Terms of competition and additional information
USGA Exemption Event Information
The 2026 Champion will be locally exempt for the 2027 U.S. Senior Open
Eligibility: Entries are open to male amateur golfers who are regular Members of the WVGA, and who are 50 years of age or older by the first round of Championship. Please Reference WVGA Policies and Procedures for further details.
Format: The tournament will be 18 holes of stroke play qualifying followed by match play.
Entry Fee: $150
**We will have a Championship Division as well as a Silver (60-69) and Gold (70+) Division.
Format Following Stroke Play: 16 players will advance in the Championship Division flight, *Depending on number of entires 16 players will advance in the Silver and Gold Flights as well. At least 16 must be registered on entry deadline day to fill 16 spots in Silver and Gold, if one or both have less than 16 players registered only 8 will make match play***. Defending champion automatically receive the 2 seed in each division unless they win the 1 seed. Defending Senior division champion is exempt as the 2 seed into their respective age group (silver or gold).
Tuesday: Stroke play will take place in the morning. The first round of matches in all divisions will begin after the completion of the stroke play qualifying at approximately 2:00 pm. **If only 8 make match play in Silver or Gold, they will not play Tuesday afternoon**
Wednesday: The round of 8 in all brakcets will take place followed by the Semifinals in the afternoon.
Thursday: The championship matches will take place.
Field Size: The maximum field size is 72 players.
Practice Round: $25. Available anytime the week prior. Please call for Tee Time.
Championship Yardage:
Championship - (app. 6,100 yards- Blue Tee approx)
Silver- (5,700 yards- White tee approx) Gold- (5,400 yards- Gold Tee approx)
Player Registration: Info will be sent with tee times and other pertinent information which will be emailed by Friday before the Championship
Player Lunch: There will be a player lunch following stroke play on Tuesday.
Cart Fees: All cart fees are included in your entry fee.
Spectator Carts: Spectator carts will not be permitted during this championship with the exception of a spectator who can provide an issued and active Handicap Permit. Final decision will be made by the WVGA Staff.
Caddies: Caddies are permitted during the championship. Players are responsible for supplying their own caddie. Caddies may ride in golf carts if it adheres to the WVGA cart policy and there is an available seat. * WVGA Cart Policy - there will be a maximum of 2 carts per group and 2 individuals per cart. *
Pairings: Pairings for stroke play qualifying will be released and updated on the event website by Friday Sep 4th. Pairings will also be included in the Player Information.
Awards / Gift Certificates: The Fox/Payne trophy will be awarded to the champion. Top finishers in Match Play will receive gift certificates
POY Points: Senior State Player of the Year points will be awarded to everyone who advances to match play of the match play portion of the championship flight. Player of the Year points list will be updated online immediately following the completion of play.
Score Posting: At the conclusion of the championship each players stroke play qualifying scores will be automatically posted as a "C" or competition score to the GHIN handicap system. Please do not enter your own scores from the competitive rounds as this will result in a double post.
Withdrawal Policy: In the event of a tournament withdraw; the player must notify the West Virginia Golf Association Office at 304-391-5000 no later than one week prior to the tournament. If withdraw is made prior to tournament registration deadline, the player may receive a refund regardless of reason minus a $20 administrative fee. For a withdraw made after the entry deadline, the player may receive a refund only if player has experienced a sudden illness or injury, and only if the West Virginia Golf Association is notified prior to the first round of the tournament.