Three share the lead at the halfway point of the Kentucky Senior Open.

RICHMOND, KY (June 27, 2022) – A dream day weather-wise at The University Club at Arlington has produced a dream leaderboard after the opening round of the 23^rd Kentucky Senior Open.

Three players share the top spot on the leaderboard at 68 (-4). Local product Bruce Oldendick, PGA is joined there by Tennessee’s Cliff Kresge and Arizona’s Jon Stanley, PGA at the halfway mark. A bunched top-ten follows them as Ryan Baker, Rodney Chancey, Jeff Lemaster, and Jeff Lyons share fourth place at 70 (-2). Five players then sit in a tie for eighth at 71 (-1), a group that contains Harold Wallace, P.J. McDougal, Jim Volpenhein, Matt Mankin, and defending champion Scott Porter.

Oldendick is vying for his first title in this championship having had several close calls in the past. The reigning ROLEX Senior Player of the Year in the Kentucky PGA Section has won virtually everything there is to win on the senior circuit with this event being the lone exception. The Head Professional at Pendleton Hills now has the chance to get perhaps the biggest victory of his career to date on Tuesday following a five-birdie performance on Monday.

Kresge has one of the strongest resumes of any player in the field as a three-time winner on the Korn Ferry Tour and a top-ten finisher in the 2003 U.S. Open. Now trying to secure status on the PGA TOUR Champions, Kresge will be gunning for his first victory as a senior golfer since turning 50 in October 2018.

Stanley has been a top player within the Southwest PGA Section for the better part of a decade and received a spot in the 2012 WM Phoenix Open on the PGA TOUR thanks to being the Section’s Player of the Year in advance of that event. He competed in the Kentucky Senior Open last year at Heritage Hill and posted a T4 finish.

There is also a Super Senior Division taking place that is eligible to players over the age of 60. With a score of 70 (-2), Curtis Gamblin has the lead by one stroke over Dennis Long. While the Championship Division is mostly comprised of professionals at the top of the leaderboard, this division is much more amateur-heavy at the top with each spot in the top-ten filled by an amateur.

NOTES & STATS

• Five eagles were made throughout the day with two coming on the par-five 9^th and 12^th holes. Larry Brown made the only one on a par-four, however, by holing out on the 8^th.
• No eagles were made on the par-five 13^th, but it didn’t stop it from being the easiest hole of round one. It was one of two holes to average a score below par at -0.12. It had more birdies than any other hole with 23.
• The hole that follows it, the par-three 14^th, was the most difficult hole at +0.58. Only three birdies were made here, tied for second fewest of the day behind the par-three 7^th which only had two.
• Holes 1-9 had a scoring average of 38.29, slightly easier than the back nine’s 38.67. Combined, that made the round one scoring average 76.96 (+4.96).

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Golf House Kentucky will continue to have full coverage of the championship on its Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages. When the final group reaches the 18th hole of Tuesday's final round, a live-stream will be available to view on Facebook. Should a playoff be necessary, that will also be live-streamed.

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