Area Golfer Shoots For
National Seniors Title
BY D<)1<; Rl'TTKR
Walter Pennington has big
plans for June, when he
hopes to top off his
strong finishes at local and state se
nior golf tournaments with a na
tional title.
The Sunset Beach golfer will
travel to Baton Rouge, La., this
spring and represent Brunswick
County and North Carolina in the
U.S. National Senior Sports Classic
IV.
Pennington, who works part-lime
as a starter and ranger at Sea Trail
Plantation, will compete against
some of the best seniors in the
country in the men's bracket for
ages 65 to 69.
"I'm really excited and I'm look
ing forward to it," the 68-year-old
retiree said in a recent interview.
"This'U be niy last hurrah unless I
feel pretty good when I reach 70."
Pennington, who doesn't look his
age, says he docs a lot of stretching
and walking to keep in shape. "In
the last 24 hours I've walked about
four miles," he said.
The 36-holc national golf tourna
ment will be played at The Bluffs, a
coursc designed by the legendary
Arnold Palmer. Men ages 55 to 69
will play the Palmer course, while
women and older men play another
club.
Most of the oilier events in the
Senior Sports Classic, such as
walking, basketball, shufflcboard
and tennis, will be conducted on the
Louisiana State University campus.
Pennington said the golf tourna
ment gets underway June 14 with a
practice round. The actual competi
tion will be held June 15 and 16,
with a shotgun start both days at
7:30 a.m.
The senior games will count
gross scores only. Handicaps aren't
used to determine winners. Pen
nington. a nine-handicapper, figures
he'll have to shoot between 75 and
81 both days to have a shot at cap
turing the championship.
Pennington qualified for the na
tional event by first winning his age
group in the Bruaswick County
Parks and Recreation Senior Golf
Tournament last May at Lockwood
Golf Links.
The top three local finishers in
each age bracket qualified for the
North Carolina Senior Gaines in
Raleigh, where Pennington tied for
second last year with an 81 on the
Wildwood Greens coursc.
Pennington also competed in the
state games in 1991, but he prefers
to forget about that round. "I'm not
going to tell you how 1 did the first
time. It was bad. One hole killed
me. 1 had a 10."
He competed against a field of
about 40 golfers in die state games
last year, and expects anywhere
from 60 to 1 (X) at the national
event. Each state can send as many
as three golfers in each age bracket.
Pennington says he's been golf
ing since he was 24. which gives
him 44 years of experience on the
links. Of course, that devsn't take
into account his one extended lay
off.
"1 quit golf for seven years when
I had two sons in college at the
same time," he said. "I didn't have
a choice. 1 couldn't afford it."
Brunswick County Parks and
Recreation recently held a senior
tournament at the county's newest
_ vri>.
Ganptl
Golf & Country Club
at St. James Plantation
Hwy. 211 ? Southport, NC 28461
S $2000
includes cart & green fees
Call for Tee Times
1-800-247-4806
C 199? THF BRUNSWICK BEACON
course, Brunswick Plantation, to
kick off the third year of organized
senior golf events.
Kay Brannon, who coordinates
the local tournaments, said the first
one attracted just 36 golfers. Now,
the popular evenis are usually limit
ed to the first 144 players to regis
ter.
Pennington plays in most of the
local senior tournaments, which arc
held every oilier month. "There's
very few things around where you
can be involved in competition like
that. I like playing these fellas
scratch."
Pennington, who was raised in
Pennsylvania and worked in
Syracuse, N.Y., said he chose the
Sunset Beach area as a retirement
spot because of the mild climate.
"Between here and Orlando,
Florida, the weather's about the
same," he said. "The weather was a
big factor, and of course the golf."
WALTER PENNINGTON
practices on the Sea Trail
putting green. The local golfer
will compete in the U.S.
National Senior Sports Classic
in June.
STAfF PHOTO BY DOUG KUTTER
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