Tennessee Senior State Open Players Announced By Brian Weis

Tennessee Senior State Open Players Announced

By Brian Weis

The Tennessee Senior State Open at Stonehenge Golf Club in Fairfield Glade is right around the corner, taking place on Monday, June 10th and Tuesday, June 11th . This year promises to be another exciting one with local talents playing like Kelvin Burgin, PGA, Head Professional at Bear Trace at Cumberland Mountain, and 4-time TN PGA Professional Champion. "It's wonderful to have the event here at home and I'm really looking forward to playing again this year!" said Burgin. And Kip Henley, also a 4-time TN PGA Professional Champion and last year's Senior State Open Champion, will be back to defend his title. He shared his excitement, saying, "Anytime you get lucky and win such a prestigious event, it feels amazing. To do it at Stonehenge, a course that is so dear to my heart and around so many of my friends, is the most special event I have ever won. I can't wait to play again this year with the best players in the state." Henley was a golf professional in Fairfield Glade in the 80's and the original Head Professional at Heatherhurst from 1987-1998.

Other notable players from Crossville include John Bradshaw, Tim Rich, Gary Sult Jr., Eddie Wyatt, and Greg Wyatt.

From surrounding areas, expect to see familiar names like Brent Henley from Chattanooga, Jared Melson, PGA, from Tullahoma, 4-time TN PGA Senior Player of The Year, Loren Personett, PGA, 3-time TN PGA Professional Champion, 11-time TNPGA Player of the Year; and from Knoxville, Jake Reeves, PGA, who recently qualified for the 2024 Senior PGA Championship, and well-known Amateur Champions, Jeff Golliher and Steve Golliher. Several previous Senior State Open Champions will also play again this year:

Tim Jackson, Williston, TN, 2012 Inductee to the TN Golf Hall of Fame, 2011 TN Senior State Open Champion, 2-time US Mid-Amateur Champion, 2003 US Men's State Team Champion, All-time leader in wins in Tennessee Golf Association state events with 27 victories, 11-time Men's Amateur Golfer of the Year, 8-time Men's Senior Amateur Golfer of the Year

Bill Breen, PGA, Nashville - 4-time TN Senior State Open Champion, 2020 TN Senior PGA Professional Champion and 2016 & 2022 TN PGA Senior Player of the Year

Gibby Gilbert III, Ooltewah - 3-time Senior State Open Champion, Former PGA TOUR & Champions TOUR Member

Cliff Kresge, Knoxville - 2021 Senior State Open Champion, Former PGA TOUR & Champions TOUR Member

If you would like to be part of this incredible tournament and show everyone why Crossville is the Golf Capital of Tennessee, there are still a few volunteer spots available.

Please contact Jeremy Jones at jjones@fairfieldglade.cc or (931) 484-3731. Registration is $25, or $40 for this tournament and the upcoming Women's Open, July 25th - 27th. As a volunteer, you will receive a shirt, hat, and a ticket to the hospitality tent on the last day.

The current player roster can be viewed here: Tennessee Senior State Open - Player Roster | Tennessee PGA (bluegolf.com)

Revised: 06/07/2024 - Article Viewed 1,536 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.