The Kentucky PGA returns to western Kentucky for the 27th Kentucky Senior Open, with the Country Club of Paducah set to host the championship for the first time in the event’s history.
Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr. and opened in 1984, Country Club of Paducah has long been regarded as one of the region’s premier tests of golf. Jones, whose portfolio includes more than 400 courses across 45 states and 35 countries, built his reputation on a simple but demanding philosophy: to make every hole a hard par but an easy bogey. That design ethos is on full display at Paducah, where subtly contoured greens, generous tees offering multiple angles of attack, and a layout that preserves the land’s natural character combine to challenge players of every caliber.
The course underwent a renovation in 2014 under architect J. Drew Rogers, refining Jones’s original design while maintaining its character. The challenges that await players are 39 white sand bunkers and six lakes that will test the field’s precision as much as its length.
A strong group of past Kentucky Senior Open champions is expected to tee it up in Paducah, headlined by defending champion David Plumb, who captured the title in 2025 in a playoff against Grover Justice, PGA. He’ll be joined in the field by T. Bruce Oldendick, PGA, (2022), Mark Knecht (2020), Steve Cox, PGA, (2019) and Randy Jewell (2017), giving the tournament a deep well of players who know what it takes to win a Kentucky Senior Open title.
Two of the tournament’s marquee groupings will be among the first off Day 1. At 9 a.m local time. off No. 1, Grover Justice, PGA, PJ McDougal and Randy Jewell will highlight the morning wave, followed at 9:50 a.m. off No. 1 by Dan Utley, PGA, T. Bruce Oldendick, PGA, and Mark Knecht.
Beyond the trophy, this year’s champion has plenty on the line. The winner of the 27th Kentucky Senior Open earns an exemption into Final Stage Qualifying for the 2027 U.S. Senior Open, along with an exemption into the 2027 Kentucky Open.
Leading the effort on-site will be Country Club of Paducah’s golf operations staff. Director of Golf Chad Martin, a native of Illinois and a Parkland College alum, currently serves as the Kentucky PGA’s Honorary President after previously holding the roles of President, Vice President, Secretary and District 3 Director. Martin was named the KPGA’s Golf Professional of the Year in 2020 and spent 14 years as a PGA Professional in the Carolinas before arriving in Paducah.
Assisting Martin are 1st Assistant Golf Professional Gabe Wheeler, a Murray State University graduate and former member of the Racers’ men’s golf team who is now working toward his PGA Membership, and 2nd Assistant Golf Professional Coy Swatzell, a Princeton, Kentucky native and current PGA Associate who returned to the golf industry following a decade in the service industry.
With a first-time host site, a champion-laden field and a path to national qualifying on the line, the 27th Kentucky Senior Open promises to be a thriller.
The 27th Kentucky Senior Open is proud to be supported by Maui Jim and Sterling Cut Glass. Full tee times for the championship are available here and are listed in Central Time.
About the KPGA
The Kentucky PGA (KPGA) is one of the 41 sections that comprise The PGA of America. Formed in 1925, the Kentucky PGA has a professional membership of more than 350 men and women professionals across the Commonwealth of Kentucky, each of whom is dedicated to promoting the game in Kentucky. The Kentucky PGA is dedicated to the promotion of the game of golf and providing ongoing education and professional development of Kentucky PGA Professionals. Kentucky PGA Professionals are responsible for conducting a variety of golf-related functions, which include general management, golf instruction, tournament operations, golf shop merchandising, junior golf programs, golf club repair, and much more. The KPGA is a founding member of Golf House Kentucky, the umbrella organization that manages Kentucky’s Family of Golf Organizations.