2024 NALG National Tournament Scores and Tee times
AUFDERHEIDE CAPTURES 2024 NATIONAL TITLE
The 2024 NALG National Championship was expected to be a heated battle. It did not disappoint.
Three players were expected to battle it out. One was three-time defending champion Jon Kelley from Kokomo, Indiana. Another was Dan Aufderheide the 2021 runner-up, two time Ohio champion and current Indiana champion. The 50-year-old Aufderheide is the greenkeeper at Coyote Creek Golf Club in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The third was eleven time Michigan champion and two-time Indiana champion Mark McConnell from Holland, Michigan.
Kelley took the lead the first day with a two-over 74. Aufderheide took the lead on day two with a fine round of 71. Entering the last round, Aufderheide led McConnell by a single stroke with Kelley two more strokes back. Aufderheide birdied holes #1 and #3 while McConnell birdied hole #4. After the first nine holes Aufderheide increased his lead to two strokes with his 34 as McConnell scored 35. McConnell tied for the lead after Aufderheide bogied holes 10 and 12. On the tough long par-4 14th hole, McConnell’s tee shot hit a tree on the right and kicked back into the fairway. He tried to hit a fairway wood up short of the green but didn’t get enough air under it and it went into the lake short of the green. His first double-bogey of the week gave the solo lead back to Aufderheide. Aufderheide bogeyed hole #15 but McConnell recorded another double on #16 when his tee shot on the par-3 landed in the front left bunker. After hitting onto the green he three-putted to all but give the win to Aufderheide. But the drama was not yet over. Aufderheide hit his approach over the 18th green. McConnell needed to chip-in to force Aufderheide to get it up and down. Neither were able to get it up and down making Aufderheide the champion by two strokes. Kelley birdied the final hole to finish a stroke behind McConnell.
Aufderheide and McConnell are great ball strikers. Aufderheide’s irons produce a distinctive click upon impact. Expect to see more from them in the future should they be able to break away from work to participate.
In the Open Division, California’s Jim Dalton won by two strokes over North Carolina’s Anthony Judd. Dalton had rounds of 80, 77 and 81 while Judd scored 79, 81 and 80.
In the Senior Division, Moses Eshkenazi from Niceville, Florida played nicely to defeat defending champion Lane Hawkinson from Oregon by a single stroke. Eshkenazi fired rounds of 77, 73 and 78 for a 228 total while Hawkinson’s 229 total came as a result of 73, 79 and 77.
The Masters Division was divided into three closely competed flights. Freeport, Florida’s Jim Mason was the overall Master champion with scores of 74, 71 and 75 for a 220 total. In second place was British Columbia’s Erv Froese with a total of 222 with scores of 74, 71 and 77. North Carolina’s Paul Nehlsen won the second flight in a scorecard playoff with Georgia’s Joe Brogdon. They both scored 224 with Nehlsen’s 68 in the second round being the low round of the tournament. The third flight was captured by Ohio’s Dan Townsend, also in a scorecard playoff, over Richard Mathis from Mississippi.
The Grand Masters Division was again won by Florida’s Jack Ruhs. Ruhs was the 1973 National Champion!! This year Ruhs won by 12 strokes over South Carolina’s James Johnson. Ruhs fired rounds of 76, 73 and 80 while Johnson scored 80, 77 and 84.
The Women’s Division was captured by Florida's Angela Walker with rounds of 93, 91 and 94 for a 278 total. Walker plans to drum up more women competitors next year.
Thanks to everyone who competed this year. Pine Lakes Country Club proved to be a worthy opponent for every player.
A complete list of scores can be found below followed by the event photographs.
Final Results
Final Round Tee Times
Round 2 Scores
Round 2 Tee Times
Round 1 Scores
Round 1 Tee Times
The 2024 NALG National Championship was expected to be a heated battle. It did not disappoint.
Three players were expected to battle it out. One was three-time defending champion Jon Kelley from Kokomo, Indiana. Another was Dan Aufderheide the 2021 runner-up, two time Ohio champion and current Indiana champion. The 50-year-old Aufderheide is the greenkeeper at Coyote Creek Golf Club in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The third was eleven time Michigan champion and two-time Indiana champion Mark McConnell from Holland, Michigan.
Kelley took the lead the first day with a two-over 74. Aufderheide took the lead on day two with a fine round of 71. Entering the last round, Aufderheide led McConnell by a single stroke with Kelley two more strokes back. Aufderheide birdied holes #1 and #3 while McConnell birdied hole #4. After the first nine holes Aufderheide increased his lead to two strokes with his 34 as McConnell scored 35. McConnell tied for the lead after Aufderheide bogied holes 10 and 12. On the tough long par-4 14th hole, McConnell’s tee shot hit a tree on the right and kicked back into the fairway. He tried to hit a fairway wood up short of the green but didn’t get enough air under it and it went into the lake short of the green. His first double-bogey of the week gave the solo lead back to Aufderheide. Aufderheide bogeyed hole #15 but McConnell recorded another double on #16 when his tee shot on the par-3 landed in the front left bunker. After hitting onto the green he three-putted to all but give the win to Aufderheide. But the drama was not yet over. Aufderheide hit his approach over the 18th green. McConnell needed to chip-in to force Aufderheide to get it up and down. Neither were able to get it up and down making Aufderheide the champion by two strokes. Kelley birdied the final hole to finish a stroke behind McConnell.
Aufderheide and McConnell are great ball strikers. Aufderheide’s irons produce a distinctive click upon impact. Expect to see more from them in the future should they be able to break away from work to participate.
In the Open Division, California’s Jim Dalton won by two strokes over North Carolina’s Anthony Judd. Dalton had rounds of 80, 77 and 81 while Judd scored 79, 81 and 80.
In the Senior Division, Moses Eshkenazi from Niceville, Florida played nicely to defeat defending champion Lane Hawkinson from Oregon by a single stroke. Eshkenazi fired rounds of 77, 73 and 78 for a 228 total while Hawkinson’s 229 total came as a result of 73, 79 and 77.
The Masters Division was divided into three closely competed flights. Freeport, Florida’s Jim Mason was the overall Master champion with scores of 74, 71 and 75 for a 220 total. In second place was British Columbia’s Erv Froese with a total of 222 with scores of 74, 71 and 77. North Carolina’s Paul Nehlsen won the second flight in a scorecard playoff with Georgia’s Joe Brogdon. They both scored 224 with Nehlsen’s 68 in the second round being the low round of the tournament. The third flight was captured by Ohio’s Dan Townsend, also in a scorecard playoff, over Richard Mathis from Mississippi.
The Grand Masters Division was again won by Florida’s Jack Ruhs. Ruhs was the 1973 National Champion!! This year Ruhs won by 12 strokes over South Carolina’s James Johnson. Ruhs fired rounds of 76, 73 and 80 while Johnson scored 80, 77 and 84.
The Women’s Division was captured by Florida's Angela Walker with rounds of 93, 91 and 94 for a 278 total. Walker plans to drum up more women competitors next year.
Thanks to everyone who competed this year. Pine Lakes Country Club proved to be a worthy opponent for every player.
A complete list of scores can be found below followed by the event photographs.
Final Results
Final Round Tee Times
Round 2 Scores
Round 2 Tee Times
Round 1 Scores
Round 1 Tee Times
Pictures from the 2024 National Tournament