Over 470 senior players from 25 Local Tours competed in the 2024 Senior National Championship!

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. –This year’s tournament marked the 26th anniversary of the Senior Amateur Tour. In all, 467 players from each of our 25 Local Tours participated in the two-day, 36-hole competition that spanned seven courses.

In the Championship Flight, Chuck Kirk won his inaugural Senior National Championship by delivering impressive rounds of 70-69 and a two-under-par total score of 139. The first day took place on the George Fazio course and concluded with both Kirk and Jay Barnes carding even scores of 70. The duo was closely followed by a field of players that included Dale Fuller, former Senior National Champion, and last year’s Senior National Champion, Chad Frank. All the players moved to Hilton Head National for the second round of fierce competition where Kirk faced significant pressure from John Fryman, Jay Barnes, Wayne McKenney, Dale Fuller, and Chad Frank. Congratulations to all who competed in the battle that ended with Chuck Kirk crowned as the 2024 Senior National Champion.

Chuck Kirk, Jacksonville, FL (70-69—139)
John Fryman, Columbus, OH (73-69—142)
Jay Barnes, Charlotte, NC (70-72—142)
Wayne McKenney, Augusta, GA (72-71—143)
Dale Fuller, Eastern, NC (71-72—143)
Chad Frank, Orlando (72-72-144) Defending Champion

Competition in the A Flight was also intense. By the second day, seven players were all in contention at the Arthur Hills course in Palmetto Dunes: Hawk Hawkins, Duke Sturges, Ronnie Averett, Dwayne Rivers, Tim Smith, Chris Kallgren, and Kevin Payne. At one point, two of these players were either tied for first or held the lead outright. Hawkins eventually secured victory on the final hole of the tournament based on his one-over-par score of 37 on the challenging back nine. Sturges shot 77 for the day putting him two strokes behind overall and solo-second, while Averett, Rivers, Smith, and Kallgren each had two-day totals of 156 and finished tied for third. With this win, Hawk Hawkins claimed his first title as a Senior National Champion.

Hawk Hawkins, Southern, VA (78-75—153)
Duke Sturges, Indianapolis, IN (78-77—155)
Ronnie Averett, Louisiana (83-73—153)
Dwayne Divers, Jacksonville, FL (78-78—156)
Tim Smith, Charlotte, NC (78-78—156)
Chris Kallgren, Michigan (77-79—156)
Kevin Payne, Indiana-Western, KY (77-80—157)

Michael Anderson performed consistently in the B Flight throughout the National Championships and secured the win with a two-day total of 159. Despite an impressive surge on the back nine the second day, Wilson Shelton trailed by one stroke and finished second with a two-day score of 160. Mark Klenck and Mitch Quarles tied for third place at 161, while Robbie Robinson claimed fifth place with a combined score of 162. Congratulations to Michael Anderson for earning the title of 2024 B Flight Senior National Champion!

Michael Anderson, Cincinnati/Dayton (78-81—159)
Wilson Shelton, Central, NC (79-81—160)
Mark Klenck, Orlando, FL (82-79—161)
Mitch Quarles, Augusta, GA (79-82—161)
Robbie Robinson, Orlando, FL (84-78—162)

It took the C Flight players right up until the end to determine a winner. Dave Mullis managed to secure a bogey on the challenging 18th hole of the Hills course at Palmetto Hall to finish with a two-day total of 171, just one shot better than Bill Butts, who doubled the same hole for solo-second with a total of 172. Ken White, Darrell Brandenburg, and Kevin Brown tied for third, all with total scores of 173.

Dave Mullis, Southern, VA (85-86—171) 
Bill Butts, Cincinnati/Dayton (85-87---172)
Ken White, Charlotte, NC (86-87—173)
Darrell Brandenburg, Cincinnati/Dayton (84-89--173)
Kevin Brown, Columbus, OH (84-89—173)

In D Flight, Jody Broussard found himself in a sudden-death scenario with the 2023 Senior National Champion, Roberto Benavides. Broussard faced a short putt that he missed which enabled Benavides to bring home back-to-back trophies. After the award ceremony, Broussard expressed his enthusiasm for the Tour and demonstrated genuine sportsmanship when he praised his playing partners and remarked, "In the end, I’m still a winner after participating in my first Nationals. I will be back next year to claim that trophy!" Following him in the standings were Lanny Bergeron in third place, with David McGill and Kelly Brown close behind in fourth and fifth respectively.

Roberto Benavides, Columbus, OH (91-89—180)
Jody Broussard, Louisiana (90-91—181)
Lanny Bergeron, Louisiana (92-93—185)
David McGill, Jacksonville, FL (96-91—187)
Kelly Brown, Central Carolina (95-93—188)

Charlotte, NC reclaimed the Team Cup Trophy with a two-day aggregate score of 1687. Columbus, OH secured second place, finishing just five strokes behind with a total of 1692. Eastern NC followed closely in third with a score of 1699, while Louisiana recorded 1704 and Jacksonville finished with 1705.

Regarding the Edwin Watts 2-Man Team Challenge, please extend your congratulations to the following teams for their outstanding performance, as evidenced by their two-day totals listed below:

Champ Flight: Bruce Gantt (Charlotte, NC) and Jay Barnes (Charlotte, NC) 296
A Flight: Kevin Payne (Indiana-Western, KY) and Duke Sturges (Indianapolis) 312
B Flight: Mark Klenck (Orlando, FL) and Robbie Robinson (Orlando, FL) 323
C Flight: Dennis Guerriero (Charleston, SC) and Scott Holland (Augusta, GA) 353
D Flight: Steve Clay (Columbus, OH) and Roberto Benavides (Columbus, OH) 376

I would like to extend my gratitude to Palmetto Dunes and the Arthur Hills course for once again hosting this year’s National Championship. In 2024, the Senior Amateur Tour experienced significant growth, adding 2500 members across 25 local tours. We are excited to announce that we plan to expand further with additional tours in 2025!

This season marked the nineteenth year that Hilton Head Island hosted our National Championships. A total of 1145 competitors participated, including 467 from the Senior Amateur Tour and 678 from the Golfweek Amateur Tour. These athletes showcased their skills across seven prestigious courses during the Senior Nationals: Arthur Hills at Palmetto Hall, Hilton Head National, Oyster Reef Golf Club, Robbers Row, and the Robert Trent Jones/Fazio/Arthur Hills courses at Palmetto Dunes.