Golf Pro’ s News
Clarke Charges Down the Stretch to Win the 2025 Watson Challenge
Wolf Creek assistant pro birdies three of the final four holes.
Photography and Editorial by Alan Hoskins, feature writer
Clarke celebrates the Watson Challenge win after sinking his final putt.
What seemed like a ho-hum five-shot win, the 2025 Watson Challenge was anything but for George Clarke. Trailing by a stroke with four holes to go, the Wolf Creek assistant golf professional birdied three of the final four holes to finish 4-under par, 68 for the day, and 12-under, 204 for 54 holes.
As it turned out, the putt ignited a string of par-saving putts and chip shots. He was good from 15 feet on No. 10, 8 feet on No. 11, and then almost drained a 60-foot chip shot on No. 12. A lengthy putt for birdie at No. 13 and another at 15 got him even with Mason, both at 10-under with a playoff looming.
Clarke took the lead with a birdie at No. 16 and cruised home when Mason made his only bad swing of an otherwise exceptional round, a big hook out of bounds and a double bogey six at No. 17.“ Just a bad swing, but that’ s golf,” said Mason, who headed for the PGA of America tour school in Alabama immediately after the tourney.
Meanwhile, Easton Johnson came charging down the stretch, finishing with birdies at 16 and 17 and an eagle on the 535-yard final hole to share second.
Clarke wrote a little history into his win and $ 10,000 payday. He’ s the first foreign-born player to win the Watson. Born and raised in Great Britain, he came to the U. S. at age 17 to play golf at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa. He played there two years, another two years at Kansas State, and a COVID season at UMKC. He gave the pro tour a shot for six months, but when the money ran out, he spent a year as an assistant at Falcon Lakes before coming to Wolf Creek a year ago.
England-born George Clarke accepts the 2025 Watson Challenge Championship cup from founder Tom Watson.
“ Twelve under par at Hallbrook? That’ s terrific,” gushed Tom Watson, the tournament’ s founder, namesake, and five-time champion.
A pair of fast finishers tied for second at 209, Mill Valley High School and Kansas State grad Nick Mason, who started the final round three shots back of Clarke, and Easton Johnson, who was coming off a COVID year at Louisville after four years at K-State.
Clarke, who had the tourney’ s best round( 65) on Friday, entered the final round tied at 8-under with Will King and two shots ahead of Benjamin Wheeler. However, King, who had a pair of eagles in an opening round of 67, could garner only a pair of birdies Saturday; Wheeler just one.
Meanwhile, Clarke was reeling off seven birdies. But it was a bogey on the 9th hole that he felt saved the day.“ I was looking at double or triple bogey,” he said. In trouble off the tee, he needed a 10-foot putt to save a bogey.
Tom and Dorothy Watson were among a bevy of spectators watching tournament action at the Hallbrook Country Club. Tom Watson competed in 15 Watson Challenge’ s and won five.
The biggest winner, however, was the First Tee of Greater Kansas City. The members of Hallbrook Country Club generated approximately $ 60,000 for First Tee. Hallbrook was the first club to host the Watson Challenge; this year’ s event marks the third Challenge at the Leawood course.“ A great job, especially with the weather conditions,” said Watson. The Challenge, which has had three events shortened to 36 holes and numerous rain delays, had another 93-minute delay on Saturday.
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12 July 2025 TEE TIMES GOLF GUIDE