NORTH PLAINS, Oregon – Tom Brandes of Bellevue, Wash., slept on a six-shot lead and cruised to victory in the 5th National Super Senior Championship, held this week on the Ghost Creek course at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, Ore., and conducted by the Society of Seniors.
In the final round of the 54-hole stroke-play championship, Brandes fired another under-par round, this time a 2-under 69 to finish as the lone player under par for the event, at 6-under, 207, seven shots ahead of second-place finisher Greg Goode of Salinas, Kan.
Brandes, a 2015 inductee of the Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Fame, now adds a Society of Seniors title to his long list of stellar accomplishments. He carded birdies on the treacherous par-4 sixth hole, and the par-4 dogleg-right 12th, and kept a clean card throughout the final round, keeping any would-be challengers at bay.
Brandes is a 12-time WA Golf Senior Men’s Player of the Year.
Players at the championship got the full Pacific Northwest treatment as they experienced all different seasons of weather during the event. Tuesday was unseasonably warm with highs around 90 degrees.
Wednesday, the area saw its first rainfall in nearly three months, with about an inch of rain falling in the afternoon that caused a two-hour delay in play. On Thursday morning, players were greeted by dense fog and temps in the low 50s that created another challenge in navigating the Bob Cupp design. The sun finally broke through in the afternoon for the final pairing to play their last six holes with clear vision.
“I try not to think of it; I go into it like I’m tied,” said Brandes, when asked about playing with a lead. “I know Hollis and Greg are great players so I just treated it as if we were even from the start. I stayed real focused because the water [on Ghost Creek] really pops out of nowhere on several holes out here, so you need to pay attention, especially on six, nine, and 17. I gave myself some nice approach distances, made some good swings, and it was nice to keep it bogey-free today. My hat’s off to Pumpkin Ridge for the hospitality and it was in great shape all week.”
Greg Goode, of Salina, Kan., finished runner-up for the second straight year in this event, finishing at +1, 214 total. Goode was one of five players under par in the final round, posting a solid round of 1-under 70. In a tie for third place, Dave Gaer, of Des Moines, Iowa, and Robert Harrington, of Scottsdale, Ariz., were one stroke behind Goode at +3, 215, respectively. Gaer matched Brandes’ round of 69 on Thursday, while Harrington and Robert Brooks (13th place), of West Des Moines, Iowa, both posted 70 to join the group of sub-par final rounds.
The 2025 edition of the National Super Senior Championship conducted by the Society of Seniors will take place in Columbus, Ohio at Columbus Country Club on Sept. 29 – Oct. 2.
