A 65 on Wednesday put Steve Schneiter in front. Three bogeys on Thursday’s back nine nearly took it away. He birdied the last to win by one.
Steve Schneiter needed a birdie at the last. Three bogeys on the inward nine at Black Mesa Golf Club had cut him back to 6 under par on Thursday, and a par was not going to be enough. He made 3 at the 18th, the only birdie of his back nine, and won the Black Mesa Senior New Mexico Open by a stroke.
Schneiter, the PGA Professional at Schneiter’s Pebblebrook in Sandy, Utah, closed with an even-par 72 to finish at 7 under on rounds of 65 and 72. He took the $3,075 first prize from a purse of $14,600.
The Second Title, Ten Years On
This was his second Senior New Mexico Open. He won the first in 2016, the same year he became the first PGA of America member to hold both the PGA Professional Championship, which he won in 1995, and the Senior PGA Professional Championship. He has played in 12 PGA Championships, more than any other PGA Golf Professional.
Wednesday
The 65 he opened with was the low round of the week. Eight birdies, and a single bogey at the par-4 12th. Nobody in the field played either nine better that day, and he led from there to the finish.
Thursday asked more of him. He bogeyed the par-3 11th, the par-5 13th and the par-3 15th, and by the time he reached the last tee the lead he had built on Wednesday was down to nothing he could sit on.
Twelve birdies over 36 holes, the most in the field, and a front-nine total of 6 under, the best of anyone.
Steve Schneiter · Champion
Behind Him
Brad Lardon, the PGA Director of Golf at The Club at Las Campanas in Santa Fe, came in as the defending champion and a four-time winner of this championship. He closed with a 68, the lowest final round among the top 10, and played the par 5s in 7 under for the week, the best mark in the field. The par 3s cost him. He played them in 4 over and finished a stroke back at 138.
Barry Conser of Scottsdale, Arizona, was third at 139 on rounds of 69 and 70, with 11 birdies for the week, one fewer than Schneiter. Bill Harvey of Albuquerque and El Paso amateur Brian Kern tied for fourth at 140 on matching rounds of 70. Harvey played the par 4s in 8 under, the best in the field. Kern was low amateur.
Final Leaderboard, Top Five
| Pos | Player | Rounds | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steve Schneiter, PGASchneiter’s Pebblebrook, Sandy, Utah | 65-72 | 137 (-7) |
| 2 | Brad Lardon, PGAThe Club at Las Campanas, Santa Fe | 70-68 | 138 (-6) |
| 3 | Barry ConserScottsdale, Arizona | 69-70 | 139 (-5) |
| T4 | Bill HarveyAlbuquerque | 70-70 | 140 (-4) |
| T4 | Brian KernEl Paso, Texas · Low amateur | 70-70 | 140 (-4) |
The Golf Course
Sixty PGA Professionals, non-member professionals and amateurs played the championship at Black Mesa, a Baxter Spann design that opened in 2003 on Santa Clara Pueblo land north of Santa Fe. The course played to a par of 72, and the 584-yard par-5 third played over par in the final round.
The 2026 Black Mesa Senior New Mexico Open was presented by Santa Claran Hotel Casino. Supporting partners included Golf Pro Payments, the Preferred Merchant Processor of the Sun Country PGA, and the Sun Country Amateur Golf Association, along with Black Mesa Golf Club and its staff for hosting.