Branton, Team Georgia North 1 shine at Golfweek International Senior Invitational
October 10, 2026
Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com
Cartersville Country Club senior golfer Chad Branton finished tied for second individually and was on the 2026 Team Georgia North 1 squad that won the team title this past Thursday and Friday at the Golfweek International Senior Invitational.
Branton, 57, shot 76-70-66 (212, 4-under) and tied with Kevin VandenBerg (Pulaski, New York) for individual runner-up. Tony Wise of Georgetown, Kentucky, won the individual title, carding rounds of 67-72-67 (206, 10-under) on the 6,900-yard, par-72 layout.
Wise opened with a 5-under 67 to take a one-shot lead and maintained his advantage with an even-par 72 in the second round. He then matched his opening 67 in the final round to secure the title.
Branton made the biggest move among the leaders, climbing eight places to finish at 6-under 66. Stephen Nichols of Lansing, Michigan, finished fourth at 2-under (72-74-68), while Sean McQueary (Springfield, Missouri) and Jon Lindstrom (Denver, Colorado) tied for fifth at 1-under par.
The tournament opened with 18 holes on Thursday, with the remaining 36 played the following day due to anticipated weather from Hurricane Isaias.
Team Georgia North 1 came from behind to claim the three-man team title on a tiebreaker. The team, Branton, Bob Royak (Alpharetta), and Billy Mitchell (Atlanta), finished tied with Team Kentucky but won the championship with the best third-player total. Team Arkansas was third, winning a tiebreaker over New York and Michigan.
The team competition used a three-count-two format, with the two lowest scores from each three-player team counting toward the daily total.
The local Cartersville Country Club team of David Coleman, Mike Heffner, and Scotty Scott finished 17th of 30 teams in the International field, which included teams from multiple U.S. states, England, Scotland, and Denmark.
Comments