North Hills native Gene Walter qualifies for U.S. Senior Open

Gene Walter will be put to the test later this month against some of the world’s best professional senior golfers.

The 51-year old PGA pro and 1992 North Hills grad will compete in the U.S. Senior Open from June 27-30, at Newport Country Club in Rhode Island.

Walter qualified for the event at the beginning of May when he shared medalist honors at a qualifier at Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club in Tampa, where he shot 2-under 68. He had five birdies in the round, including four of the five holes on the front nine.

“To be honest, I have nothing to lose, and I’m going there to just win,” said Walter, who has played in PGA events before and added his confidence is at an all-time high.

The USGA event, which had 3,019 players enter qualifying rounds, has a $4 million purse. It is open to professional golfers and amateurs with a handicap not exceeding 2.4 who are at least 50 years old.

With such a large prize total, Walter said his main focus is to remain calm and to just enjoy the ride.

He will be up against 11 former U.S. Senior Open champions, including two-time winner and defending champion Bernhard Langer. Other notable former champions include Jim Furyk (2021), Padraig Harrington (2022), Colin Montgomerie (2014), Kenny Perry (2013, 2017), Steve Stricker (2019) and David Toms (2018), among others.

“Once again, the number of entries represents the great interest that thousands of golfers worldwide have in competing for a place in senior golf’s most prestigious championship and ultimately hoisting the Francis D. Ouimet Trophy as champion,” USGA Chief Championships Officer John Bodenhamer said in a statement.

With the competition quickly approaching, Walter’s preparation has increased. He plans to head to Rhode Island to get familiar with the course.

“This will be my first time seeing the course, but it looks like it sets up well,” Walter said.

Walter is a golf manufacturer sales representative at a PGA store called Putting Green Pros in North Florida. He moved to Florida a few years ago after his daughter, Isabella, graduated from North Allegheny, where she was a WPIAL girls golf champion in 2019.

The now-Deer Island, Fla. resident said his preparation has not included all that much actual golfing in recent weeks. Instead he has helped his son with his baseball career in the Orlando area.

“Just staying in good shape and getting healthy has helped me get better a lot,” Walter said.

The move to Florida has benefited Walter’s golf game, he said.

“I got to score better because the competition is a lot tougher in Florida versus PA,” he said.

However, he added the adjustment was not an easy.

“It’s difficult cause I used to teach a lot of lessons in western Pa. and worked a lot at the same time,” he said.

He expects a drastic difference in the weather when he plays in Rhode Island later this month.

“The much warmer weather in Florida versus Rhode Island will be a different feeling,” Walter said.

Walter was a standout golfer for at North Hills in the early 1990s. That tradition continued for other members of his family, including Isabella, who extended her golf career at Mercyhurst until graduating this spring with a degree in graphic design.

Walter said his family, and more specifically his wife, have been a valuable support system through the years.

“Lot’s of credit goes to my wife Christine,” Walter said. “She has been my No. 1 supporter through it all.”