Golfweek Senior Nat'l Championship: Steve Hudson wins by eleven

OCALA, Fla. (Jan. 18, 2015) — Steve Hudson won two major senior events in 2014, but they both could not compare to the 11-shot thrashing he gave to the Golfweek Senior National Championship field, beginning Friday. He opened the 54-hole event at Stone Creek Golf Club with an eight-under 64, setting a competitive course record at the course's 6,400-yard tees. That round gave him a six-shot cushion through 18 holes before he comfortably shot back-to-back 67s to win the tournament by 11 strokes. Hudson, of Birmingham, Ala., shared the rain-shortened 2014 Senior Porter Cup title with Canada's Mike Jackson, and won the Senior Masters by four last April. And he is no stranger to winning big, either. He captured the Alabama Senior Amateur title last summer, an event which he won for the second time, by eight shots. Hudson's final round included two eagles, both on par fives, as well as four birdies. His record-setting first round had nine birdies pasted to the card, including a string of four in a row from holes 13 to 16. Steve Groom of Raytown, Mo. came in second place thanks to a final-round 67. In three of the four opening events of the new year, Groom has finished in the top-three on each occasion, including tying for third place last week in an attempt to defend his title at the Gateway Senior Invitational. Jerry Rose of Sarasota, Fla. rounded out the top-three finishing at four-under par 212. Rose had a runner-up finish in 2014 at the Society of Seniors Spring Classic, where he missed forcing a playoff with Stephen Sharpe by a stroke. Next on the docket for players over the age of 55 will be the Spring Classic, being held in 2015 at the Verandah Club in Fort Myers.