circuit the same month. Hoops lost to Bob Royak, a former U.S. Senior Amateur champion, after a lengthy playoff at the Golfweek Pirates Classic but then won back-to-back Golfweek senior events in the Southern California desert in April. After that he just kept on winning, claiming the Society of Seniors' Senior Masters trophy days after his Golfweek wins. Hoops also won the Trans-Mississippi Senior Championship in Rancho Mirage, California, and the Huddleston Cup in Carrollton, Texas, earlier this year. The senior division, however, also includes two-time defending Golfweek Senior Player of the Year Kevin VandenBerg, who won this event in 2022. VandenBerg and Hoops are Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in the Golfweek National Senior Amateur Rankings. In the Super Senior division, the top four players in the Golfweek rankings will all tee it up: Marcus Beck, Greg Goode, James Starnes and Stevie Cannady. That division also includes 2023 champion Bob Edens. Golfweek's top-ranked Legends player, Greg Osborne, is among the field in that division at Grandover and so is No. 2-ranked Jeff Knox. Defending champion George Owens is back in the Super Legends division.
