Inside the FSGA - May 2023

FSGA

AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE FLORIDA STATE GOLF ASSOCIATION ~MAY 2023~ JAY

94TH WOMEN’S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

INNISBROOK GOLF RESORT & CLUB

JUNE 13- 17

FLORIDA STATE GOLF ASSOCIATION

12630 Telecom Drive - Tampa, FL 33637

Main: (813) 632-3742

Championships & Rulings: (813) 868-5850

Club Services: (813) 868-5855

JOIN THE FSGA

Foundation Memberships

$1,000 ............................................. Chairman’s Level

$500 ................................................. President’s Level

$250 .................................. Director’s Level (Couple)

$160 Director’s Level

Regular Memberships

$50 ............................................... Adult Regular Level

$40 FJT/Junior Level

$25 Patron Level

All membership dollars received above the regular membership will go towards the Future of Golf Foundation.

FOLLOW THE FSGA

Twitter: @FSGA

Instagram: @FSGA1913

Facebook: Florida State Golf Association

FOLLOW THE FLORIDA JUNIOR TOUR

Twitter: @FloridaJrTour

Facebook: Florida Junior Tour

2023 UPCOMING MEN’S COMPETITIONS

2023 UPCOMING USGA QUALIFIERS

MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIPS

U.S. OPEN FINAL QUALIFIER

June 5 Pine Tree GC

U.S. JUNIOR QUALIFIERS ENTRIES CLOSE MAY 17

June 12 Bradenton CC

June 13 Indian Spring CC

June 26 ......................................................................... Seminole Legacy GC

U.S. AMATEUR QUALIFIERS ENTRIES CLOSE JUNE 21

July 6-7 .................................................................................. Mark Bostick GC

July 12-13 Eagle Creek G & CC

July 12-13 BallenIsles CC

July 17-18 .............................................................................................Vinoy GC

July 17-18 Santa Rosa G & BC

July 18-19 Mission Inn Resort

July 24-25 Lago Mar CC

U.S. SENIOR AMATEUR QUALIFIERS ENTRIES CLOSE JULY 5

July 13 Aberdeen G & CC

July 24 ....................................................................................... Oceanside CC

July 27 Palma Ceia G & CC

U.S. MID-AMATEUR QUALIFIERS ENTRIES CLOSE JULY 19

July 31 Suntree CC

August 2 Mark Bostick GC

August 21 Fort Lauderdale CC

U.S. FOUR-BALL QUALIFIERS (2024) ENTRIES CLOSE AUGUST 9

September 11 ........................................................ Lago Mar CC, Plantation

November 6 Golden Ocala G & EC, Ocala

December 11 Bradenton CC, Bradenton

WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIPS

U.S. WOMEN’S AMATEUR QUALIFIER ENTRIES CLOSE JUNE 14

June 26 Delray Dunes G & CC

July 17 Mission Inn R & C

U.S. SENIOR WOMEN’S AMATEUR QUALIFIER ENTRIES CLOSE AUGUST 9

September 14 The Falls Club of the Palm Beaches, Lake Worth

U.S. WOMEN’S MID-AMATEUR QUALIFIER ENTRIES CLOSE JULY 19

August 2 .................................................................... Indian RC, Vero Beach

U.S. FOUR-BALL QUALIFIER (2024) ENTRIES CLOSE AUGUST 9

September 25 The Forest CC, Fort Myers

2023 CHAMPIONSHIP RECAPS

TURTLE CREEK CLUB

SITE OF 106TH AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

WOMEN’S SENIOR AMATEUR

CHAMPIONSHIP RECAPS

76TH WOMEN’S INTERNATIONAL FOUR-BALL

Terrill Samuel and Marianne Springer left Eagle Creek Golf and Country Club as champions. Terrill Samuel outlasted the field by three strokes to capture her second consecutive Senior Women’s Amateur Championship.

SENIOR/MID-AMATEUR FOUR-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP

For the fourth time in five years, Meghan Stasi and Ina Kim-Schaad raised the trophy at the Women’s International Four-Ball Championship. The duo a 13-under 131 for the two-day championship to win, the lowest two-day total in the tournament’s history.

WOMEN’S SENIOR FOUR-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP

John Mulrain and Brian Barth went wire-to-wire to capture the win at the Senior/Mid-Amateur Four-Ball Championship at Deer Island Country Club. The pair used a 14-under 130 to take home the one-shot victory. This was the first FSGA championship win for both players.

Diane Chancellor and Kathy Glennon captured the Women’s Senior Four-Ball Championship at Marsh Landing Country Club.

46TH FLORIDA SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

WOMEN’S INTERCLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

Shannon Sykora survived a playoff to capture the 46th Florida Senior Open Championship on Wednesday at Lakewood National Golf Club. The Fort Myers resident used an 6-under 210 and a birdie on the third playoff hole against Steve Vecellio to capture the Florida Senior Open victory.

MEN’S INTERCLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

Watersound Club raised the trophy on Wednesday at the 2023 Women’s Interclub Championship at TPC Treviso Bay. The Panhandle club picked up the victory by 12 points, finishing the week with 194 points, to earn the Women’s Interclub title.

WOMEN’S SHOOT-OUT CHAMPIONSHIP

Marsh Creek Country Club raised the trophy on Wednesday at the 2023 Men’s Interclub Championship. The Saint Augustine club picked up the win at Innisbrook Resort by just four points, finishing the week with 383 points, to earn its first Interclub title.

Liliana Ruiz-Munoz and Therese Quinn made up the winning pair on Sunday at the Women’s ShootOut Championship which took place at Harbor Hills Country Club. Quinn and Ruiz-Munoz carded a tournament total of 11-under par with rounds of 6667 to capture the victory.

TWO-MAN SHOOT-OUT

42ND MID-AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Tyler Gulliksen and Ty Capps captured the TwoMan Shoot-Out on Sunday at Grand Harbor Golf & Beach Club. The team finished with a par on the first playoff hole to secure the win.

Jay Halverson claims his first FSGA Mid-Amateur Championship. Halverson defeated Jonah Wasserstrom 1up at Royal Poinciana Golf Club. The Saint Petersburg native holed a chip from behind the green for birdie on the 18th hole to claim victory.

SUPER-SENIOR AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Tom Norton survived a playoff to take home the Super-Senior Amateur Championship title on Thursday at The Country Club of Ocala. Norton finished the championship at 3-over 219 and secured the victory with a birdie on the first playoff hole.

Tom Grady was victorious in the 70-74 Division on Wednesday, while Gene Ryzewicz took home the win in the 75-79 Division and Jim Pfrogner earned the victory in the 80 & Over Division.

Mary Jane Hiestand and Susan Temple at the Women’s Shoot-Out

David Anthony at the Super-Senior Amateur.

Women’s Interclub at TPC Treviso Bay

Carl Santos-Ocampo teeing off at the Mid-Amateur Championship

INAUGURAL FLORIDA ADAPTIVE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

Innisbrook Resort & Club

South Course | Palm Harbor, Fla.

October 1-3, 2023

The FSGA has announced the creation of the Florida Adaptive Open Championship, a new state championship that will showcase the best golfers with disabilities from around the state and country. The inaugural competition will be conducted on the South Course at Innisbrook Resort & Club on October 1-3, 2023.

“We look forward to hosting our first Adaptive Championship this October at Innisbrook Resort,” said Jeff Magaditsch, FSGA Executive Director. “With the USGA conducting the inaugural U.S. Adaptive Championship last year, this helped pave the way for associations to provide more playing opportunities for the adaptive community. The FSGA is truly excited to showcase their talents this fall."

The championship will be contested over 36 holes of stroke play at Innisbrook Resort. It is open to males and females, professionals and amateurs, with either physical impairment, sensory impairment (vision), or intellectual impairment, who have an authorized World Handicap System (WHS) Handicap Index of 36.4 or lower. A WR4GD or Access pass is required.

INNISBROOK

Entries Close: August 1

Eligibility: Male & Female golfers, professional or amateur

Handicap Index: WHS GHIN of 36.4 or lower required

Entry Fees: $170

Championship Format: 36 holes of individual stroke play

AGAINST ALL ODDS

Brandon Canesi is no stranger to adversity, but that has never stopped him. Born without hands, Canesi belongs to Category G6, the double arm impairment category, which is the rarest category in adaptive golf. Currently a 5.4 handicap, Canesi has learned to play by adapting his clubs to himself and not the other way around.

Growing up in South New Jersey, outside of Atlantic City, Canesi loved sports. He played every sport available to him, but because he was small and did not have hands, many of the coaches did not want to give him a chance

“I did have great hand-eye coordination, and I would prove them wrong if I got the opportunity,” Canesi said.

As a result, he mainly played action sports, like skating, surfing and snowboarding. Canesi even became a certified snowboard instructor. These sports took over his life for a good portion of his childhood. That is until he made his first set of golf clubs at the age of 16. From then on, golf consumed Canesi and he was not going to let anyone discourage him from playing.

Canesi first played golf when he was six years old. He would spend his summers in Hollywood, Florida with his grandfather, who lived on a golf course. Canesi would use his grandfather’s clubs, which were so large that he naturally anchored it under his arm to be able to swing. At the age of 16, when Canesi wanted to play again, the fact that there were no clubs to fit his needs did not stop him

“I was talking with my uncle and he suggested making longer clubs so that I could swing the same way I did as a kid,” Canesi said. “And so that’s exactly what we did, even though we did not have any club fitting experience.”

In the basement of his uncle’s house, they built prototypes by holding a broomstick and measuring the length from the backend to the base. They then took two full steel shafts, one inside of the other. This allowed Canesi the ability to start playing again. It was hard, at first. The clubs rattled, sounding like a broken bat when he would swing. Nevertheless, Canesi was happy to be out on the course with his family and friends.

Knowing that he could improve with better equipment, Canesi decided to try out different shafts. He and his uncle went on a new search and this time, it was for the longest graphite shafts they could find. Immediately, Canesi saw improvement and with this newfound development came the inspiration to launch his foundation, Hole High.

He started shooting videos and creating a presence on social media in an effort to inspire others and show everyone how he did not change himself to play golf, but rather adapted the golf clubs to himself. In 2017, Canesi hosted a fundraiser tournament in New Jersey for about eighty of his closest friends and family and he donated the money to Shriners Children’s Hospital, where he was a patient growing up.

“I just wanted to inspire people and be a positive light,” Canesi said.

The desire to help others was the catalyst driving Canesi forward, and he knew he could achieve more. In 2018, he enrolled in the Golf Academy of America in Myrtle Beach and two months into the program, footage of his first ever hole-in-one went viral. This was a turning point for Canesi and it escalated his social media presence. He now has almost 20,000 followers on Instagram, where he posts instructional videos. His bio reads, “World’s best no-handed golfer. Inspiring others to overcome life’s limitations while spreading awareness of adaptive golf.”

In addition to his social media fame, Canesi was also introduced to the world of adaptive tournaments; a world that he did not know existed. He quickly became an ambassador and one of the prominent faces of adaptive golf.

Canesi now works at Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami as a caddy and an instructor at the performance center, which allows him to practice and prepare for tournaments. Shortly after starting at Trump Doral, Canesi was introduced to representatives of Cobra Puma Golf, who flew him out to the Headquarters in Carlsbad, California to perfect his original club design. Canesi then received a set of brand new custom Cobra clubs complete with a Cobra staff bag with his nickname, Nubz, embroidered on the front pocket.

Canesi proudly dons his Cobra equipment and plays as much as he possibly can, with hopes of one day playing on an adaptive golf tour. He feels encouraged by the growth that adaptive golf has made recently.

The first tournament he ever competed in was the U.S. Disabled Open in Orlando in 2018 hosted by Jason Faircloth, founder of the United States Disabled Golf Association. Since 2018, the tournament has only gained momentum with sponsors such as the PGA of America and PING signing on.

However, it the newest adaptive golf tournament that is the cream of the crop: the U.S. Adaptive Open. The U.S. Adaptive Open, established by the United States Golf Association, is a new national championship that showcases the world’s best golfers with disabilities. The inaugural event was held on Course No. 6 at Pinehurst Resort and Country Club in July 2022, where Canesi teed it up with the world’s best.

“It was so professionally run and it made us feel like the pros,” Canesi said. “To see my nameplate on the range, and the caddy bib - everything. It was beyond an honor to be a part of it.”

Around 300 world-ranked players registered for the inaugural championship, with only the best 96 players being selected. These 96 players represented the eight different categories, five men and two women for each different category. The second annual Adaptive Open will also be held on Course No. 6 at Pinehurst in July.

Adaptive golf is certainly trending in the right direction and Canesi could not be happier to be a part of the movement. The Florida State Golf Association plans to host its inaugural Adaptive Open later this year.

“I want to be an inspiration and a role model for anyone who might need it,” Canesi said. “I can’t tell you how incredible it makes me feel to receive messages and comments about how others have seen my videos.”

“Whatever the situation is, whether you are trying to bounce back from surgery or an injury or need motivation to get off the couch, just know this: you can do anything as long as you are willing to work for it and have belief in yourself.”

FLORIDA JUNIOR TOUR

SEMINOLE LEGACY GOLF CLUB

SITE OF 64TH GIRLS’ JUNIOR & 74TH FOUR-BALL

UPCOMING FLORIDA JUNIOR TOUR EVENTS

PGA NATIONAL RESORT & SPA SITE OF THE 17TH JUNIOR FLORIDA CUP

17TH JUNIOR FLORIDA CUP

PGA National Resort & Spa - Match Course Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

August 7 - 8

Held annually, the Junior Florida Cup is one of the most fun and exciting golf events in Florida. Each year the state’s top junior players are invited to participate in a North Florida versus South Florida team competition similar to the Ryder Cup.

COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS

FSGA Foundation Scholars

FSGA Scholars is a scholarship program made possible by the FSGA Foundation. In the Spring each year, the FSGA Foundation selects a minimum of five golfers from the FJT’s graduating class to be awarded a renewable four-year scholarship. A total of $10,000 in college scholarships will be awarded each year, resulting in $40,000 granted to each graduating class.

James E. Demick Scholarship

One annual scholarship of $10,000 per year, renewable and available for a student’s graduate and undergraduate studies. The scholarship is named in honor of Jim Demick, who has spent the last 24 years of his life dedicated to the FSGA and the game of golf. Demick retired from the FSGA in December 2020 after 24 years as the Executive Director.

A native Floridian, Demick joined the FSGA as the Executive Director in 1997. During his tenure, the organization grew into the largest and most active golf association in the country. He remains a part of the FSGA family, serving as an adviser to the Association and as President of the FSGA Foundation.

RULES OF GOLF - ADVICE

Darin Green, Senior Director of Rules & Competitions

The Masters this past April was nothing short of exciting. Jon Rahm played some impressive golf and ultimately won by four strokes over Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson. During the first round, there was an interesting ruling that took place involving Koepka, Koepka’s caddie, Gary Woodland, and Woodland’s caddie.

On The Masters’ website and phone app, there was a video feed exclusively of holes 15 and 16. Koepka and Woodland were playing in the same group, and after Koepka hit a long approach shot into the 15th green, the video feed appeared to show Koepka’s caddie saying “five” twice to Woodland’s caddie. Many people that saw the video assumed Koepka’s caddie was telling Woodland’s caddie what club was just used to help Woodland decide which club he should use (he was a few yards in front of Koepka).

If Koepka’s caddie purposely informed Woodland’s caddie which club they just used, that would be a breach of Rule 10.2 and Koepka would receive a two-stroke penalty. If Woodland’s caddie asked Koepka’s caddie what club was just used, then Woodland would receive a two-stroke penalty also. After the round, the Rules Committee spoke with the parties involved and determined it was not a breach of the Rules.

This situation can be explained under rules for advice.

First, what is advice?

Advice is any verbal comment or action (such as showing what club was just used to make a stroke) that is intended to influence a player in:

- Choosing a club,

- Making a stroke, or

- Deciding how to play during a hole or round

But advice does not include public information, such as:

- The location of things on the course such as the hole, the putting green, the fairway, penalty areas, bunkers, or another player’s ball,

- The distance from one point to another,

- Wind direction, or

- The Rules

How do you breach the advice rule?

During a round, a player or caddie must not:

- Give advice to anyone in the competition who is playing on the course

- Ask anyone for advice, other than a caddie or partner, or

- Touch another player’s equipment to learn information that would be advice if given by or asked of the other player (such as moving a towel to see what club is being used).

The penalty for breaching the advice rule is a two-stroke penalty in stroke play or loss of hole in match play.

PRESERVING & PROTECTING THE GAME OF GOLF SINCE 1913