Keene Hoping To Complete Comeback At Super Senior Match Play Finals

Richard Keene has been a steady fixture in amateur golf for more than five decades, dating back to his stellar prep career at Chattanooga’s Notre Dame High School. That success continued at the collegiate level in Alabama, where he was an All-American at both junior college in Alexander City and later at Troy University.

After a short fling trying to make his mark in professional golf, Keene returned to the amateur game where he continued to win tournaments. He captured a trio of Tennessee Mid-Amateur titles in the ‘90s and was a regular participant in various USGA championships.

Keene, now 67, added to his successes as a senior golfer and had hopes of competing in last year’s U.S. Senior Amateur that was being hosted at The Honors Course. But his plans took an unexpected twist in May of 2024 when he underwent heart surgery that resulted in six bypasses.

Suddenly, golf took on a new perspective for the fiery competitor. But Keene has steadily regained his strength and stamina, winning some local events that proved he still has plenty of game. But now, in his first statewide event competing as a Super Senior in the the 9th Tennessee Super Senior Match Play championship at Oak Ridge Country Club, Keene finds himself only one solid round of golf from completing his comeback journey.

But standing in his path is Buzz Fly of Memphis, one of the most decorated Super Seniors in the state, as the pair squares off in Friday morning’s Championship Final scheduled to tee off at 7:30.

As the top seed in his division, Fly needed 19 holes to defeat Afton’s Tim Dinwiddie in his quarterfinal match Thursday morning. Dinwiddie won the first three holes to go 3-up before Fly chipped away at the deficit. Fly finally took a 1-up lead on No. 10 and maintained it until the final hole, where Dinwiddie delivered a birdie to square the match. Fly then carded a birdie on the 19th hole to end the hard-fought battle.

Fly was able to ride that momentum into his semifinal match against Fairview’s Robbie Robertson, never trailing on his way to a convincing 6 & 4 victory to secure his spot in the finals.

Keene was 1-up at the turn in his semifinal contest with David Apperson of Memphis, then won three straight holes to go 4-up after 13 before eventually settling for a 2-up victory.

In his quarterfinal match against three-time champion Tom Baird of Signal Mountain, Keene claimed the first three holes en route to a 6 & 5 decision, never losing a hole in his opening contest.

Apperson earned his way into the semifinals by staging a late comeback against Nashville’s Stuart Smith. After Smith birdied 13 and 14 to hold a 2-up advantage, Apperson stormed back to take the final three holes – closing with birdies at 17 and 18 – to steal a 1-up decision.

Robertson advanced from the quarterfinals when Lenny Sisselman of Nashville conceded their contest.

Seniors Poised for Strong Finish

The 22nd edition of the Senior division featured some late heroics on Thursday, with the stage set for Friday morning’s semifinals followed by the championship match in the afternoon.

Top-seeded Clay Uselton of Tullahoma will take on Bradford Kuester of Knoxville in one semifinal, just ahead of a duel between Riceville’s Rick Mays against Ray Morton of Lenoir City.

Uselton cruised through both of his matches on Thursday, downing Brentwood’s Kevin Stallings in the Round of 16 by a 6 & 5 count, then eliminated Clarksville’s Matt Baker by 3 & 2 in the quarterfinals.

Kuester grabbed a 3-up lead after three holes against Pat Chisholm of Franklin in his afternoon match only to see his lead trimmed to one with three holes remaining. But Kuester closed with birdies at 16 and 17 to secure the 3 & 1 decision. In his earlier match against Murfreesboro’s Kenny Wilson, Kuester claimed a close match that saw neither golfer lead by more than one when he birdied 16 to win 1-up.

In his Round of 16 encounter with Zeb Patten of Lookout Mountain, Mays was 3-down with four holes to play. But four straight winners including a birdie at 18 gave Mays the improbable win, and he parlayed that momentum to a 4 & 3 quarterfinal win over Thomas White of Knoxville.

Morton’s journey to the semifinals was highlighted by a stretch in the Round of 16 where he overcame a 2-down deficit after eight holes to A.R. Rhea of Johnson City by winning five of six holes to seal a 3 & 2 win. Morton withstood a late charge by Alan Jones of Tullahoma in the quarterfinals that saw a 4-up lead after 12 cut in half. However, Morton closed out the 2-up win with a birdie at 18.

In other Round of 16 matches, Baker never trailed in defeating Williston’s Mike Albonetti by a 2 & 1 margin, and Chisholm cruised to a 4 & 3 verdict over Nashville’s Charles May.

Jones never trailed in his 1-up win over John Zubkus of Murfreesboro where a birdie at No. 17 provided the final margin, while White won three of four holes late in his match with Powell’s Steve Golliher to claim a 2 & 1 victory.

For complete results, go to Tennessee Senior and Super Senior Match Play.

Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com