Hydorn and Barfield Share Lead at Texas Senior Amateur
IRVING – Andrew Hydorn of Houston and Neal Barfield of Dallas are tied atop the leaderboard of the 87th Texas Senior Amateur after the first round at The Nelson Golf & Sports Club’s TPC Course.
Hydorn began his round in the morning, making five total birdies en route to his even-par 70. He made back-to-back birdies on holes 15 & 16 to get back to even-par for the day. Hydorn, the 85th Texas Senior Amateur Runner-up, will look to keep the momentum going into the second round.
“Overall the round was good,” said Hydorn, “Made a six-foot putt on 15 for birdie and got up and down on 16.”
Barfield shares the first-round lead with Hydorn at even-par 70. Barfield also finished strong by recording back-to-back birdies on Holes #15 & #16 to pull his round back to even-par. Barfield made four total birdies on his way to the top of the leaderboard.
The Texas Senior Amateur is open to male golfers aged 55 & older that live in Texas. This year’s event saw more than 300 signups across the state between exempt players and local qualifiers. The TGA hosted seven qualifiers leading up to this year’s event and built a strong field to take on the TPC Course at The Nelson Golf & Sports Club.
Randy Lance of Spring sits two shots back of the leaders at 2-over-par, 72. Lance is followed by five players tied for fourth at 3-over; Magnolia’s Craig Hurlbert, Trophy Club’s David Johnson, Richmond’s Mike Padilla, Irving’s Mark Lindberg, and Austin’s Don Dean.
Three players are tied for ninth, including 2022 Texas Senior Amateur Champion Sandy Pierce. The Hills’ Andrew Spooner and McKinney’s Jody Reeves also sit in ninth at 4-over.
The Nelson Golf & Sports Club is hosting the Texas Senior Amateur for the first time in the tournament’s 87-year history. The TPC Course boasts a tough par-70 layout, spanning 6,450 yards in the opening round, with elevated greens that have undulating surfaces. The course was built for championship golf and was the host of the PGA Tour’s Byron Nelson Championship for 35 years. The history throughout the property is felt as the state’s top senior golfers look to etch their own moments into the fabric.
The weather was near perfect on Friday with temperatures starting in the low 60s in Irving and creeping up to the mid-80s in the afternoon. The sun was shining and the wind was breezy, gusting around 20 miles per hour, making it a challenge to keep the ball in the tight fairways and hit the smaller greens.
The second round of the Texas Senior Amateur will begin at 7:30 am off the No. 1 tee at the TPC Course. Following the second round, the field will be cut to the low 54 players and ties.
For more information on the 87th Texas Senior Amateur and to see all the scores from Friday, click here.