American Todd White made his first trip to Europe a memorable one, and the journey is just getting started.
White closed with a 2-under-par 69 on Friday at Saunton Golf Club in southeast England to win the R&A Senior Amateur Championship. White, 56, a history teacher from Spartanburg, South Carolina, and the reigning U.S. Senior and South Carolina Amateur champion, made an entry of his own in trans-Atlantic golf annals. He joined countrymen Dale Moray (1985), William Shean Jr. (1999), Kemp Richardson (2001, 2004), Paul Simson (2008, 2010), Chip Lutz (2011, 2012, 2016), Patrick Tallent (2015) and Gene Elliott (2021) as winners of the U.S. Senior and Senior Amateur titles.
“That’s some rather nice company to join,” said White, who had his wife, Sherri, on the bag in his links debut and will play the Senior Open on July 25-28 at Carnoustie, Scotland.
“It was a team effort out there,” White said, “because her companionship, our conversations, allowed me not to get caught up in the moment. It helped me relax. I couldn’t have done it without her.
“Winning is obviously a thrill, but as I was telling Sherri, whatever happened this week was always going to be a fabulous experience.”
White, who played on the Americans’ victorious 2013 Walker Cup team, signed for a 7-over 291 total, one stroke ahead of New Zealand’s Brent Paterson, the defending champion. Northern Ireland’s David Mulholland placed third at 9-over 293, with Elliott, the 2021 champion, at 10-over. Nine other Americans were among the top 25: Randy Haag (T8); Bob Royak (T15); Robert F. Gerwin II and Simson (T17); Jack Hall, Lutz and Robert Funk (T20); and Danny Nelson and Mark Strickland (T24).
Americans have dominated the list of Senior Amateur champions in the past few decades, including victories in four of the past five editions.
Australia’s Nadene Gole won on the second hole of a playoff with England’s Jackie Foster, the defending champion, to win the R&A Senior Women’s Amateur. They had tied at 18-over 311 at Saunton Golf Club.
In becoming the first Australian to win the title, Gole called it “one of my biggest wins in golf.”
“The fact no Australian had ever won it was on my radar and was a huge driver in me coming over again, because it’s a long way to travel,” said Gole, who played her final 11 holes in 1-under. “It’s a thrill.”
Gole, the runner-up last year, holds just about every senior women’s amateur title Down Under, including national titles in Australia and New Zealand, plus numerous state titles across the continent.
American Lara Tennant’s effort to win three senior women’s national championships in as many weeks came up short. After she claimed the Scottish and Irish titles, the 57-year-old from Portland, Oregon, tied for sixth at Saunton. Her 25-over final score represented quite a comeback, as she was outside of the cutline for much of the second round. Tennant, a three-time U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur winner, made the cut by one stroke and clawed her way into a top-10 finish with rounds of 75 and 77 for the final 36 holes.
RESULTS: MEN | WOMEN
Steve Harmon