By Vinnie Manginelli (@pgavindog)

The United States Senior Professional Tour (USSPTOUR.COM) is a developmental tour based in the Southwest that gives professional golfers the opportunity to compete against other pros aged 45 and older. When PGA Sun Country Section golf professional Daniel Nunez turned 50, he realized there was nowhere to play against other seniors except the PGA winter series in Florida. He says the courses and facilities were “awesome”, but spent over $2,000 and didn’t get much out of the experience. Eventually, he spoke to friend, former Australian Tour player, Mark Saxton about starting a Tour in New Mexico. That conversation would be the first step in creating the Senior Sun Country Tour. Saxton and his company, Lovington Warehousing, sponsored the tour for the 2013-2014 season for $8,000. Membership was sparse during those early days with less than 20 total members and an average of 12-18 players per event. 

With funding from the Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort amounting to $17,500, there was an uptick the following year. They changed the name of the Tour to the IMG Senior Professional Tour, and participation increased. Former PGA Tour professionals, Rich Beem, Kent Jones, and Ronnie Black played, and by the end of the 2015-2016 season, they had 45 members and looked to expand. 

The Tour became the United States Senior Professional Tour the following year, with events from Oklahoma to California. Its mission to become the Web.com Tour for the PGA Tour Champions started coming into focus. Ronnie Black and Kent Jones joined the Tour full time, with Jones dominating before graduating to the PGA Tour Champions in January of 2018. Former PGA Tour player, Danny Edwards also started playing. In December of 2017 the Tour had its first national event in Phoenix, Arizona, with former PGA Tour player, Notah Begay III playing his first event. This event was held at Club West Golf Club, which had just been purchased for the Inter Tribal Golf Association (ITGA), a USSPTOUR sponsor trying to help attract Native American properties to hold and sponsor events. 

The Tour currently averages 30–35 players per event, with a growing membership of mostly PGA professionals, and is run by PGA professionals, including Nunez, Grant Dalpes, and Ron Allen.

“Our next move will be to start charters of the United States Senior Professional Tour around the country,” says Nunez. The organization is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit, giving back to the community by promoting Junior Golf. Continued growth of the USSPTOUR will solidify what Nunez vowed to do when he became a golf professional three decades ago, to grow the game of golf for everyone who loves to play it.

To contact Daniel Nunez, email danielnunez@USSPTOUR.com and for a schedule of events and more information, visit www.USSPTOUR.com.