Howard Clendenin’s last national senior amateur victory could hardly have been farther from where he is this week – leading the Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior. Geographically, Clendenin is thousands of miles from Lewiston, New York, where he won the 2025 Senior Porter Cup at Niagara Falls Country Club. Regardless of the course or the place, the Ohio native is in familiar territory at the top of a leaderboard,
Clendenin leads the Senior division at Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, Washington, after opening the Golfweek event with a 5-under 67 on Monday. Clendenin’s card was nearly flawless: He only bogeyed the par-4 ninth to go along with six birdies.
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Earlier this month, Clendenin finished 12th at the National Senior Amateur Hall of Fame and before that, he won the Northeast Ohio Senior Amateur.
In addition to claiming the Senior Porter Cup title in 2025, Clendenin also won the North & South Senior Championship and the Northeast Ohio Senior Amateur. He was third in the Sunnehanna Senior Amateur and, notably, finished in the top 15 in the Ohio Mid-Amateur as well.
The top of the leaderboard in Walla Walla is full of seasoned players. Jack Larkin of Atlanta is one shot behind Clendenin after posting a 68 in the opening round. His lone bogey also came at the ninth.
Larking, among the best senior amateurs in the Southeast part of the country, was runner-up earlier this year in the senior division of the Giles Invitational. He reached the Round of 16 of the U.S. Senior Amateur in 2025 and won the Georgia Senior Championship, too.
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In the Super Senior division, Gordon Dallas of Liberty Lake, Washington, leads Ben Benson of Soap Lake, Washington, by one shot at 1 under. A three-way tie for third includes Idaho golf legend Scott Masingill as well as tournament host Jim Pliska, owner of Wine Valley.
Allen Peake, who has three super senior titles to his credit already in 2026, is part of a tie for sixth at 2 over.
George Struthers of Richland, Washington, is the leader in the Legend division after opening with 4-over 76 and Walla Walla resident Bob Silver leads the Super Legend division at 2-over 74.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Decorated Ohio am Howard Clendenin early leader at Golfweek PNW Senior
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