Brentwood, TN- Manicured to perfection, Brentwood Country Club was prepared for the influx of seniors playing in this year’s Tennessee Senior PGA Professional Championship. Beautiful, but difficult, the par 71 course created the perfect test for the two rounds of stroke play.
With a field of 21 Senior PGA Professionals, the competition heated up quickly. Round one brought with it scorching temperatures, pushing the limits of the players’ stamina. Walt Chapman, PGA, and Jared Melson, PGA beat the heat with low scores of 67 (-4). Melson experienced a streak as hot as the weather, birdieing three consecutive holes on the front nine. Not to be outdone, Chapman matched Melson’s hot streak with 3 consecutive birdies of his own on the back nine. Bill Breen, PGA was not far behind firing a 69 (-2) placing him in the final pairing for round two with the co-leaders Chapman & Melson.
Tied for the lead, Chapman and Melson vied for first place throughout the second round. Chapman started the day strong with two birdies in the first three holes. Melson staggered out of the gate but made a valiant effort to come back with birdies on holes 8 and 9. The back nine proved to be a challenge for Melson. However, he battled through and closed the round with a birdie on 18 firing a 72 (+1) for the day and 139 (-3) for the tournament. In the end, Melson could not keep up with Chapman who birdied four holes on the back nine shooting 66 (-5) for round two and 133 (-9) for the tournament. Chapman’s victory at Brentwood Country Club was his fourth consecutive Tennessee Senior PGA Professional Championship title.
Henrik Simonsen, PGA worked his way up the leaderboard firing a 69 (-2) for round 2 and 139 (-3) for the tournament, tying Melson for second place.
Jared Melson, PGA, and Walt Chapman, PGA had previously qualified for the Senior PGA Professional prior to playing in the Tennessee Senior PGA Professional Championship. Five more players were rewarded for their perseverance at Brentwood with a spot in the 2019 Senior PGA Professional Championship at Barton Creek Club in Austin, Texas. The Players who qualified include Henrik Simonson, PGA, Loren Personett, PGA, Bill Breen, PGA, Mark Houser, PGA, and Chris Dibble, PGA.
Thank you to Johnny Bridgeman, PGA, and his staff at Brentwood Country Club for graciously hosting this year’s championship.