Maxwell records low round of the tournament to claim Senior Section Championship for first time.

FRANKFORT, KY (August 9, 2022) – Kelly Maxwell, PGA General Manager at Big Spring Country Club won the Kentucky Senior PGA Professional Championship on Tuesday at Frankfort Country Club. A three-time recipient of the Section’s ROLEX Larry Gilbert Player of the Year Award in the early 2000s, Maxwell’s victory on Tuesday represents his greatest on-course achievement since turning 50.

To do so, Maxwell overcame a two-stroke deficit he faced entering the final round. With Bruce Oldendick, PGA and Kirk Schooley, PGA leading the way after Monday’s first round, Maxwell was able to catch and surpass them quickly after a bogey-free 34 (-2) on the outward nine. Maxwell increased his lead to two strokes midway through the back nine, but bogeys on 16 and 17 brought Oldendick, the four-time defending champion of this event and the Kentucky Senior Open winner from earlier in the summer, back within striking distance of the lead.

Oldendick then got the lead back with a birdie on the par-five 15^th, but a subsequent bogey on the 17^th left the two players tied after regulation. In the ensuing sudden-death playoff, each player matched scores on the first extra hole before Maxwell jarred a birdie putt from twenty feet away on the playoff’s second hole to take the title.

“I had (the trophy) in my hands during the back nine,” said Maxwell after receiving the trophy. “I didn’t close very well and I thought I had lost it, but I got another chance during the playoff and I was able to take advantage of that one. It just means a lot to win this trophy and to get the job done.”

By finishing in the top-three, Maxwell, Oldendick and Schooley all qualified for the Senior PGA Professional Championship this autumn, which will bring the best 50-and-over PGA Members from across the country together in New Mexico at Twin Warriors Golf Club. That tournament is scheduled to take place on October 13-16.

NOTES & STATS

• The short, downhill par-three 10^th played as the easiest hole of the tournament with a stroke-to-par average of +0.25 when factoring in scores from both rounds.
• Another par-three was the hardest of the event, as the 2^nd hole took that honor at +0.75.
• The back nine played slightly easier than the front with an average score of 40.36 (+4.36) compared to 40.61 (+4.61) on holes 1-9.
• Combined, the course average for both rounds was 80.97 (+8.97).

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The Kentucky PGA extends its thanks to Clay Hamrick, PGA General Manager and Bruce Brown, PGA Head Golf Professional plus the entire staff at Frankfort Country Club for their assistance in conducting today’s event. Additionally, the KPGA lends its appreciation to each player who competed in this week’s event.

The KPGA has an off-week coming up on its tournament schedule, but will be back in action on Monday, August 22 from Summit Hills Country Club with the playing of Golf House Kentucky Classic #3 supported by Hole-in-One U.S.A. – an event open to both professionals and amateurs. Registration for that event is open and closes on Monday, August 15.

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