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The night before Saturday’s second round of the Golfweek Player of the Year Classic, Mike McCoy, the reigning U.S. Senior Amateur champion, accepted the Yancey Ford Award for contributions made to senior amateur golf.
A day later, he demonstrated why he is a leader in the senior amateur game. McCoy posted a 3-under 69 at Omni Orlando (Florida) Resort to climb the leaderboard and land in second place entering the final round of Golfweek’s season-opening event.
In reflecting on his play over the past year and his life in the game, McCoy told Golfweek at the end of 2025 that he believes part of his competitive edge comes from a constant feeling of preparedness. McCoy enjoys the peaceful moments found in practice, and they’re keeping his game sharp.
“I’m always trying to prepare for the next tournament,” he said. “I always feel ready to go. You could call and say, ‘Hey, we’re having a big tournament this afternoon,’ and I wouldn’t panic. I’d feel ready to go, my game would feel ready.”
McCoy’s round was the lowest in the Senior division, and he tied defending Super Senior champion Richard Kerper for the low round of the day. McCoy, of Norwalk, Iowa, had four birdies and a single bogey on his card. He had a similarly steady day in Friday’s opening round, but for a triple-bogey 7 on the first hole that drove his score up to a 74.
At 1 under for 36 holes, McCoy trails John Wright of Fairhope, Alabama, who is 3 under for the tournament. Wright was runner-up at the 2025 Dixie Senior Amateur and also finished in the top 10 at last year’s Jones Cup Senior.
Behind Wright, three other men are tied with McCoy in second place. That includes Chad Branton of Cartersville, Georgia; Tony Wise of Georgetown, Kentucky; and Dave Bunker of Ontario, Canada.
Kevin VandenBerg, the 2025 Senior Player of the Year, made big strides on Saturday, too. He climbed into the top 10 by following his opening 77 with a second-round 71. VandenBerg has won POY honors in this division the past three years and is the defending champion in this event.
While VandenBerg, at 4 over, has considerable work to do on Sunday to lock down a repeat, Kerper began distancing himself for the Super Senior field on Saturday. Rounds of 73-69 have helped him build a five-shot lead on Doug Stiles, the next-closest player.
First-round leader Marcus Beck of Tallahassee, Florida, dropped to a tie for third on Saturday, and is six shots back.
In the Legend division, Greg Osborne of Lititz, Pennsylvania, moved into a three-shot lead at even par. Osborne also collected POY honors in this division last season.
Don Donatoni of West Chester, Pennsylvania, and Jack Marin of Durham, North Carolina, share the lead in the Super Legend division at 1 over.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Mike McCoy contends, Richard Kerper pulls away at Golfweek POY Classic
Continue reading...
A day later, he demonstrated why he is a leader in the senior amateur game. McCoy posted a 3-under 69 at Omni Orlando (Florida) Resort to climb the leaderboard and land in second place entering the final round of Golfweek’s season-opening event.
In reflecting on his play over the past year and his life in the game, McCoy told Golfweek at the end of 2025 that he believes part of his competitive edge comes from a constant feeling of preparedness. McCoy enjoys the peaceful moments found in practice, and they’re keeping his game sharp.
“I’m always trying to prepare for the next tournament,” he said. “I always feel ready to go. You could call and say, ‘Hey, we’re having a big tournament this afternoon,’ and I wouldn’t panic. I’d feel ready to go, my game would feel ready.”
McCoy’s round was the lowest in the Senior division, and he tied defending Super Senior champion Richard Kerper for the low round of the day. McCoy, of Norwalk, Iowa, had four birdies and a single bogey on his card. He had a similarly steady day in Friday’s opening round, but for a triple-bogey 7 on the first hole that drove his score up to a 74.
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At 1 under for 36 holes, McCoy trails John Wright of Fairhope, Alabama, who is 3 under for the tournament. Wright was runner-up at the 2025 Dixie Senior Amateur and also finished in the top 10 at last year’s Jones Cup Senior.
Behind Wright, three other men are tied with McCoy in second place. That includes Chad Branton of Cartersville, Georgia; Tony Wise of Georgetown, Kentucky; and Dave Bunker of Ontario, Canada.
Kevin VandenBerg, the 2025 Senior Player of the Year, made big strides on Saturday, too. He climbed into the top 10 by following his opening 77 with a second-round 71. VandenBerg has won POY honors in this division the past three years and is the defending champion in this event.
While VandenBerg, at 4 over, has considerable work to do on Sunday to lock down a repeat, Kerper began distancing himself for the Super Senior field on Saturday. Rounds of 73-69 have helped him build a five-shot lead on Doug Stiles, the next-closest player.
First-round leader Marcus Beck of Tallahassee, Florida, dropped to a tie for third on Saturday, and is six shots back.
In the Legend division, Greg Osborne of Lititz, Pennsylvania, moved into a three-shot lead at even par. Osborne also collected POY honors in this division last season.
Don Donatoni of West Chester, Pennsylvania, and Jack Marin of Durham, North Carolina, share the lead in the Super Legend division at 1 over.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Mike McCoy contends, Richard Kerper pulls away at Golfweek POY Classic
Continue reading...
