Drew (left) and Doug Hanzel are a formidable father-son duo

Doug Hanzel and his son, Drew, of Savannah won the Senior Division for their sixth overall title at The Country Club of North Carolina’s National Father-Son Invitational on Sunday.

The Hanzels successfully defended their senior division title from 2019 with a score of 278, two shots better than Andy and Bo Andrews of Raleigh, N.C.

The Hanzels previously claimed the Championship Division in 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2011. Together with the 2019 and 2020 crowns, they have tied Tim and Chris Miller of New Philadelphia, Ohio with six divisional wins — most in the event’s 51-year history.

The Hanzels shot 65-65 in the better-ball format on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Doug shot 73 and Drew shot 75 in Round 3 on Sunday to win the title by two strokes over Andy and Bo Andrews. Paul and Phillip Simson of Raleigh placed third. The elder Simson is one of North Carolina’s most decorated amateurs and is the 2010 and 2012 U.S. Senior Amateur champion.

A Cleveland, Ohio, native who moved to Savannah in 1989, the elder Hanzel is the 2013 U.S. Senior Amateur champion and was the low amateur at the 2012 and 2013 U.S. Senior Open. Both Hanzels played golf at Kent State University. Doug, a physician, endowed a golf scholarship at their alma mater. He will play in the U.S. Amateur Championship on Aug. 10-16 at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Oregon.

Doug Hanzel is rated No. 2 in the GolfWeek/AmateurGolf.com Senior Amateur Rankings behind Ken Kinkopf of Jupiter, Florida. Savannah’s Jack Hall is No. 15. Doug Hanzel is a four-time AmateurGolf.com Senior Player of the Year and a 2019 inductee into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame.

Mark and Dylan Fox of Midlothian, Virginia, won the Championship Division by 17 strokes at 284; and James and Wes Martin of Dallas, Texas, won the Super Senior division by 24 strokes at 285.

The field consisted of players from 11 states: Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

The format was better ball of each team for the first two rounds from division-designated tees (Dogwood Course on Friday and Cardinal Course on Saturday) and then the combined score for the event’s final round Sunday.

A fixture on CCNC’s golf competition schedule, which began in 1970, the National Father-Son Invitational has included these notable other winners: Tom and Tom Kite, Jr; Arthur and Scott Hoch; and Rod and Steve Spittle.