Hollis Sullivan overcomes five shot deficit to win thrilling Texas Super Senior
4/24/2024 | by Texas Golf Association
see also: View results for Texas Super Senior, Westwood Golf Club
Sullivan made an improbable eagle on the final hole to force a playoff and won on the first playoff hole
Hollis Sullivan overcame a five-stroke deficit heading into the final round of the Texas Super Senior Amateur to force a playoff and claim the championship. In the Legends Division, John Grace finished off his wire-to-wire win, carding the lowest 54-hole total for a Legend player in Super Senior Amateur history at 216.
Sullivan, of Westworth Village, used a sensational final round to climb the leaderboard and claim the Super Senior Amateur in a playoff. Sitting T5 heading into the final round after shooting 75-76, Sullivan needed to go low in the final round to give himself a chance at the championship. Sullivan did just that, carding two birdies on the front nine and heading into his final nine at 1-under.
Sullivan made the turn inside the top three when the field around him started to slip. Sullivan headed into hole 18 at 6-over, while then-leader David Leiss finished hole 16 three strokes ahead. On hole No. 18, a 483-yard par 5, Sullivan needed at least a birdie to give himself a chance and went for the green in two, leaving him twenty-five feet for an eagle. Sullivan stepped up and nailed the putt to finish his round at 3-under par 69 and 4-over par 220 for the tournament.
Sullivan is ranked No. 55 in the AmateurGolf.com Super Senior Rankings and finished T9 at the 2024 SOS Senior Masters.
Leiss would then bogey hole No. 17 and then, on hole No. 18, had to make a four-foot tester for par to force a playoff. Sullivan and Leiss would move to a playoff on the hole Sullivan just eagled. Sullivan hit his tee shot first and landed in the right fairway bunker, Leiss then stepped up and hit his drive into the water on the left side of hole 18. Sullivan would hit a wedge out of the bunker into the fairway. Sullivan's next shot into the green left him 9 feet for birdie and two putts for the win.
Sullivan would make a par and claim the Texas Super Senior Amateur. This is Hollis Sullivan's first individual Texas Golf Association state championship.
LEGENDS DIVISION
John Grace of Fort Worth added to his already stellar Texas Golf Hall of Fame resume with the greatest Legends Division performance the Texas Super Senior Amateur has seen in its nine-year existence.
Grace opened the week by shooting an even-par 72, which included five birdies. He followed up his first round by carding another 72 in round two. Grace opened the final round of play in the Legends Division with an eight-stroke lead over the field.
Grace’s play in the final round put a stamp on a phenomenal week for the multi-time Texas Golf Association state champion, shooting a third consecutive round of even par that included one birdie on hole No. 16. This is Grace's first win in the Legends Division at the Super Senior Amateur.
This is Grace's ninth individual Texas Golf Association State Championship. He adds a Legends Division title to a crowded trophy shelf that includes the Texas Amateur, four Texas Mid-Amateurs, the Texas Senior Amateur, and the inaugural Texas Super Senior Amateur in 2015 at Fair Oaks Ranch. Both Grace and Sullivan share a home club, Shady Oaks Country Club, in Westworth Village, a suburb of Fort Worth.
OTHER FINISHERS
In the Super Senior Division, David Leiss finished solo second after a final round 73 before falling short on the first playoff hole 18 to Sullivan. Leiss spent most of the day as the leader until an untimely bogey on hole No. 17 opened the window for Sullivan. David Pocknall of San Marcos and Bobby Baugh of San Antonio finished tied for third after shooting 224 overall for the tournament. Gary Durbin and 36-hole leader Jeff Kramer rounded out the top five of the Super Seniors at 226.
Adrian Walmsley of Dallas was recognized as the low-net player of the Super Senior Division.
In the Legends Division, Bill Holstead of Wichita Falls finished runner-up to Grace after three rounds of 75-77-73-231. Gary Kirwan of McKinney finished solo third place in the Legends Division at an overall 231.
Jay Trahan of Montgomery was recognized as the low net player of the Legends Division.
The 2024 Texas Super Senior Amateur saw two players hit a hole-in-one during the tournament. During the first round Dave Moore of San Antonio carded a hole-in-one of the par three 17th hole playing at 129 yards with his 9 iron.
The following day the soon to be Texas Super Senior Amateur Champion Hollis Sullivan hit a hole-in-one on hole 7 from 169 yards out with his 6 iron. Hole 7 statistically played as the hardest hole on the golf course during the second round.
About the Texas Super Senior
Eligibility: Entries are open to male amateur golfers with a GHIN Handicap Index from a TGA Member Club. New in 2019, the Super Senior Division and the Legends Division will recognize gross and net winners. In order to participate in the Texas Super ...
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