The Cookout by seniorgolfHQ Vol 8
The Cookout by seniorgolfHQ
September 2026
What we are cooking this month:
Welcome to the 8th issue of the Cookout by seniorgolfhq. The month of August delivered as Rick Stewart survived a back-nine push in Pinehurst from Gregory Seelinger and a fading 36-hole leader in Eddie Hargett to take the North & South by one. Miles McConnell's opening-round 64 carries him through a storm-shortened Sunnehanna, and Buck Brittain grinds out a Valentine Invitational title with steady and resilient play.
At Baltimore Country Club, the U.S. Senior Amateur delivers its own gut punch: medalist Trae Cassell is knocked out in the very first match of match play by Niketan Desai, a player who needed a birdie in a 13-man playoff just to make the bracket, while four past champions, including 2024 champion Louis Brown, are still alive heading into the round of 32 that includes the hottest man in senior golf, Bryan Hoops.
Looking ahead, Howard Clendenin defends at the Senior Porter Cup fresh off a strong summer, Bob Royak returns to Pine Valley to defend his Crump Cup title, and Tim Cobb heads to Georgia looking to prove last year's Dale Morey comeback was no fluke.
Let’s dive in.
2026 August Major Senior-Am Tournament Results
North & South Senior Amateur Championship
August 10-12, 2026
Pinehurst No. 4, 5 & 8
Champion: Rick Stewart
The 75th North & South Senior Men's Amateur Championship saw another exciting finish at Pinehurst Resort, with Rick Stewart closing out a tight victory at 3-under 213 after rounds of 70-72-71 across the Resort's No. 5, No. 8, and No. 4 courses. Stewart never shot worse than 72 all week, and his steady final-round was enough to hold off a hard-charging Gregory Seelinger, who finished alone in second at 214. Michael Standard, Kevin VandenBerg, and 36-hole leader Eddie Hargett rounded out a crowded tie for third at 215, just two shots back, capping a finish where four players separated the top of the board by two strokes.
The final round told the real story. Hargett, who opened with a blistering 68 to grab the outright lead through two rounds at 140, came back to the field with a 75 on Wednesday, including a rocky start (a 6 on the 1st) that opened the door for the field. Seelinger, meanwhile, made the turn in 35, two better than Stewart, and had a share of the lead in hand before a costly 6 at the par-5 13th swung the momentum. He played his final nine holes in 38 to finish with a 73, one shot shy of the title. Stewart, by contrast, weathered his own bumpy start (a 6 at the 2nd) but steadied down the stretch, with a key birdie on the par-5 17th to close the door.
In the end, Stewart's week came down to consistency rather than fireworks: no round higher than 72, a final-round 71 that never let the field pull level, and just enough resilience on the back nine Wednesday to survive Seelinger's charge and Hargett's early-week heroics. Ed Kerr (216), Phil Ebner (217), and Larry Cloninger (218) rounded out the top eight, while Howard Clendenin's closing 68, matching the week's low round, vaulted him into a tie for 13th, a fitting final flourish to a championship decided by the smallest of margins.
Leaderboard
-3 | Rick Stewart | 70-72-71=213-2 | Gregory Seelinger | 70-71-73=214-1 | Kevin VandenBerg | 73-69-73=215-1 | Eddie Hargett | 68-72-75=215-1 | Micheal Standard | 69-73-73=215Sunnehanna Senior Amateur Championship
August 17-19, 2026
Sunnehanna Country Club
Champion: Miles McConnell
The Sunnehanna Senior Men's Amateur Championship was cut short by inclement weather, with organizers reducing the event from its usual 54 holes to 36 after conditions wiped out the first day of play. Miles McConnell of Tampa, FL made the truncated format work in his favor, opening with a scorching 6-under 64 and backing it up with a 72 on Wednesday to finish at 4-under 136, four clear of the field at Sunnehanna Country Club.
McConnell's first round defined the 2026 edition of the storied event. He made the turn in 34, then caught fire on the back nine with a 30 that was capped off by four birdies in a row to finish. It was the kind of run that turns a good round into a special one. McConnell led by three, as the cushion proved decisive, because Wednesday's weather-shortened final round got bumpy for him. A double-bogey 6 at the 6th hole, followed by another 6 on the 9th pushed his outward nine to 38, and another 6 at the 15th kept the pressure on. He steadied enough to card a 72 and still cross the line four ahead, a testament to how much room Monday's 64 had bought him.
Behind him, the battle for second came down to contrasting styles. Jason Pridmore of Ventura, CA opened with a 67 that featured a 2 at the 10th, then added a bumpier 73 (with a 6 of his own at the 15th) to finish at even-par 140. Robert Gerwin II of Cincinnati, OH took the steadier route, posting matching 70s both days to join Pridmore in a tie for second, four back of McConnell but two clear of the chasing pack. Michael Anderson, Trent Gregory, and Doug Hanzel rounded out the top five at 141, each within a shot of the podium.
The rest of the leaderboard bunched up quickly from there, with Rick Stimmel, Brian Quackenbush, and Neal Barfield tying for seventh at 142, and a group of five, including Howard Clendenin, sharing tenth at 143. With the championship shortened to two rounds, McConnell's opening 64 stood as both the low round of the week and proved to ultimately decide the title in his favor.
Leaderboard
-4 | Miles McConnell | 64-72=136E | Jason Pridmore | 67-73=140E | Robert Gerwin II | 70-70=140The Valentine Invitational
August 21-23, 2026
Hermitage Country Club (Manakin & Sabot)
Champion: Buck Brittain
Buck Brittain of Tazewell, VA claimed the Senior Division title at the 84th Valentine Invitational, closing with a 6-under-par 210 (69-69-72) across three rounds at the Country Club of Virginia's Manakin and Sabot courses. Brittain opened with matching 69s on Friday and Saturday before a steadier final-round 72 on Sunday was enough to hold off the field, finishing four strokes clear of the runner-up. It was a winning performance built on consistency rather than fireworks; no single round stood out as spectacular, but nothing cracked either.
Matt Mitchell of Burns, TN pushed hardest for the title, carding the tournament's low round of the week with a 4-under 68 on Saturday to briefly draw within striking distance. But a rocky closing 74, including a triple-bogey 7 on the par-4 13th hole, ended his bid, and he settled for solo second at 214. Just one stroke back, John O'Brien (Columbia, SC) and Virginia native Thomas Garner (Henrico, VA) tied for third at 215, with Garner's local knowledge of the Manakin and Sabot layouts nearly paying off despite a bumpy final-round 77.
Moving down the leaderboard, Scott Shingler (Haymarket, VA) and Pete Barbera (Alexandria, VA) tied for fifth at 219, four strokes further back. A cluster of Virginia and out-of-state competitors, including Jason Lina, Carlos Aranda, and Daniel Neveu, rounded out the top ten, all within a handful of shots of the leaders after 54 holes.
Twenty-six players made the 36-hole cut and completed all three rounds, while fourteen others saw their tournaments end after 36 holes, with the cut line falling around 154. Robert Jones and Gregory Gerczak both narrowly missed the weekend at 154.
Leaderboard
-6 | Buck Brittain | 69-69-72=210-2 | Matt Mitchell | 72-68-74=214-1 | John O’Brien | 75-69-71=215-1 | Thomas Garner | 69-69-77=215Playing Thru
U.S. Senior Amateur Championship
August 29-September 3, 2026
Baltimore Country Club (East Course)
Defending Champion: Mike McCoy
Trae Cassell was the only player to finish stroke play under par, closing with a 67 for a 5-under 135 that gave him medalist honors by a wide margin over a crowded group at 142 (Brian Quackenbush, Mike Fritz, and Louis Brown). From there the leaderboard packed in tightly, with players from Republic of Ireland, Canada, Colombia, Zambia, Australia, Spain and England all pushing for one of the 64 match play spots at Baltimore Country Club.
That fight for the last spots turned into a genuine three-hole drama. Thirteen players were tied at 11 over 151 for the final three berths, and it took a full sudden-death session to sort out. On the first extra hole, the par-3 9th, D. Scott Mackesy made a birdie 2 to claim a spot outright, while Todd Doss, Greg Sanders and Michael Anderson each made bogey and were eliminated. The other nine players who matched par moved to the 10th, where four more parred through (Marc Ehudin, Len Komar, Niketan Desai and Michael McCoy) and five bogeys went home. The last two spots came down to a third hole, the 11th, where Ehudin and Desai each made par to edge out Komar and McCoy, who both made bogey.
That playoff paid off in dramatic fashion once match play started. Niketan Desai, of Zambia, the player who had just squeezed into the bracket, drew medalist Trae Cassell in the very first match of the round of 64 and beat him 2&1, the tournament's biggest upset by a wide margin. The other two playoff qualifiers did not fare as well: Marc Ehudin fell 2&1 to Brian Quackenbush, and Mackesy, fresh off his playoff birdie, lost 2&1 to Louis Brown. Elsewhere, a handful of lower seeds pulled off their own upsets, as Michael Ketcham, Steve Harwell, Jeff Mallette, Brendan Hester and Bob Royak all knocked out higher-seeded opponents to reach the round of 32.
Royak's win was especially notable, because he is one of four past U.S. Senior Amateur champions still standing. 2024 champion Louis Brown heads into the round of 32 against Mike Henry, 2018 champion Jeff Wilson draws runner-up medalist Brian Quackenbush, 2019 champion Bob Royak meets Bryan Hoops, and 2023 champion Todd White takes on Rick Stimmel. Four other former champions, Doug Hanzel, Dave Ryan, Gene Elliott and Rusty Strawn, all missed the cut entirely. As for the round's new star, Desai now moves on to face Don Martone, and the way the first round went, nobody in the bracket looks safe.
Follow the action via the Tournament Hub and on our Instagram.
Up Next
Senior Porter Cup
September 9-11, 2026
Niagara Falls Country Club
Defending Champion: Howard Clendenin
The Senior Porter Cup returns to Niagara Falls Country Club in Lewiston, NY September 9-11, 2026, bringing a 54-hole stroke play field split across four age divisions (Senior, Super Senior, Legends, and Super Legends) to one of amateur golf's longest-running invitationals. Howard Clendenin returns as defending champion after a wire-to-wire runaway in 2025, opening with a 66 and cruising home 71-72 for a 209 total. Clendenin arrives with momentum from a strong summer on the senior amateur circuit, having already posted a top-15 finish at the North & South Senior at Pinehurst and a top-10 showing at the Sunnehanna Senior, so the field at Niagara Falls will be chasing a player clearly playing some of the best golf of his season. With the event wedged between the US Senior Amateur and Crump Cup, expect another deep field and competitive test on a course just a few miles from the beautiful Niagara Falls.
Up Next
The Crump Cup (Senior Division)
September 17-20, 2026
Pine Valley Golf Club
Defending Champion: Bob Royak
The Crump Cup returns to Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey this fall, with the tournament's senior flights running alongside the overall championship's two qualifying rounds and four rounds of match play at one of the most exclusive and demanding courses in the country. Bob Royak enters as the defending senior division champion after claiming the title in 2025, and he'll be looking to defend on a Pine Valley layout that rewards precision and shot-shaping over raw length, a test that has historically separated the true contenders in the senior bracket from the rest of the field.
Up Next
Society of Seniors: Dale Morey Championship
September 28-30, 2026
The Landings Golf & Athletic Club (Deer Creek)
Defending Champion: Timothy Cobb
The Society of Seniors travels to The Landings Golf & Athletic Club September 28-30, 2026 for the 43rd Dale Morey Championship, one of the organization's marquee 54-hole stroke play events honoring longtime Society of Seniors founder Dale Morey. Tim Cobb enters as the defending champion after a dramatic comeback in 2025 at Innisbrook's Copperhead Course, where he shared the first-round lead, slipped with a second-round 76, then fired the tournament's low round, a 4-under 67, to win at 1-over 214. Kevin VandenBerg pushed him the whole way, needing a birdie on the final hole to force a playoff but settling for par and a runner-up finish at 215, one shot back. With Michael Anderson, David Glabicki and Michael Standard having tied for third at 216 last year, the field heading to Georgia figures to be just as tightly bunched, and Cobb will be looking to prove his Innisbrook finish was no fluke on a new and unfamiliar course.
2026 “Major” Senior-Am Events
Society of Seniors: Spring Classic - February 2026 - William Mallon
Gasparilla Invitational (Senior Division) - February 2026 - Jeff Frazier
Jones Cup Senior Invitational - February 2026 - Mike McCoy
Society of Seniors: Ed Tutwiler Four-Ball - March 2026 - Fox & Channell
Golfweek Senior Amateur Championship - March/April 2026 - Todd Doss
Society of Seniors: Senior Masters - April 2026 - Bryan Hoops
The Giles Invitational (Senior Division) - May 2026 - Rick Stimmel
The Jupter Invitational (Senior Division) - May 2026 - Mike McCoy
The Walter J. Travis Invitational (Senior Division) - May 2026 - Dave Scialabba
Trans-Mississippi Senior Championship - May 2026 - Jason Pridmore
Huddleston Cup (Senior Division) - May 2026 - Bob Royak
National Senior Amateur Hall of Fame - June 2026 - Vance Welch
Anderson Memorial Four-Ball (Senior Division) - June 2026 - O’Connell & Sargent
C.B. Macdonald Invitational (Senior Division) - June 2026 - Dan Keogh
Golfweek Senior National Championship - June 2026 - Bryan Hoops
George C. Thomas Invitational (Senior Division) - June 2026 - Bryan Hoops
R&A Senior Amateur Championship - July 2026 - Bryan Hoops
North & South Senior Men’s Amateur Championship - August 2026 - Rick Stewart
Sunnehanna Senior Amateur Championship - August 2026 - Miles McConnell
Valentine Invitational - August 2026 - Buck Brittain
USGA Men’s Senior Amateur - August/September 2026
Senior Porter Cup - September 2026
The Crump Cup (Senior Division) - September 2026
International Senior Individual Championship - October 2026
Ojai Senior Cup - October 2026
Reynolds Senior Invitational - October 2026
California Senior Amateur Championship - November 2026
East West Cup Matches - November 2026
Society of Seniors: Ralph Bogart - November 2026
East West Matches
Senior Standings
As of August 24, 2026
Bryan Hoops | West | 2,041.50
Mike McCoy | West | 1,909.00
Bob Royak | 1,650.82
Gene Elliott | West | 1,027.70
Danny Nelson | East | 794.00
Jeff Knox | East | 650.00
Jack Larkin | East | 609.00
Robert Gerwin | East | 578.60
Mike Sposa | East | 545.50
Robert Funk | West | 543.00
Doug Hanzel | East | 530.50
Jerry Gunthorpe | 474.00
Mike Lohner | 463.50
Neal Barfield | 440.50
Greg Sanders | West | 427.50
Kevin Vandenberg | East | 422.15
Miles McConnell | 367.50
Rick Stimmel | East | 361.00
Jason Pridmore | West | 343.80
Tony Wise | East | 337.50
Matt Sughrue | 333.00
Jerry Slagle | West | 328.50
Brady Exber | 302.00
Jim Lehman | 300.00
Jack Hall | East | 292.00
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Until next month…..