Oldendick snags elusive Kentucky Senior Open title in Richmond.

RICHMOND, KY (June 28, 2022) – Amidst many wins, the Kentucky Senior Open is the one tournament that Bruce Oldendick, PGA has coveted more than any. After several close calls in previous years, the moment was realized on Tuesday for the Head Golf Professional at Pendelton Hills as he won at The University Club at Arlington by two strokes with a total score of 137 (-7).

Beginning the day tied for the lead with Cliff Kresge and Jon Stanley, PGA, Oldendick’s start wasn’t ideal as his day began with a bogey on the 1^st, but he quickly recovered with consecutive birdies on the 2^nd and 3^rd holes to get his round headed in the right direction. Stanley emerged as the early man to beat, however, with three birdies in his first ten holes getting him one shot clear of the field with eight holes remaining.

The par-four 11^th became a key turning point when Oldendick missed the fairway and encountered tree trouble, leaving him off the green after three shots and staring at a possible bogey or double bogey. From forty feet short of the hole and on the fringe, Oldendick holed his attempt at par for what insurance companies would clamor to sponsor as the “Save of the Day.”

That miraculous par seemed to turn on a switch for Oldendick, as two majestic second shots on the consecutive par-five 12^th and 13^th holes followed. Each of those approaches set up two-putt birdies, and Stanley playing that same stretch in +2 allowed Oldendick to assume the outright lead for the first time in the final round.

Heading to the 17^th hole up by two strokes over Stanley and Kresge, a pivotal moment took place when Kresge stuck his approach to five feet while Oldendick had a difficult two-putt for par forthcoming. Oldendick’s birdie effort finished outside of Kresge’s mark, setting up the potential for a two-shot swing that would tie them heading to the last. But Oldendick calmly sank a nervy putt from eight feet, and Kresge was unable to convert his birdie opportunity, preserving Oldendick’s two-stroke lead. Another long two-putt for par on the final hole followed for Oldendick, clinching an emotional victory for the 58-year-old PGA Professional.

“I’ve been working for this for a long time,” Oldendick said through tears after being presented with the trophy. “I can’t wait to call my dad… he’s going to be so excited. I just can’t believe it. This means so much to me, I can’t even describe it.”

— Keith Farmer (@KeithFarmer18) June 28, 2022

Also experiencing some first-place excitement today was Harris Rakestraw, who overcame a two-stroke deficit to win the event’s Super Senior Division. A final round of 70 (-2) was highlighted by a blazing 32 (-4) on the back nine which led to a tie between him and Dennis Long with total scores of 142 (-2). Rakestraw was the beneficiary of the ensuing scorecard playoff to take that division’s top honor.

NOTES & STATS

• Tom Campbell had the low round of the day on Tuesday, shooting 67 (-5). He made seven birdies throughout his performance which resulted in him finishing T4, three shots back of Oldendick.
• Just one eagle was made on Tuesday, and it was made by Jim Murphy on the par-five 9^th.
• That eagle helped the 9^th play as the easiest of the day with a stroke-to-par average of -0.20.
• The intimidating par-three 16^th with water flanking the left side of the green was Tuesday’s hardest hole at +0.57. Only two birdies were made on that hole in the final round, the second-fewest surrendered by any hole to the par-three 14^th.
• After a close split in averages of the front nine and back nine on Monday, the back nine separated itself as the harder side in the final round. Holes 10-18 averaged 38.99 (+2.99) compared to 37.56 (+1.56) on holes 1-9. That made Tuesday’s course average 76.55 (+4.55), which was nearly half a stroke than Monday’s average score.

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The Kentucky PGA extends its thanks to Teddy Lausier, PGA Head Golf Professional and the entire staff at The University Club at Arlington for their assistance in hosting this tournament. Additionally, the Section sends its appreciation towards each player for their participation in the championship.

The second State Open of 2022 will conclude two weeks from today when the 26^th Kentucky Women’s Open culminates on July 11-12 from Bellefonte Country Club in Ashland. Before then, the Section will operate qualifiers for the upcoming Barbasol Championship. The Pre-Qualifier takes place at Cherry Blossom Golf Club this Thursday, June 30 where players will compete for spots in the field of the Monday Qualifier on July 4.

About the Kentucky PGA:
The Kentucky PGA Section (KPGA) is one of forty-one Sections across the country representing the PGA of America and its Members. It is also one of three organizations encompassed within Golf House Kentucky, which also includes the Kentucky Golf Association (KGA) and Kentucky Golf Foundation (KGF). The KPGA contains more than 275 Members and more than 30 Associates working in various roles across Kentucky; all of whom share the goal of bettering the game and its players. The KPGA and its Members assist with the organization of many chief growth-of-the-game initiatives including PGA HOPE and PGA Jr. League among others. The Section also operates more than thirty tournaments throughout the golf season, including the three State Open championships and qualifiers for the Barbasol Championship.

Media Contact:
Ethan Fisher, PGA | Golf House Kentucky | efisher@kygolf.org | (502) 792-9703