Kevin Vandenberg repeats as champion at Plantation Senior

January 5, 2025 | by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com

Kevin Vandenberg (Submitted Photo)

The 2024 AmateurGolf.com Senior Player of the Year starts off 2025 strong with a four-shot win in Florida

Kevin Vandenberg of Pulaski, N.Y., successfully defended his title at the 2025 Plantation Senior Invitational at Plantation Golf & Country Club, the Bobcat Course, in Venice, Fla.

Vandenberg carded rounds of 75-70-74 to finish 3-over and win by four shots.

"The first day, I just didn't really play well at all," Vandenberg said. "I had four bogeys on the first four holes of the back nine. The second day, I played really well. It was a little windy, so I knew it would be a grind. If I put up a good score, I thought I would move up on the scoreboard."

He added, "I struck the ball really well this week, especially in the second round."

It was not the cleanest of final rounds, as Vandenberg squandered a three-shot lead by going 5-over on holes No. 8 and 9 to open the door for the rest of the field. However, he birdied Nos. 11, 12, and 13 to pull away from the field again.

Brian Groff of Lakewood Ranch, Fla., and Craig Hurlbert of The Woodlands, Tex., finished T2 at 7-over. Vance Welch of Waldorf, MD., finished in solo fourth place at 8-over, and Allen Peake of Macon, Ga., finished in solo fifth place at 9-over.

Vandenberg opened up his 2024 season with a win at the Plantation and rolled that into winning the 2024 AGC Senior Player of the Year. He is currently ranked No. 2 in the AmateurGolf.com Senior Rankings.

"It felt really good," Vandenberg said about the win. "It was nice to start off the year with another win. I have been playing well recently and have just tried to avoid mistakes and play my game."

Last year, Vandenberg won on the Panther Course, and this year, he won on the Bobcat Course, where they host LPGA Tour Q-School.

"You really have to think your way around it," Vandenberg said about the course.

Results: Plantation Senior

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Kevin VandenBerg	Pulaski, NY	700	75-70-74=219
T2	Brian Groff	Lancaster, PA	400	75-74-74=223
T2	Craig Hurlbert	Woodlands, TX	400	74-73-76=223
4	Vance Welch	Prince Frederick, MD	300	76-73-75=224
5	Allen Peake	Macon, GA	300	75-75-75=225

View full results for Plantation Senior

About the Plantation Senior

Kevin Vandenberg repeats as champion at Plantation Senior

Debuting in 2022, this is the first tournament of the major senior amateur season, kicking off the senior Florida Swing. 54-hole stroke play tournament with Senior (ages 55+), super senior (65+), legends (70+) and super legends (75+) divisions.