AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE FLORIDA STATE GOLF ASSOCIATION ~SEPTEMBER 2024~
FLORIDA STATE GOLF ASSOCIATION
MID-AMATEUR STROKE PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
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2024 UPCOMING FSGA COMPETITIONS
Senior Four-Ball
September 16-17
Mixed Shootout September 21-22
Men’s Net
September 28-29
Women’s Net September 28-29
15th Florida Cup October 6-8
Legends Championship (70 & Over) October 8-9
September 4 Legacy Club at Alaqua Lakes, Longwood
September 4
Heritage Oaks G&CC, Sarasota
September 11 Lakewood National GC, Lakewood Ranch
September 11 Royal Palm Golf Club, Naples
Invitational Old Memorial Golf Club, Tampa
September 4 BallenIsles Country Club, Palm Beach Gardens
Mid-Amateur Stroke Play October 11-13 September 4 Hammock Dunes Club, Palm Coast
Senior Two-Man Shoot-Out October 25-26 October 16 PGA National R&S, Palm Beach Gardens
2nd Florida Adaptive Open October 28-29 July 31 Innisbrook G R &S - Copperhead, Palm Harbor
Foursomes Championship December 6-7 November 27 PGA National R&S, Palm Beach Gardens
Men’s Net Four-Ball Championship December 7-8
November 27 Innisbrook G R &S, Palm Harbor
Senior Two-Man Shootout October 26-27 October 18 Lakewood National GC, Lakewood Ranch
2024 CHAMPIONSHIP RECAPS
107TH AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
For the second consecutive year, a mid-amateur player raised the Amateur trophy at the end of the championship. In a thrilling turn of events, Jimmy Ellis emerged as victor. Ellis overcame a seven-stroke deficit and delivered an impressive score of 64, culminating in a week-long total of 16-under par to secure the win.
Ellis described how his final round started as he was seven shots off the lead, “It was pretty strange, really. First tee shot I flared a driver 50 yards right into a bunker and made bogey. But then, the second hole just kind of kick started everything. I hit an eight iron to about two feet and made it for birdie. Then, I birdied the next hole after that and was just off and running from there.”
When asked if he ever had a turning point in the round he said, “I have been hitting it pretty good all week, but today the putts finally started dropping for me which was really nice.” He added in, “My game is typically just fairways and greens, and I tend to struggle the closer I get to the hole. But today it felt nice with the putter and this is just such a great golf course, the greens are perfect.”
95TH WOMEN’S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
It was Sophia Dyer who raised the trophy on the 18th green at The Bear’s Club. Her name will be etched into FSGA history after her first championship victory. Dyer overcame a four-hole deficit in dramatic fashion to win two up on the eighteenth hole against One Kashima.
The championship stage was set with One Kashima and Sophia Dyer competing for the victory and an exemption into the 124th U.S. Women’s Amateur. The match started off hot for Kashima as she won the second and third holes to go 2 up after three. She continued to win the fifth and sixth hole to extend her lead to four up through six holes. However, Dyer fought back with a birdie on the seventh to chisel away at Kashima’s lead. The two competitors made the turn to their final nine holes with Kashima 2 up on Dyer. However, it was the back nine where Dyer explains that she had, “tunnel vision.” Dyer pulled off an incredible up and down on the tenth hole for a birdie and a win of the hole as she diminished Kashima’s lead one hole at a time. Another win on the 12th hole and the match was brought to All Square for the first time. Dyer took the lead for the first time during the match on the 16th hole and sealed the deal with a birdie on the 18th hole.
78TH FLORIDA OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
Cristian DiMarco was on fire from the moment he stepped onto the tee for the final round. His stellar performance earned him the prestigious title of the 78th Florida Open Champion. DiMarco fired off rounds of 69-67-64 to reach a staggering 16-under par. Few starts are as electrifying as Cristian’s, who birdied the first three holes right off that bat to snatch an early lead.
As the final stretch approached, DiMarco surged ahead, widening his lead. Despite Robinson’s attempts to challenge with birdies on holes 11, 13, 16, and 17, DiMarco maintained his focus, consistently adding to his birdie count. By the end of the day, DiMarco had birdied half of the course, totaling nine birdies, with five coming on the back nine. Demonstrating true championship form, DiMarco sealed his victory with a birdie on the last hole.
DiMarco had a good feeling going into his final round, “I love these two golf courses, and I kind of just felt like I was playing good coming in and I felt like I had a chance from the start of the week and that if I just stuck to my game plan I would have a chance.”
Dimarco’s last win on the FSGA came in 2017 when he won the Amateur Championship at the Bear’s Club.
FLORIDA WOMEN’S OPEN & SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
Lauren Clark and Christa Johnson claimed their well-deserved victories at the Florida Women’s Open & Senior Open at the Forest Country Club. Clark fired a final round of three-under-par, 69 for a tournament total of five-under-par. Clark claimed her wire-to-wire victory by five strokes over the field. Johnson also posted a tournament total of five-under-par to claim the victory by two strokes for the Senior Division. In addition, Alexandra White captured the low-professional win and brought home $10,000 after securing a third place finish with scores of 74-69-74.
Lauren Clark took the lead during the first round and never gave it up. She fired a two-under-par 70 and posted five birdies over the 18 holes. Clark explained, “It’s easy to get momentum and keep it, so hopefully I can ride that momentum through.” She further stated, “Overall, I really just tried to stay patient and hit greens, make putts, and put myself in position to make putts.”
FUTURES CHAMPIONSHIP
In the Boys (11-12) division, Daniel Barcenas won by one stroke in his first ever FSGA Championship. Boys (9-10), Benny Minter prevailed by three strokes. In the Girls (11-12) division, Iris Lee won by four strokes over the division, and Sritha Badiga won the Girls (9-10) division.
FORTY & OVER FOURBALL CHAMPIONSHIP (SOUTH)
T J Shuart and Daniel Eggertsson won at Mayacoo Lakes Country Club won in a playoff with a two day total of 9-under par.
FORTY & OVER FOURBALL CHAMPIONSHIP (NORTH)
Daniel DeBra and Joe Alfieri took home the trophy at Club Adena with a two-day total score of 15-under par.
SUPER-SENIOR
AMATEUR MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
86 players made the trip to PGA National, but only three were able to walk away with a trophy in their hands. Pete Williams, Mark Weston, and Pete McDade won the championship division, 70-74 division and 75 & over division respectively.
AMATEUR PUBLIC LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP
Sebastiano Mascia captured the 27th Amateur Public Links Championship with scores of 73-6567 at Dubsdread Golf Course. “Dubsdread is a tight golf course, so it was important to manage your tee shots. The soft conditions helped me stay out of trouble and create opportunities to score.” Mascia said.
SUMMER MIXED CHAMPIONSHIP
Fifty-two teams teed it up at the start of the weekend, and after 36-holes, the team of Carl Santos-Ocampo/Kim Benedict came out on top to bring home the victory at Lemon Bay Golf Club.
SENIOR AMATEUR MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
At the end of a long week, Palm Beach Gardens native, RJ Nakashian was able to navigate his way through the bracket to claim the Senior Amateur Match Play Championship.
65TH GIRLS’ JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
70TH BOYS’ JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
Jessy Huebner raised the trophy at the 70th Boys’ Junior Championship. He fired rounds of 66-66-67 to outlast the field by one stroke.
WOMEN’S AMATEUR STROKE PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
After all 54 holes, and one playoff hole, Women’s Amateur Finalist, One Kashima, emerged victorious and laid claim to the title of Women’s Amateur Stroke Play Champion.
TWO-MAN SCRAMBLE CHAMPIONSHIP
Justin Grant & Weston Parrish won the Scramble Championship firing 60-64, while Bobby Bird & William Mallon took home the Senior Division.
Brothers, Oscar and Henry Crowe raised the Boys (16-18) & (13-15) trophies, while Alexandra Snyder took home the Girls (13-18) title at Streamsong Resort.
Emma McKoan captured the overall victory as well as the Girls (13-15) Division victory at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair. The Naples native won in a playoff firing rounds of 69-68-70.
PARENT-CHILD CHAMPIONSHIP
Over 500 players took on five different golf courses. Seven well-deserving champions were crowned at ChampionsGate Golf Club, Orange County National Golf Club and Lodge, and ChampionsGate Country Club.
Seven teams were crowned champions: Wade Oney Jr and Wade Oney III (33 & Over), Jackson and Doug Stroup (26-32), Michael and James Bradley (18-25), Bart and Barton Abstein (17 & Under), David Perritt and Britton Stevens (10-12), Trent and Benjamin Erb (8-9), and Tim and Houston Collins (6-7).
AMATEUR MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
After a long four days of golf and battling the tough conditions of the passing tropical storm, James Hassell became the 32nd Amateur Match Play Champion, defeating Ty Capps 3&2 at PGA National Resort.
FOUR-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Ty
and Tyler
through challenging
and
three consistent rounds
WOMEN’S FOUR-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Alexandra Remaklus and McKenzee Sullivan carded a 65-66 to lead the field in the Championship Division by an assertive eight strokes. The field was made up of 32 teams, sorted into four divisions.
FORTY & OVER CHAMPIONSHIP
Capps
Gulliksen navigated
weather
delays, posting
of 64 (-8) to capture the 75th Four-Ball Championship at The Conservatory at Hammock Beach.
Seth Strickland took control over the final two rounds to seal the victory at the Forty and Over Championship by three strokes.
FLORIDA JUNIOR TOUR
SOUTH TEAM THREE-PEATS AT
JUNIOR FLORIDA CUP
Foursomes Matches
The South team came through with a dramatic turnaround, clinching the Championship after trailing 5.5 to 10.5 at the start of the singles matches. This victory marked their third consecutive win.
Four-Ball Matches
The wind made for challenging conditions during the morning matches, courtesy of tropical storm Debby. However, the players managed the adversity well and were able to put together some exciting play. South got off to a hot start during the morning four-ball matches, but the North clawed their way back to square it up at the end, finishing with the North and South teams tied at 4-4.
Some highlights included Mingbo Jiang, who holed out from the bunker on the 18th in a dramatic finish. Yet, it was still Adam Hovermale and Jack Ryan Donovan who captured the point for the South side. In her final efforts, Ana Boone birdied her 18th hole to close her match 2-up, leading to a tie overall.
The afternoon foursomes faced even stronger winds, adding to the anticipation as both sides entered the matches tied. The South team initially took the lead again, but there was plenty of golf still to be played. In the first foursome, William Lisle and Layla Pedrique competed against Henry Robards and Alexandra Snyder. Robards and Snyder managed to erase a four hole deficit and ended their match in a tie, while the other groups continued to battle it out.
The scoreboard gradually shifted in favor of the North, who ended the day with a 10.5-5.5 lead over the South. All but one of the foursome matches were completed before a brief weather delay, which affected the match between Ana Boone / Luke Balaskiewicz and Marley Pedrique / Wylie Inman. After a 30-minute rain delay, Boone and Balaskiewicz finished 1-up to add another point for the North, pushing their total into double digits.
Singles Matches
In a turn of events, it was the North team who got off to a hot start in the morning. However, blue started overtaking the scoreboard as the first six matches ended in a point for the South team. Dannika Hines of the North team outlasted Claire Lu 5 & 4 to bring a point for the North team while eight matches were still battling it out. As roughly half the matches turned in, it was 12.5-11.5 in favor of the South team.
Critical matches, including Maggie Potash (North) versus Natalie Angelo (South) and Palmer Haynes (North) versus William Lisle (South), went all square after the South took control midway through the back-nine. Angelo outlasted Potash with a birdie on the 18th hole to win 1-up. Palmer would breathe some life back into the North team after birdieing the 18th hole, winning his match against Lisle. However, the decisive point was clinched by Jack Ryan Donovan, who defeated Henry Robards 3 & 2.
Three players went undefeated in their matches: Palmer Haynes (North), Dannika Hines (North), and Xin Wang (South). The overall record for the Junior Florida Cup matches are 11-6-1 in favor of the North, however the South Team has won three in a row to cut into the deficit.
Bent Pine Golf Club
We would like to express our gratitude to Bent Pine Golf Club for their exceptional hospitality in hosting this year’s Junior Florida Cup. The club’s pristine facilities provided the perfect location for a memorable event. The attention to detail by the staff and maintenance team ensured that everything ran seamlessly. Thank you to all staff members involved, and to Bent Pine GC Members!
CRUSHED SHELL/SAND PATHS
Darin Green - Director of Rules & Competitions
In Florida it is very common for courses to have cart paths made from substances other than concrete or asphalt. Due to the abundance of shells and coquina (rock limestone made up of fragments of mollusks and other sea animals), many courses used crushed shell or crushed coquina mixed with some sand to surface their cart paths. Additionally, courses use those substances in other areas of the course for various reasons. They may want to remove turf so save on maintenance costs, or to serve as a waste area, or for scenic reasons. While the surfaces are normally fairly hard, players can usually play off them with ease (might scratch the bottom of the clubhead).
A typical question we are asked, are players are entitled to free relief from those areas just like a normal concrete or asphalt cart paths. The answer is a little tricky and depends on the course you are playing. Below is explanation of how different type of paths are normally played.
Sand, Pine Straw & Dirt Paths
Cart and walking paths that are just sand, pine straw and dirt paths are not obstructions; hence, no free relief. The Committee could make a Local Rule that defines those paths as obstructions; however, it is not a common practice. A good example is Pinehurst #2 where nearly all of the paths are sand and they are played as part of the general area and not obstructions (no free relief). If you hit your ball on a path at Pinehurst #2, there is a decent chance your ball may lie on, in, or near a tire track or footprint. In those situations, I like to say “bad luck starts somewhere, play hard.”
Crushed Shell & Coquina Paths
It can be argued that crushed shell and crushed coquina paths are obstructions because the path is surfaced with an artificial substance (humans crushed the substances and made a path out of them). However, this can be debated. So, the Committee should define how these areas are to be played: obstruction (free relief) or integral part of the course (no free relief). The way the Committee defines these areas are normally listed on the scorecard, posted in the clubhouse, or written on a Local Rules sheet.
How Does the FSGA Normally Play Crushed Shell & Coquina Paths?
It varies and depends on several factors. First, we see how the host clubs plays them and if the host club cares how we play them. Second, are the edges of the paths well defined; meaning, are there clear defined edges to the paths everywhere on the course? Third, are the areas just meant to be cart paths or are some areas larger and designed to be played from? Lastly, what do we think the intent of the designer was.
If all of the paths on the course are like the first picture to the right, then we would normally declare them as obstructions and grant free relief because the paths are just like concrete or asphalt paths and the edges are very well defined.
If the course has areas like the second picture to the right, then we would normally declare all of those areas, including the paths, as integral parts of the course (no free relief).
Ultimately, the final decision lays in the hands of the Committee.
PRESERVING & PROTECTING THE GAME OF GOLF SINCE 1913
