CROSSVILLE, Tenn. — After two days at Stonehenge Golf Club, Cliff Kresge, PGA secured his title as the 2021 Tennessee Senior State Open champion. The former PGA and current Champions Tour member finished the tournament four-under as the only player below par overall, demonstrating Stonehenge’s challenging stature.
By the end of round one it seemed as though the following day was going to be a game of catch-up with Cliff. Kresge had finished at five-under, 67, while defending champion Bill Breen, PGA, sat in second place with a 71. Behind Breen were four players tied at an even 72 — Jake Reeves, PGA, Scott Wilson, PGA, Buddy Hartson, PGA, and amateur Steve Golliher.
The cooler weather on day two made the round even more enjoyable, as the brisk breeze provided a refreshing change to the June heat. The lead group consisting of Kresge, Breen and Reeves, teed off on No. 1 at 1:50pm, but had an uneventful front nine. Kresge refocused and got back into gear when he eagled the 10th hole. This not only gave him momentum to finish strong, but it negated his mediocre front nine. He took it and ran with it.
The other players needed some birdies to catch up, but the spread fell short, leaving Kresge as the only player under-par after two rounds. On Tuesday evening at Stonehenge Kresge was joined by his wife, Judy, on the 18th green to celebrate his win.
The Super Senior division was led by amateurs Wes Gilliland of Chattanooga and Thomas Baird of Signal Mountain. After two days of competition, Thomas Baird finished in first at +5 overall to capture the Super Senior Division victory.
The Tennessee PGA would like to thank our Title Sponsor of the event, The City of Crossville, for being such a generous partner. Without the support of Crossville, Tennessee, the Senior State Open Championship would not be possible. Another thank you to Imperial Headwear and Cleveland/Srixon/XXIO/Asics for being supporting partners of the event.
We would also like to give a special thank you to the Director of Golf, Jeff Houston, PGA, Head Professional, Jeremy Jones, PGA, and Superintendent Sean VanHoose, as well as the rest of the staff at Stonehenge Golf Club for hosting such a successful event.