88th Texas Senior Amateur Set for Oct. 3-5

The state’s foremost amateur golfers ages 55 and older will meet up in the Rio Grande Valley for the 88th edition of the Texas Senior Amateur. The championship will be contested from Oct. 3-5 at McAllen Country Club, which is making its debut as host venue.

This will be the first time the championship has visited the southernmost tip of the state in 40 years. The last Texas Senior Amateur held in the region was in 1985, when Lee Fischer captured the title at Harlingen Country Club.

“We are thrilled to have McAllen Country Club as a new championship partner and to bring the Texas Senior Amateur back to the Rio Grande Valley,” said Duffy Suhr, TGA Tournament Manager. “It is always exciting when we have the opportunity to conduct an event at an exceptional facility for the first time and we are certain the club will deliver a memorable experience for the players.”

Nestled in the heart of the city, McAllen Country Club is one of the oldest clubs in the area and traces its roots back to a private 9-hole course that was originally founded in 1930 as the Tippawahee Golf Club. It was renamed the McAllen Country Club in 1946 and expanded to 18 holes in the late 1960s with a design by Texas Golf Hall of Fame architect Jay Riviere.

Measuring just 6,397 yards from the back tees and playing to a par 71, McAllen is a wonderful throwback to an earlier era where the emphasis is on precision rather than power. With its narrow fairways, small, canted greens, and firm and fast conditions, the course provides a brilliant examination of a player’s physical and mental skill set.

“McAllen Country Club is a classic layout in that it requires careful placement off the tee and on approaches and challenges a player’s ability to execute different shot types and to control trajectory and distance,” Suhr said. “I think the course is going to be a complete test for the players and will be a fantastic stage for this prestigious championship.”

Neal Barfield of Dallas won last year’s Texas Senior Amateur with a 54-hole total of 2-over-par 212 on the TPC Las Colinas Course at The Nelson Golf & Sports Club in Irving and is one of six past champions among the 69 players who were fully exempt from having to qualify. Joining Barfield are Gary Durbin of Houston (who won in 2019, 2021, 2023), Sandy Pierce of Houston (2022), John Derrick of Waco (2020), Mike Booker of Houston (2015), and Ron Kilby of Austin (2011, 2014).

Among the other exempt players are 2025 North and South Regional Senior champions Steve Love of Irving and Trey Tyner of Kerrville respectively, 2025 West Texas Amateur Senior Division champion John Pierce of San Antonio, as well as 2025 Texas Super Senior champion Dave Davis of Foth Worth.

Top finishers from the 2024 championship are also among the group of exempt players and include Mark Lindberg of Irving (3rd), David Johnson of Trophy Club (4th), Andrew Hydorn of Houston (5th), Mike Lohner of Southlake (T6), and Terrence Miskell of New Braunfels (T6).

To determine the remaining 75 spots in the 144-player starting field, 18-hole qualifiers were conducted Aug. 4-Sept. 23 at nine sites across the state.

The format for the championship is 54 holes of individual stroke play. All contestants will play 18 holes on both Oct. 3-4. After 36 holes the field will be cut to the low 54 scorers and ties heading into the final round.

Starting times and pairings for the first and second rounds will be posted online at txga.org no later than Sept. 29. Live scoring updates and daily recaps will also be available on the TGA website once the action gets underway from McAllen Country Club.

First held in 1937, the Texas Senior Amateur is one of the four TGA men’s major amateur championships conducted each year, along with the Texas Amateur, Texas Mid-Amateur, and Texas Four-Ball. The Texas Senior Amateur has produced a distinguished list of champions over nearly nine decades, including Texas Golf Hall of Fame members George Rotan, Don Addington, John Grace, and Booker.

For more on the 88th Texas Senior Amateur, click here.