Some golf careers taper quietly. Others, like Lee Palms’, find a second wind — and a trophy.

Palms, the former NCAA Division III national champion from Emory University and a past winner of the South Carolina Amateur and two Mid-Amateur titles, made a successful return to tournament golf by winning the Greenville County Senior Championship. It was his first significant senior-level stroke play win — and it marked the end of what he’s long called “no man’s land.”

“You’re too old to hang with the 20-somethings, but not yet eligible for the senior events,” said Palms, who turned 55 in June of 2024. “For about five years, it was hard to find the right place to compete. Now that I’m finally old enough, it feels like the game has opened back up for me.”

Palms’ win came against a field that included decorated players like Yancey Duff and Ron Klines — past state and county senior champions. It was both a welcome challenge and a yardstick.

“If I can hang with Yancey, then I’m doing pretty good,” he said with a grin. “He’s done great since turning 55, and we’ve got similar styles. He’s just taller.”

For Palms, it’s been a gradual recommitment. He missed the State Senior last year and narrowly failed to qualify for the U.S. Senior Amateur.

This season, he’s taking things more seriously. The Greenville County Senior was only his second senior stroke-play event, but his performance suggests he’s already finding form.

“I’m proud of how I played,” he said. “And honestly, it’s fun again. The senior game — it’s competitive, but it’s social too. Everybody says you’re going to love it, and I’m seeing why.”

Palms has always been a true competitor, but never at the expense of being a gentleman of the game — the kind of player who still cherishes memories of battling against future stars like Lucas Glover and D.J. Trahan in the early 2000s.

“I think from age 30 to about 47, I got better every year,” he said. “Then something shifts — your body, your priorities, your fire for it. You’ve got kids, work, life. Golf loses the spotlight.”

Now a grandfather and still working full-time in the insurance industry, Palms is carving out space in his life for the game again. Not for a career, but for the love of it — and to see if there’s another chapter worth writing.

“I’ve joined the Society of Seniors, and I’m playing the U.S. Senior Am qualifier in a couple weeks. I don’t have a full schedule yet, but I’m learning my way around,” he said. “There’s a lot out there if you want it — I just haven’t quite mapped it all yet.”

For Palms, this new chapter isn’t about chasing past glory — it’s about finding the right fit, and perhaps a few more days in the sun.

“Senior golf,” he said, “is where the competition is fair again. That’s all I ever wanted.”