Approximately 60 seniors hit the links Thursday at Lawrence Country Club, hoping to come away victorious in Event 15 of the Kansas Golf Assn. Senior Series.

Little did they know, their chances were all but dead before many of them even finished.

Bob Vidricksen, one of the first to finish play Thursday, fired a 4-under 68 to run away with the overall victory. His nearest competition was seven strokes back.

“He’s a good golfer,” Lawrence’s Kent Beisner said. “He hits the ball a mile.”

Vidricksen shot 1-under on the front nine, and was 2-under following a bogey on the 16th. But the Salina native sunk two 15-foot birdie putts on the final two holes to finish with a 3-under 33 on the back nine.

“I had to make a good up-and-down on 15, and then I three-putted 16,” Vidricksen said. “I kind of lost my momentum there, but I got it back on the last two holes.”

It’s the second time the senior series has made a stop in Lawrence this year. Alvamar played host to an event in June and will also be the site of the KGA senior series championship Oct. 7-8.

It was the first time the KGA seniors visited the Lawrence Country Club in three years.

“We appreciate their membership letting us play,” said Don Briggs, senior series director. “It ties their golf course up for the day. The support we received was wonderful.”

Briggs also competed Thursday, shooting an 82 in the first foursome before sitting down to record scores the remainder of the day.

“I didn’t do that good, but I had a good time,” he said. “It’s a nice golf course. I enjoyed playing it.”

Of the 60 golfers in Thursday’s field, only Beisner and Peter Whitenight were Lawrence residents. Though neither was in contention, both were glad to be playing in their own backyard.

“I’ve been doing this since it started, and I love it,” Whitenight said. “It’s a nice deal, you get to play all the really nice courses around the state.”

The KGA seniors meet again today at Prairie Highlands Golf Course in Olathe. Sixty-eight golfers are scheduled to tee it up, including Whitehouse, who after struggling through 18 holes of heat and humidity on Thursday, still found a way to make light of the situation.

“This is a fun event,” he said. “There’s a lot of good players out here, and I’m not one of them.”