2023 Men’s Senior Player of the Year

The 2023 RDGA Senior Player of the Year: Jim Scorse

The Rochester District Golf Association began its Senior Player of the Year Award in 2018 as a way of honoring the most consistent championship-level men’s senior player of the season.

Designed to recognize and celebrate consistent excellence in the game of golf over the course of a single season, the RDGA Senior Player of the Year is recognized annually. This recognition is open to all male golfers, ages 55 and above, in the RDGA and is based on gross score results only. To be considered for the RDGA Senior Player of the Year award, golfers must play a minimum of 5 events on the published Points schedule with an additional requirement that 3 of those events must be RDGA events.

Winning the 2023 RDGA Men’s Senior Player of the Year Award was Jim Scorse of Stafford Country Club – who ran away with the title for a second time, winning this year’s honors by 385 points ahead of Wade Sarkis of Canandaigua Country Club.

Scorse, who also won the RDGA Senior Player of the Year in 2020, scored an impressive 4 victories during the 2023 season – beginning with wins in two RDGA Two Person tournaments early in the year.

Later in the 2023 season, Scorse earned two more victories – capturing rare double senior championships in the same season, in both the RDGA Wilson Fitch Senior Championship and the New York State Men’s Senior Amateur Championship.

Beginning the final round of the 2023 RDGA Wilson Fitch Senior Championship at Canandaigua Country Club, defending champion Jim Scorse of Stafford found himself two shots out of the lead, facing three tough competitors with just 18 holes to play.

Turns out, Scorse had his opponents just where he wanted them.

In typical Jim Scorse fashion, the five-time RDGA District Champion and RDGA Hall of Famer only got better as the final round wore on, while his opponents, one by one, all dropped out of contention as the Senior Championship drew to a close.

By the end of the day, Scorse captured the 2023 RDGA Wilson Fitch Senior Championship title by two shots over 2017 RDGA Senior Champion Stu Harris, claiming his second consecutive victory in the Championship – and third District Senior title in four years.

In August, at the New York State Men’s Senior Amateur at Yahnundasis Golf Club in Utica, Scorse put together the two lowest rounds of the championship – 69 and 70 – to finish at 3-under-par 139 and win by four shots.

In the end, Scorse emerged as the 2023 RDGA Men’s Senior Player of the Year, earning 1025 Player of the Year points – outdistancing Wade Sarkis of Canandaigua Country Club by 385 points.

In addition to Player of the Year, the top-32 point winners for the 2023 season also earn invitations to the 2024 RDGA Men’s Senior Match Play Championship and the top-10 point winners (and ties) earn exemptions into the 2024 RDGA District Championship John H. Ryan Jr. Memorial.

To see the final 2023 RDGA Senior Player of the Year Points standings, CLICK HERE.