Gove competes in the U.S. Senior Open for second year in a row
Jeff Gove follows through on a swing after driving a ball at U.S. Senior Open in Stevens Point, Wisc. Gove represented The Idaho Club on his staff bag at the Open.
(Courtesy Photo)
Jeff Gove poses for a photo at hole one with his caddy before playing a round at the U.S. Senior Open. In the second round, Gove shot a birdie on hole one.
Idaho Club golf instruction director and Sandpoint resident, Jeff Gove, qualified and competed in the U.S. Senior Open, which is part of the Champions Tour, for the second year in a row. The tournament was held June 29 through July 2 at SentryWorld Golf Course in Stevens Point, Wis.
Gove was one of the 66 golfers who made the final cut and competed in all four rounds of the tournament. It is now the second year in a row he has qualified and made the final cut. He finished with a score 11 strokes over par which was good enough to tie for 38th place and put some prize money in his bank.
“It has been an honor to be able to play on this level again,” Gove said. “The crowds were huge and it was fun seeing and conversing with BJ Quigley, Ernie Els, and others I used to play with on the PGA Tour. It brings back great memories. I played a practice round with BJ on the Tuesday before the tournament; we last played together on the 1995 Nike Tour.”
Gove said finishing where he did at the Open was an overall confidence boost for him and he looks forward to competing in more tournaments in the near future. He said, he is glad to know he is still competitive, and thinks that with a little more time and practice, he could possibly be a top 10 finisher one day.
“It was a challenging setup at the Open,” Gove said. “If you’re even one foot into the rough, you have to chip it out. Although challenging, it was a really fun time.”
Through four rounds, Gove shot a 78, 70, 72 and 75, in that order. The second round was the only round Gove shot under the course’s 71-stroke par. In that round, Gove shot a birdie on hole one, and holed a bunker shot on hole four with a 7-iron. He jokingly remarked that it was “nice to be near the top for one minute.”
“It’s been awesome to live here in Sandpoint, work at the Idaho Club, do some real estate, and still dip my toe into competitive golf," Gove said.
Gove’s next stop will be at the 2023 Boeing Classic held August 11-13 in Snoqualmie, Wash., where he will hopefully qualify for the PGA Tour championship field.
