FRANKFORT, KY. –The 40th Clark's Pump-N-Shop Kentucky Men's Senior Amateur Championship tees off Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 28-29, at Frankfort Country Club, and the defending champion won't have far to travel. Tony Wise, who captured his second Senior Amateur title last September, calls Frankfort Country Club home and arrives on the heels of a quarterfinal run at the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship.

For its milestone 40th year, the event has drawn a full field of 100 players, a sign of the strength and popularity senior amateur golf maintains across the Commonwealth. With every spot filled, Frankfort Country Club will host one of the deepest senior fields on the KGA schedule this season. 

Wise was the class of the field a year ago at Indian Hills Country Club in Bowling Green, posting rounds of 69-67-66 for an 11-under-par (202) victory. The win added to his 2021 title and made him the first champion crowned under the championship's 54-hole Senior Division format.

He won't be the only player with local knowledge this week. Brian James, Greg Pauley and Rick Harp also play out of Frankfort Country Club, giving the host club a strong presence in the field.

Wise will also have to contend with a pair of fellow past champions in Lance Lucas and Scott Ray, along with one of the most consistent players on the KGA circuit this season, Bryan Conway. Conway enters the week fourth in the John C. Owens Player of the Year race (Overall Division) and leads the Tom Musselman Division for Senior Player of the Year.

Frankfort Country Club's defining moment comes at the par-3 10th, the club's signature hole and one of the most striking in the Commonwealth. The tee sits roughly 80 feet above the green, so the hole plays shorter than the card suggests, but a deep putting surface can create a two-club swing depending on the hole location. A creek runs across the front, and large bunkers guard both sides, and with half the field starting there Monday morning, some players will face it with their very first swing.

Scoring chances will come early. The par-5 third is reachable in two for longer hitters who can find the uphill fairway, though a green guarded by bunkers in front and on the side, with out of bounds long, will make the gamble a real decision.

The dogleg-left sixth could also shape the leaderboard. It plays longer than it looks, dropping downhill before climbing back up, with out-of-bounds on both sides and bunkers framing the landing area. Players who carry the left fairway bunker earn a shorter approach, but going too far brings a lake into play in front of a large green that slopes from back to front.

With every final-round group starting off No. 1 on Tuesday, the championship will be decided over a demanding closing stretch. The 17th requires every bit of length off the tee to reach a large green where a front or back hole location can mean as much as a two-club difference, with a bunker left and trees right waiting for anything off line. Those who escape face the 18th, where the uphill fairway slopes hard from left to right, with out of bounds left, a penalty area right, and trees lining both sides. Overhanging branches complicate approaches from the left side, a bunker waits to the right, and subtle undulations make the final putts anything but routine.

The championship is a two-day, stroke play event contested across three divisions. The Senior Division will play 54 holes, with 36 on Monday and 18 on Tuesday, and is the only division that counts toward the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). The Masters (ages 60 and older) and Legends (ages 70 and older) divisions will each play 36 holes over the two days. A year ago, David Combs won the Masters Division with a 3-over-par 145, while Max Marley took the Legends Division title in a playoff. 

Play begins Monday at 8:30 a.m. ET, with the Senior Division going off first, followed by the Masters and Legends. The Senior Division returns for its second round Monday afternoon, with tee times beginning briefly after the completion of the first round, again off both nines. The final round begins Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. ET, with the Legends going off first, followed by the Masters and the Senior Division contenders.

Full championship coverage will be available at kygolf.org and across our social media channels on Facebook and Instagram. 

Click here to view the full field and starting tee times.

The Kentucky Golf Association extends its gratitude to Clark's Pump-N-Shop for its title sponsorship and continued support of golf in the Commonwealth, and to Frankfort Country Club and its staff for hosting this year's championship.

About the KGA

The Kentucky Golf Association (KGA) is the official governing body for amateur golf in the Commonwealth, as recognized by the United States Golf Association (USGA). Established in 1911, the KGA is a full-service organization representing more than 120 member golf courses across Kentucky. Led by a volunteer Board of Directors composed of course representatives from throughout the state, the KGA plays a vital role in promoting, supporting, and growing the game of golf in Kentucky. It is also a founding member of Golf House Kentucky, the umbrella organization for Kentucky’s Family of Golf Organizations. As an Allied Golf Association of the USGA, the KGA is responsible for a wide range of services, including managing the World Handicap System, conducting course ratings, providing expertise on the Rules of Golf, running competitive tournaments and USGA qualifiers, and enhancing the visibility and branding of golf throughout the Commonwealth.