When Golfweek’s senior circuit returns to the Golf Club of Georgia in Alpharetta this month, it will be with a new wrinkle: the tournament annually featuring divisions for Super Seniors, Legends and Super Legends players will also now feature a limited-field event for Seniors.
All four divisions will compete at the Golf Club of Georgia’s Lakeside Course from July 8-10. The private club’s original course was built in 1991 and features rolling hills and undulating greens. The course is well-versed in hosting elite competitions, given that it annually hosts the Georgia Cup, a match between the reigning U.S. Amateur champion and British Amateur champion before the Masters Tournament each April. Georgia Tech has also long hosted the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational, which annually draws some of the top teams from around the nation.
This year’s newly formed Senior Division Invitational features perennial senior division contender Todd Doss, who finished runner-up at the Golfweek Senior Tournament of Champions and the Golfweek Player of the Year Classic and more recently, won the Louisiana Senior Amateur for the second year in a row. To defend his title at the state senior amateur, Doss made a 35-footer for eagle on the second playoff hole.
In addition to Doss, keep an eye on Tony Wise in the senior field. Wise, who hails from Kentucky, recently placed third at the Society of Seniors Senior Masters. In 2023, Wise qualified for the U.S. Senior Open.
In the Super Senior division, Stevie Cannady is back to defend his 2024 title. For Cannady, from Pooler, Georgia, last year’s title was a major breakthrough.
“I’ve had seconds and I’ve had thirds and I’ve never won, so this is the first,” he told Golfweek last year.
To defend, he’ll have to get past several top players in his age group, including Greg Goode, the top-ranked player aged 65-69 according to the Golfweek National Senior Amateur Rankings, and Jim Starnes, the reigning Golfweek Super Senior Player of the Year.
This deep division also includes Marcus Beck, the 2024 Player of the Year; Bob Edens, a sports psychologist who has worked with many players in golf and other sports; and Mark Burden, a former Duke golfer and a regular in Georgia State Golf Association events.
An opportunity exists for a title defense in each of the other two divisions as well, with Legends winner Neil Spitalny of Chattanooga teeing it up again this week and Don Kuehn of Kansas City back in the Super Legends division.
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