The last time Bryan Hoops teed it up in a Golfweek event, he came within inches of the title. Hoops went down to the wire with Bob Royak, the 2019 U.S. Senior Amateur champion, in the inaugural Golfweek Pirates Classic in February. After five playoff holes, it was Royak walking away with the trophy.
Six weeks later, Hoops is again here. The Scottsdale, Arizona, resident took an immediate lead at the Golfweek Senior Division National Championship on Monday, played at Desert Willow Golf Club’s Mountain View Course in Palm Desert, California. Hoops birdied his opening hole and added three more throughout the course of the day. A single bogey at the par-4 15th brought him back to 3-under 69, one shot ahead of Craig Miyamoto of Sacramento, California, in second.
Scores: Golfweek Senior Division National Championship
Hoops, 56, has long been one of the nation’s top mid-amateurs, having competed in numerous U.S. Mid-Amateurs throughout his career in addition to having won a handful of Arizona Mid-Amateurs in his home state. More recently, Hoops also qualified for the 2022 U.S. Senior Open and the 2024 U.S. Senior Amateur.
The top of the Golfweek Senior Division National Championship leaderboard is West Coast-heavy, with Randy Haag of Orinda, California, and Robert Funk of Canyon Lake, California, part of a three-way tie for third. Chad Branton of Cartersville, Georgia, joined them at 1 under.
Haag was recently part of the winning duo at the NCGA Senior Four-Ball while Funk finished runner-up with his partner. Funk also finished runner-up at the San Francisco City Senior Championship in March.
Kevin VandenBerg, who has won Golfweek Senior Player of the Year honors each of the past two years, landed as part of a tie for sixth after a colorful starting stretch that included an eagle, two birdies, and three bogeys in his first seven holes. He finished at even-par 72.
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