The KCGA is proud to announce Bryan Norton as their Senior Player of the Year. The 50 year old Mission Hills resident is a former two-time All-American at Oral Roberts and is an insurance broker at Lockton. He competed on the European Tour from 1987-1991 and the PGA Tour in 1991. He was reinstated as an amateur in 1998.
Norton started the year out strong when he and partner Andy Emerson finished in a tie for third place at the inaugural KC Mid-Am/Senior Team Challenge at Nicklaus Golf Club at LionsGate.
Following the KC Mid-Am/Senior Team Challenge Norton became the low amateur at The Watson Challenge at Shadow Glen Golf Club in early June. Norton fired rounds of 72-75-76 to finish in eighth place.
Norton became medalist at the U.S. Senior Open qualifier at Alvamar Country Club after shooting a 1-under par 71, winning by two strokes. The Senior Open would be Norton’s fifth different USGA championship (U.S. Open, U.S. Senior Open, U.S. Amateur, U.S. Mid-Amateur and U.S. Junior Amateur). He has qualified for the U.S. Open four times (1980, 1981, 1991, 1992). He was runner-up at the 2003 U.S. Mid-Amateur, falling to Nathan Smith in the final after he conceded the match due to a calf injury.
As July was coming to an end Norton teed it up with the best senior players in the world at the U.S. Senior Open at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel Indiana. After firing rounds of 73-73 he made the cut by one stroke. Norton’s best play was still to come though. Playing both days with Hale Irwin, Norton would get hot with his putter and shoot rounds of 69-70 to finish at 3-under par 285 and in a tie for 19th place. He would also finish as the second low amateur only behind Tim Jackson of Tennessee who captivated the country by leading after the first two rounds.
Norton also made the semi-finals of the Trans-Mississippi Amateur and along with Dodge Kemmer and Jon Troutman represented Kansas at the USGA State Team Championship where they finished as runner-up after leading by two strokes the first day.
