Finished 1 stroke short in 2023 event
Alabama, and more specifically Greystone Golf and Country Club’s Chris Hummel, can claim a PGA National Club Championship.
After coming up just short of a title in 2023 in the same event, Hummel broke through recently at Reynolds Lake Oconee in Georgia. Hummel posted rounds of 72-72-69 to finish at 3-under 213 and win the hard-fought Men’s Senior Division by two strokes. Rusty Strawn (Cuscowilla Golf Club, Eatonton, Ga.) and Jon Valuck (The Mirabel Club, Scottsdale, Ariz.) tied for second at 1-under 215.
After steady rounds of even-par 72 the first two days, Hummel rode a hot hand to a 3-under 69 in the final round, which tied for the low final round in the Senior Division. He recorded five birdies, including four on the front nine, to secure the title.
“It’s a big honor to win this PGA National Club Championship,” said Hummel. “My putter got hot. I hit the ball about the same, but I made some putts, and that was really the difference. I cleaned up some loose shots I had the first two days and made a few putts. I was just pretty steady all day.”
It was rewarding for Hummel, who came up just short in a tie for second in the Men’s Senior Division at the 2023 PGA National Club Championship.
“Last year I came really close, and it’s been a goal of mine to win this since I turned 50,” said Hummel, who is excited to bring the trophy back to Greystone. “We’ve got a great club. We’ve got a lot of good players there, and I’m happy to represent them, and glad to bring this back.”
Played across Reynolds Lake Oconee’s Great Waters course, Oconee and National courses, the 54-hole championship featured three Men’s Divisions: Open (any age), Senior (50+ years old) and Legend (65+ years old).
Chris Hummel: Win was goal since he turned 50
AJ Morris (Aspen Golf Club, Aspen, Colo.) posted a final-round 1-under 71 to win the Men’s Open Division after leading wire-to-wire. Thomas Cornelia (Cuscowilla Golf Club) carded an even-par 72 in the final round to win the Men’s Legend Division by a dominant six strokes.
Morris won the Men’s Open Division with a score of even-par 216, five strokes ahead of William Buchanan (Greensboro Country Club, Greensboro, N.C.) in second and six ahead of Brandon Cloete (Blackhawk Country Club, Madison, Wis.) in third.
Stewart Whitt, the 2023 Men’s Open champ who plays at Canebrake Club in Athens, finished tied for ninth in his title defense.
Inverness Country Club’s Russell Rutledge finished tied for 27 in the Senior Division, while Bubba Carter of the Peninsula Golf and Racquet Club tied for 62nd in the Legends Division.
“It means a lot to win,” said Open Division champ Morris. “There aren’t a ton of golfers from Aspen. I always take so much pride in representing my small hometown in the mountains that only gets six months of golf a year.”
Cornelia entered the final round of the Men’s Legend Division with a three-stroke lead following back-to-back rounds of 3-under 69. Cornelia posted an even-par 72 to finish at 6-under 210 and win by a commanding six strokes over Toshi Hirata (The Landings Club, Savannah, Ga.) and Brian Baldwin (Meridian Valley Country Club, Kent, Wash.), who tied for second at even-par 216.
The PGA National Club Championship features amateur club champions from facilities across the country with a PGA of America Golf Professional. Winners of any 2024 club championship received an invitation to compete from their PGA of America Golf Professional.
All champions receive a lifetime exemption into the PGA National Club Championship, and the top five finishers in each division will be invited to compete in next year’s championship.
Gregg Dewalt is the editor of Alabama Golf News
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Featured image courtesy of the PGA of America
