The 2023 AGC Super Senior Player of the Year: Doug Hanzel
Doug Hanzel (Jeff Haynes/USGA photo)
After winning the closest points race since we started handing out POY awards,
Doug Hanzel of Savannah, Ga. is the 2023 AmateurGolf.com Super Senior Player of the Year.
The AmateurGolf.com Super Senior Player of the Year is awarded based on a point system earned through performance in major senior and super senior events throughout the course of the year. This year, Hanzel topped the points standings for the second straight year, edging out fellow Savannahian
Jack Hall by just 25 points.
Though eligible for super senior tournaments, the 66-year-old spent the year playing entirely against the 55+ set (Hall did this as well), accumulating his ranking points in regular senior championships. Currently the #4 ranked senior, Hanzel is still a threat to win every time he tees it up against players up to 10 years younger.
"I’m 66 but still competitive in senior golf. I don’t feel like a super senior, I’m still hitting it far, " said Hanzel after winning the Canadian Senior Amateur in September.
It was perhaps the highlight of Hanzel's year, after a
playoff win over fellow U.S. Senior Amateur champ
Gene Elliott, becoming the first super senior to win since the super senior division was introduced at the Canadian Senior in 1995.
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Super Senior
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It was the second major playoff win for Hanzel in 2023, having previously
won the Senior Huddleston Cup in Dallas over his longtime four-ball partner
Bob Royak.
The two would later pair up for their fifth consecutive Georgia Senior Four-Ball title, shooting 24 under for a
9-shot win.
Hanzel was unable to replicate his deep run to the 2022 U.S. Senior Amateur final match, but he did make match play for the 11th straight time since becoming eligible for the event. He also qualified for the U.S. Senior Open for the first time since 2015.
As one has to do to win a points race, Hanzel put himself in contention repeatedly, and came close to winning at the Gasparilla Senior and Florida Azalea Senior, finishing as runner-up in both events. He has top-5 finishes in the Society of Senior Dale Morey Championship and the Lupton Senior Invitational, and top-10s at the Coleman Senior and the Chanticleer National Senior.
Final Super Senior POY Points Standings, 2022 | 1 | Doug Hanzel | Savannah, GA | 4125 | | 2 | Jack Hall | Savannah, GA | 4100 | | 3 | Steve Humphrey | Ocala, FL | 3500 | | 4 | Marcus Beck | Tallahassee, FL | 2725 | | 5 | Rick Cloninger | Rock Hill, SC | 2650 | | 6 | Chip Lutz | Reading, PA | 2400 | | 7 | Michael Hughett | Owasso, OK | 2225 | | 8 | Craig Steinberg | Honolulu, HI | 2150 | | 9 | Todd Hendley | Columbus, NC | 2075 | | 10 | James Starnes | Fort Myers, FL | 1975 |
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For the second straight year, Hanzel, Hall and
Steve Humphrey (Ocala, FL) finished 1-2-3. Hall won the SOS Dale Morey and the Golden Isles Senior, and had three runner-up finishes: the Florida Azalea Senior, the Hesler and the Reynolds Senior. But when they went head-to-head in senior rankings points events, Hanzel topped Hall 5-2-1.
Humphrey had another great super senior season, with an amazing seven wins in super senior championships, and four other top-3 finishes. The highlight of Humphrey's year was a dominating 8-shot win at the Golfweek Super Senior National Championship.
Marcus Beck (Tallahassee, FL) and
Rick Cloninger (Rock Hill, SC) rounded out the top 5, while
Chip Lutz (Reading, PA), who was the AGC Senior of the Year in 2010-11-12, finished sixth in the standings.
Complete 2023 Points List (252 players) | AmateurGolf.com Super Senior Rankings (two-year aggregate)