Inaugural Westchester Senior Open Championship Presented by Lexus

Inaugural Westchester Senior Open Championship Presented by Lexus August 16, 2021 | Pelham Country Club | Pelham, N.Y.

With a venue fresh off an award-winning renovation and a high-caliber field, the Westchester Senior Open Championship Presented by Lexus is poised to deliver an outstanding championship in its inaugural year.

The Venue

Pelham was founded in 1908 with its first course - a Devereux Emmet design - opening in 1921. It hosted the 1923 PGA Championship, which was a big-name battle between Gene Sarazen and Walter Hagen.

1923 PGA Championship

In 1955, Alfred Tull built new holes for the course when I-95 sliced through the course. Stephen Kay did some work in the early 1990s, but a master plan developed by Mike DeVries and carried out over the last 10 years has unquestionably improved the course.

The largest portion of the plan took place in 2019-2020, completely overhauling five holes, drastically improving environmental sustainability efforts and rerouting much of the course's layout.

The Met Golfer Feature: Change at Pelham

History at Pelham (top left, clockwise): PGA Championship, 1923; Opening Day, 1921; Pelham's first professional Jim Barnes & assistant Walter Whiting; Walter Hagen & Gene Sarazen, 1923 PGA Championship.

The field

With a lengthy list of longtime, accomplished club professionals and a slew of talented amateurs aged 50 and older in the Westchester Golf Association's region, the inaugural Westchester Senior Open Championship Presented by Lexus boasts a highly competitive field.

Pairings & Starting Times

Carl Alexander, Purchase

Past Westchester Open champion Carl Alexander showed his game is still in top form with a tie for 10th in this year's Westchester Open.

Frank Bensel, Century

A two-time Westchester Open champion, Bensel has had a strong year with appearances in both the PGA Championship and Senior PGA Championship. He also finished tied eighth in the Westchester Open.

Rob Labritz, GlenArbor

The game of Rob Labritz seems to continue getting better with age as Labritz won the Westchester Open at his own club for the second time in his career after turning 50 earlier this year. Labritz also competed in the PGA Championship this season and has claimed additional titles in the Massachusetts Open and Rhode Island Open.

Patrick Pierson, New York Country Club

One of several amateurs in the field with multiple WGA titles, Pierson owns a trio of Westchester Mid-Amateur victories.

Tom Yellin, Stanwich

Longtime WGA competitor Tom Yellin stands among some of the most decorated amateurs in the field, being a past WGA Amateur champion and two-time WGA Senior Amateur champion.

More players to watch

Clockwise from top-left: Host professional Mike Diffley, six-time Westchester Open champion Bobby Heins, Westchester Mid-Am champion Michael Karger, Westchester Open champion Craig Thomas, two-time Westchester Senior Amateur champion Jim Romaniello.

Appreciate