Stephen Maddalena, Jackson, MI
FINAL 2024 PLAYER OF THE YEAR STANDINGS
Senior Player of the Year – Stephen Maddalena
In July at the 16th Jack Hesler Tournament at Turning Stone Resort in New York, after many times knocking on the door, Stephen Maddalena, of Jackson, MI, checked off the box next to ‘win a Society of Seniors event’. He then parlayed that into winning the 2024 Senior Player of the Year honor. The race came right down to the end, with Maddalena winning by a razor-thin margin of 7.5 points over Kevin VandenBerg, of Pulaski, NY, and by 10 points over David Glabicki, of Cary, NC.
“It was a total shock, honestly,” admitted Maddalena. “I don’t play in all of the events, so I don’t normally follow it that closely. My main goal is to finish in the top ten in each event to be exempt for the following year. It’s an amazing honor and really wasn’t something I was shooting for because I didn’t think it was attainable. There’s so many better players than me that are part of the Society and I’m just shocked. I’ll be 65 here in a few days, so it’s a nice surprise.”
Maddalena accumulated a total of 460 points throughout the season, despite not playing an event after the Hesler in July. He had built up just enough cushion to hold off both Glabicki, and a hard-charging VandenBerg, who came up just shy with a third place finish at the season-ending Bogart Tournament held at Abacoa Golf Club in Jupiter, FL. VandenBerg had an outstanding season as he captured the coveted Golfweek Senior Player of the Year honor for 2024.
Competing in four events overall in 2024, Maddalena got off to a relatively slow start at the Spring Classic held at Orange County National in February, and the Senior Masters at Indian Wells in April, finishing in 15th and tied for 13th place, respectively. He then found some form at the 42nd Dale Morey Championship held at Treyburn Country Club in Durham, NC, as he went on to finish in a tie for third and earned some valuable points headed into July.
“I had some success early in January 2024 winning the Heron Creek Invitational, and then finally broke through with a Society win in July at the Hesler,” said Maddalena. “I’m hoping this year will be even better. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to understand my swing a little better, especially by watching all these great players in the way they swing and work their way around the course. I still pinch myself when I’m getting the opportunity to play with this talented group of competitors. It’s been a blessing to be around them and it really takes a little getting used to and feeling a sense of belonging.”
At Turning Stone Resort’s Kaluhyat Course, Maddalena won the 16th Jack Hesler Tournament by nine strokes to take home his first Society victory and posted the points lead that no one would catch. Consistency coupled with a brilliant short game has long been Maddalena’s recipe for success, as evidenced by his Hall of Fame career in Michigan and his performance on the national stage.
In closing, Maddelena mentioned, “I really appreciate everything the whole Society staff does for our membership. I try to play in as many of the events as possible since we get to go to such nice places and have great competitions.”
Gregory Goode, Salina, KS
Super Senior Player of the Year – Gregory Goode
Gregory Goode, of Salina, KS, has gone back-to-back in earning Society of Seniors Super Senior Player of the Year honors. Last year, Goode amassed a total of 1,030 points, and in 2024 he racked up 1,152.5 points to run away with the award once again. Finishing runner-up while claiming the yearlong Golfweek Super Senior POY award was Jim Starnes, of Ft. Myers, FL.
Asked if POY was a goal, Goode stated, “Yes, absolutely, it’s a great goal to set at the beginning of the year. The Society is a great organization and you hope to finish the year on top. It’s a tough goal, the courses are challenging and the competition is stiff. It’s very satisfying to accomplish.”
Goode played in eight Society events on the year, never finishing outside of eighth place in any event. He compiled one win at the 16th Jack Hesler at Turning Stone, as well as runner-up finishes at the 5th National Super Senior Championship at Pumpkin Ridge, and the 16th Spring Classic at Orange County National. He added two more top five finishes at the 8th Fall Classic at Pine Needles (3rd place) and the 9th Founders Cup at Sandpiper (5th place). Playing against the Senior division at Treyburn CC for the 42nd Dale Morey Championship, Goode posted a very respectable tie for sixth against the young guns.
On what it means to go back-to-back, Goode said, “I honestly never dreamed I could do it once, let alone twice, so I can’t really put it into words. I’ve made so many great friends around the country. It’s great camaraderie and you learn so much just being around so many great players.”
Playing in eight events can be taxing on the body, and when asked about his offseason program, Goode mentioned, “I try to find a nice balance between competing, playing with friends, practicing, and rest along with some mental work. The mental work is mostly spiritual in the mornings to get ready for the challenges ahead. I try to let bad shots go and have a good sense of humor and remember I’m there to have fun. I fail at that quite often, but the goal is to continue to try to do it!”
James Pearson, of Charlotte, NC, finished in third place as he went two-for-two in claiming victories in both events in which participated in at the 8th Fall Classic at Pine Needles and the 41st Ralph Bogart at Abacoa. Marcus Beck, of Tallahassee, FL, finished fourth in the point standings.
Don Donatoni, West Chester, PA
Legend Player of the Year – Don Donatoni
Senior golf stalwart Don Donatoni, of West Chester, PA, will need to make some more room on the mantle for yet another award. It came down to the wire, as Donatoni was able to inch ahead of Peter Van Ingen, of Palm Beach, FL, to win the Legend Player of the Year honor by way of his second place finish at the season finale at Abacoa Golf Club for the 41st Ralph Bogart. Donatoni also captured Player of the Year honors in 2022.
“My first goal before every season is to not get injured,” said Donatoni when asked if POY was a goal. “But yes, it certainly became a goal after winning the Spring Classic and then the Hesler at Turning Stone. After that, it was clear in my mind that it was a reasonable goal. I only played two more events, but I felt I was in a pretty good position to reach it.”
On what the 2024 award means, Donatoni added, “It’s a huge honor, considering the caliber and depth of players that compete in all the Society events. Winning it in 2022 and realizing I had a chance again this year became a goal to kind of validate the 2022 award.”
Van Ingen held the points lead going into the Bogart, but back issues caused him to have to withdraw from the event. Donatoni took advantage of the opportunity in front of him, and while he finished runner-up at the Bogart to Stephen Fox, of Pinehurst, NC, the Player of the Year award was a nice consolation prize.
Donatoni racked up a total of 787.5 points to Van Ingen’s 720 points. The Pennsylvania legend played in four events on the year, winning twice (16th Spring Classic & 16th Jack Hesler), while adding the aforementioned runner-up at the Bogart and a tie for fourth at the 23rd John Kline Championship at Pine Needles.
On the state of his game, Donatoni said, “I’d give 2024 a B+. I drove it well and my short game was good, but I was a little disappointed in my wedge play, so that’s a focus to work on going into 2025. When it all comes together, good things can happen and overall it was a wonderful year.”
In the offseason, Donatoni does what he can to keep the swing intact.
“The winters in PA are long, so there’s not a lot of golf unless you go south or find some indoor options,” added Donatoni. “I’m fortunate to have some friends at the local Golf Galaxy and Second Swing in Delaware that provide me the opportunity to practice on their simulators from time to time.”
Mark Weston, of Windermere, FL, finished third in the point standings, followed by Jeffrey Knox, of Boston Heights, OH, in fourth.
Johnny Blank, Frostburg, MD
Super Legend Player of the Year – Johnny Blank
Mr. Consistent is what they should call Johnny Blank, of Frostburg, MD. Blank enjoyed another banner year in 2024 en route to claiming back-to-back Super Legend Player of the Year honors. Blank entered the season finale at Abacoa with a somewhat comfortable lead, however he still needed a solid finish to hold off John Osborne, of Charlottesville, VA, who finished second in the point standings.
Asked about his expectations, Blank said, “It’s always a goal, but you don’t really think about it until it’s more realistic later in the year. Once the point standings are established, it gets more exciting. It’s a surprise to go back-to-back since there’s a lot of good players, but certainly a nice one at that.”
Osborne had tallied two victories going into the Bogart, one at the 16th Hesler, and one at the 23rd John Kline Championship, to get within striking distance of Blank. He would need to win the Bogart and have Blank play poorly to have any chance at the POY award. Blank opened the event with a four-under round of 68 to seemingly squash any of those hopes. Osborne would finish the event tied for eighth while Blank claimed fourth place to nail down the POY race.
Blank played five events during the 2024 campaign, winning once at the 16th Spring Classic. He took seventh in the desert at the Senior Masters at Indian Wells in April, and then finished second at the 16th Hesler at Turning Stone to build on his lead. A solid tie for third came at the 23rd John Kline Championship at Pine Needles, and then his fourth place showing at the Bogart sealed the deal for his second straight Player of the Year award.
“The first half was definitely better than the second half,” said Blank when summing up his year. “I’m 78 so I’m getting to be a ‘senior’ in this group. My swing speed is slower and flexibility isn’t as good, but that’s just part of getting older. I’m not the longest player in our group, but I try to be as consistent as possible.”
Gaylord Davis, of Portand, OR, finished third in the standings as he posted a win at the 9th Founders Cup at Sandpiper to go with a runner-up finish at the Senior Masters at Indian Wells in his only two events of the season. Jim DuBois, of Coral Springs, FL, finished fourth in the point standings.
To close, Blank had this to say, “I’m very proud to be mentioned in the same article as the rest of the award winners [Maddalena, Goode, and Donatoni]. They are great players and I’m honored to be mentioned in the same sentence with those fine gentlemen.”
