George Zahringer among those leading Trans-Miss Senior Championship
(Photo Courtesy of the USGA)

Palmer, the 2012 Texas Senior Amateur champion, made one birdie, one bogey and 16 pars. He said his longest par-saving putt was about 5 feet. “I hit it pretty straight,” said Palmer, who finished tied for fourth in the last year’s Trans-Miss Senior. “I didn’t get into much trouble. When I did get in trouble, I got a lucky bounce to get out of it.”

Zahringer, who won the 2002 U.S. Mid-Amateur and 2013 British Senior Amateur in addition to a host of tournaments in the New York metropolitan area, offset two bogeys with consecutive birdies on the par-4 second and par-5 third holes. Zahringer shared part of sixth place at the 16th Trans-Miss Senior.

The runner-up at the 1994 U.S. Mid-Amateur, Brennan carded four birdies, two bogeys and a double- bogey to sign for his 71.

Ninety-one players from 14 U.S. states comprised the field for the 17th Trans-Miss Senior Championship. That number includes all three division champions from 2015 back to defend their titles. The 2015 Senior Division champion, Jeff New from Scottsdale, Ariz., shot 4-over 75 and is tied for 14th place. Chris Maletis from Portland, Ore., won the Super Senior Division last year for his fifth Trans-Miss Senior title. He shot a 7-over 78 to share a piece of seventh place. The defending Legends Division champion, Jim Martin from Dallas, is tied for first place after a 6-over 77.

In the Super Senior Division for players aged 65 and older, Gary Kirwan from McKinney, Texas, and Jody Vasquez from Aledo, Texas, shot rounds of 3-over 74s to tie for the first round lead. Mike Arnold from San Antonio, Mickey McDonald from Shreveport, La., and Houston Country Club member Loren Singletary share third place at 4-over 75. John Goode from Killeen, Texas, sits alone in sixth place at 5-over 76.

There’s also a three-way tie atop spot in the Legends Division (70 years and older). Martin, the defending champion, along with current Trans-Miss President Phil Patterson from La Jolla, Calif., and Houston’s Bob Twaddell all posted 6-over 77s in the first round. Patterson drained a birdie on the 518-yard, par- 5 17th hole. Martin made a birdie on the 352-yard, par- 4 finishing hole; Twaddell made it around Houston CC without a birdie, but he never made worse than a bogey, either.

Houston Country Club, which celebrated its centennial in 2008, was originally designed by Tom McNamara at its original locale just south of downtown Houston. In 1956-57, the club re-opened in Houston’s Tanglewood area after Robert Trent Jones designed the 7,009-yard, present-day course, which sits next to Buffalo Bayou. The old school club has played host to six Texas Amateur Championships. The greens and bunkers in 1988 were modified by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, who also recently renovated the eighth and 10th holes after a bayou erosion project.