Bryan Hoops, Paul Simson rise to top at Golfweek Senior National Championship

On the small, quick greens typical of a Donald Ross layout, the second-round 68 that Bryan Hoops posted in Round 2 of the Golfweek Senior National Championship is no small feat. Hoops, the defending champion from Tempe, Arizona, moved from 3 over to 1 under and built himself a six-shot lead entering the final round at Benvenue Country Club in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

>Hoops’ card was colorful in the first round at Benvenue – to the tune of five birdies, four bogeys and two doubles. On Tuesday, however, he had only one bogey in his 68. Hoops, who plays a full slate of mid-amateur and senior events, won the Society of Seniors Senior Masters earlier in the spring. He was top 5 in the Huddleston Invitational Senior division last month.

>A group of three players are tied for second at 5 over, well behind Hoops though not out of striking distance in the final round. That contingent includes Chad Branton of Cartersville, Georgia; Lenny Nash of Charlotte, North Carolina; and Yancey Johnson of Simpsonville, South Carolina.

>Kevin VandenBerg, who co-led with Johnson at even par after Monday’s first round, slipped to a 78 on Tuesday and is now in a tie for fifth.

>In the Super Senior division, a North Carolina legend rose to the top of the leaderboard. Paul Simson of Raleigh, North Carolina, is a two-time U.S. Senior Amateur champion (2010 and 2012) who also won the British Senior Amateur and Canadian Senior Amateur in 2010.

>On Tuesday, he backed up an opening 76 with a round of 75 and at 7 over, rose to the top of the leaderboard on the strength of consistency. Simson is one shot ahead of Tom Sweigart of Vail, Arizona, and three shots ahead of Stevie Cannady of Pooler, Georgia. First-round leader Bob Beck, the leading playing in the Golfweek National Senior Amateur Rankings for Super Seniors, dropped to a tie for fourth.

>In the Legend division, Terry Tyson of Perrysburg, Ohio, is 1 over and has an eight-shot lead. Tyson had the low round of the day in the first round, 1-under 71. He posted 74 on Tuesday.

>Don Donatoni of West Chester, Pennsylvania, maintained his Super Legends lead after rounds of 74-72.

>This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Golfweek Senior National Championship 2026 second round scores