The Tour Championship

Saturday, December 14

TPC Eagle Trace Golf Club

On a picture perfect day for golf, a twenty-four player field participated in the season ending Tour Championship event at TPC Eagle Trace Golf Club. Both the Tour Championship and The Golf Pride Cup, the season long points race, were at stake.

In the Championship Division, Rob Bryans played a fantastic round on a golf course that did not yield many birdie opportunities. Bryans tamed the Eagle Trace layout and steady winds for a two over par 74, one of the highlights being a wedge shot that hit the flagstick on the fly before settling just inches away on the Par 5 8th hole, Bryans' 17th.  The victory not only earned Bryans the Tour Championship, but also the Golf Pride Cup for the Championship division. Bryans narrowly edged Ben Byers, who finised T6 at Eagle Trace. Bryans had multiple runner up finishes and the victory in the double points finale. Congrats to Rob Bryans!

In the Players Division, John Accornero and Walt Taormina carded matching 77's before heading back onto the course for a sudden death playoff. Accornero would sink a 6 foot par putt on the second playoff hole to earn the victory, his first on the SFLAGT. Significant drama was in store for the Golf Pride Cup in the Players Division, as Sean Kund trailed David Gochin by just 35 points heading into the Tour Championship. Kund would finish T4 in the Championship Division, while Gochin would settle for a 9th place finish in the Players Division; Kund would earn enough points to surpass Gochin and claim the Golf Pride Cup in the Players division. Both Sean Kund and David Gochin played very well throughout the year in the Players division, and both deserve a pat on the back for competing down to the wire in the Tour Championship. Congrats again to John Accornero for the victory!

The Eagle Division provided the most dramatic action- First, Rick Marcet would post a round of 85, and await the conclusion of play from the final group, which included Omar Antigua. Antigua would suffer an unfortunate double bogey on the final hole, narrowly missing an 8 foot putt to force a playoff. The victory was the first on the SFLAGT for Rick Marcet. Antigua would gather some satisfaction though, as his solo 2nd place finish was enough to move him past Jordan Mulrain, who finished in 8th place in the Players division, after having moved up a division earlier this year. Both Antigua and Mulrain had very productive years on the SFLAGT, and both should be commended for their efforts in competition this year. Again, congrats to Rick Marcet for winning the Eagle Division in the Tour Championship!

The full results are below, and the Golf Pride Cup results have been updated. Just select "2013 Season Rankings" on the tab to the left. 

Thanks again to all of the players who competed in the Tour Championship! And further thanks to all of those who have participated on the tour throughout the year, and those who have followed us online and plan to play moving forward. 

This was a very successful year for the SFLAGT! Two years in the books and 2014 on the way! 

The 2014 Season will begin in March, and the full schedule will be released in January! 

The Miami Shores Classic

Saturday, November 9th

The SFLAGT hosted at Miami Shores Country Club on Saturday, making this the first time the tour has hosted an event in the Miami Dade area. The old style Miami Shores layout proved to be a difficult venue for the field as steady breezes and small greens provided ample challenge.

Brandon Hemming, a first time player on the SFLAGT, holed a 15 foot par putt on the 18th hole to cap off a consistent round of 74, and earn the victory in the Championsip division. Hemming was comfortably in charge, finishing four strokes clear of Gary Onorati, who finished 2nd.

Sean Kund continued his steady play to capture the Players division; in what was a tightly contested battle, multiple players had a chance heading into the par 4 18th hole, but Kund held on making this the third time he has won on the SFLAGT.

Omar Anitgua got back in the winners circle in the Eagle Division; Antigua was largely consistent throughout the day, and hung on to win by two strokes over Emilio Mendez and Todd Williams.

The afternoon at Miami Shores CC was a great success and we thank the players who came out to participate in the event! The final event of the 2013 season, the SFLAGT Tour Championship, will take place on Saturday, December 14th at TPC Eagle Trace Golf Club. Entries will open on Wednesday, November 13th.

Thanks again for supporting the SFLAGT and we look forward to a great season ending event next month at TPC Eagle Trace!

The Parkland Challenge

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Parkland Golf and CC played host to the second event of the Fall Series as the South Florida Amateur Golf Tour was treated to a perfect afternoon of golf at one of our flagship venues!

There was plenty of excitement across all divisions...

In the Championship Division, Matt Renz played exceptional golf to fire an opening nine 33 and lead for most of the round. Renz suffered an unfortunate quadruple bogey 8 on the Par 4 17th hole after arriving to the tee at 3 under par. Rob Bryans, who also played steady golf all day, was the beneficiary of Renz' mishap and the two went into a sudden death playoff after both carding one over par 73. In the end, Renz would show great resolve and claim a well earned victory after making par on the first sudden death playoff hole. Bryans finished runner up. Two SFLAGT newcomers, Jeffrey Briggs and Jared Barclay, also found themselves in contention coming up the 18th hole, before both players settled for rounds of 74.

In the Players Division, Sean Kund used a consistent back nine stretch to play even par golf and card a 76, edging Scotty Schwartzberg by two strokes. This is the second win of the season for Sean Kund, who also won The Diplomat Classic. SFLAGT tour regular, and Players division points leader David Gochin finished 3rd.

The Eagle Division turned out to yield the most excitement as three players fell just one stroke shy of SFLAGT newcomer Daniel Riley, who earned a victory in his first event on the tour. Riley carded and 85, and Omar Antigua, Ben Dickinson, and Tim Spencer fell one shy. While Riley finished with double bogey on 18, so did Spencer. Antigua finished par par on the tough closing holes to give himself a chance. Ben Dickinson, in a display of integrity and sportsmanship, assessed himself a one stroke penalty earlier in the round, after he determined his ball had moved when he was moving some sticks near the ball. 

It was a fantastic competition, with some tight battles and great company out on the course, and the SFLAGT would like to extend its thanks to our players for supporting and participating on the tour, as well as Parkland Golf and CC for hosting!

The SFLAGT returns to action Saturday, November 9th, at Miami Shores CC before hosting our season ending event Saturday, December 14th at TPC Eagle Trace.

Saturday, September 21- The Diplomat Golf Resort and Spa

On a warm and clear afternoon, the South Florida Amateur Golf Tour conducted its first event of the Fall Series at The Diplomat Golf Resort and Spa.

The Championsip division yielded an exciting finish as three players battled down the stretch before ultimately heading to a sudden death playoff! Playing in the same pairing, both Tyler Bowen and Rob Bryans carded matching scores of 76; Bowen birdied 17 and 18, while Bryans made bogey at the last after making birdie on 17. Tom Christensen, playing in the final pairing, birdied 16 and hit his approach shot to 15 feet at the last hole, leaving himself a chance to win; Christensen would two putt on 18, which led to a three man sudden death playoff. The trio began the playoff at the Par 5 first hole, where Bowen would hit two good shots to leave himself just of the green; Christensen and Bryans both found trouble before narrowly missing their par efforts, and Bowen calmly two putted from inside 10 feet to earn the win. This is the first win for Bowen, who came through in the clutch with the birdie-birdie finish.

In the Players division, Sean Kund separated himself from the pack with three front nine birdies to turn in 1 under 35. Kund would go on to shoot 76, after striping an impressive fairway bunker shot onto the green on 18. This is also the first win for Sean Kund on the SFLAGT. Gene Johnson finished runner up for the second time in as many events. 

The Eagle division saw Luis Restrepo establish early control and then proceed to play very consistent golf throughout the round to earn the victory. SFLAGT regular Omar Antigua tried to mount a back nine charge, but settled for second place. Both Restrepo and Antigua will jump up in the season long points race to give themselves a chance to contend with three events remaining. 

THe SFLAGT would like to thank all of the players for coming out to The Diplomat Classic, and also our appreciation goes out to The Diplomat Resort for hosting our tour!

The SFLAGT returns to action at Parkland Golf and CC next month, on October 19th!

We look forward to a great finish to the Fall series and thanks again for supporting the South Florida Amateur Golf Tour!

The Jacaranda Shootout 

Saturday, August 17

The Jacaranda Shootout came to and end just after 3 pm on Saturday; Twenty two players came out on a picture perfect afternoon at Jacaranda Golf Club.

In the Championship Division, Donald Wolfe III played a mistake free round, carding 16 pars and two birdies en route to a 2 under par 69. Wolfe III ended up winning convincingly as the breeze picked up on the back nine and the remaining contenders, Ben Byers and Gary Onorati, couldn't keep pace. Byers ended up with a 78 to finish second. Wolfe III is now a four time winner on the SFLAGT, with two victories in 2012 and two more in 2013.

The Players Division delivered some final hole drama as first time participant Scotty Schwartzberg chipped in to birdie the 18th hole, putting him one shot clear of Gene Johnson. Both players were deadlocked after 9 holes; Johnson took the slight edge after Schwartzberg triple bogied the 11th hole. However, Schwartzberg showed strong resolve, making two birdies and three pars on the final five holes to earn the victory.

In the Eagle Division, Todd Williams has now won his second event on the SFLAGT, after carding a steady 9 over par 80. Williams finished three shots clear of Omar Antigua, who was alone in second. Several players were in the hunt after 9 holes, before losing some strokes to par on the way in as the wind started to pick up down the stretch.

Jacaranda Golf Club was certainly in fantastic shape- the fairways were perfect and the greens rolled very true and at an above average pace.

Thanks again to the players who came out to participate in the Jacaranda Shootout!

The Broken Sound Classic

Saturday, July 27

Broken Sound CC

The fifth event of the season was held Saturday at Broken Sound Country Club in Boca Raton; Each division was tightly contested and two of the three divisions yielded first time winners on the South Florida Amateur Golf Tour.

Inclement weather played a role in the Broken Sound Classic as some afternoon thunderstorms led to a weather delay, and thus the tournament was reduced to a 9 hole event. 

In the Championship Division, Ben Byers narrowly defeated Paul Bonaros and Rob Bryans, with a one over par 37. Bonaros got off to a tremendous start with three early birdies before settling for a two over 38, and Rob Bryans came to the last hole with a chance to either win or force a playoff before winding up with a three over 39. In the end, the consistent play of Byers was enough to hold on, earning him the victory in his second appearance on the SFLAGT.

In the Players Division, Ray Davies earned his second victory of the season, as he survived a final hole bogey to edge Jordan Mulrain by one stroke. Davies shot a consistent even par 36, while Mulrain carded bogeys on two of his final three holes to come up one short.

In the Eagle Division, first time contestant Tim Spencer birdied his final hole to finish off an impressive round of one over par 37 to earn the victory. Luis Restrepo played a consistent round to finish runner up, while Chris Genske took third place.

The Blind Draw prize Winner was Omar Antigua, whose name was drawn at random; Omar won a full set of grips courtesy of new SFLAGT Partner Golf Pride. 

While the event was reduced to a 9 hole competition, the players were offered the opportunity to continue on and play the back nine and the majority of the field went out for some additional golf after posting their 9 hole scores. It was certainly an enjoyable finish to the day after the weather setback, and it was nice to see several groups out there joining up to scoot around and get in some extra golf in the early evening. 

The SFLAGT returns to action Saturday, August 17th at Jacaranda (East) Golf Club. 

Also, the fall schedule will be posted soon, as the tour will host events from September thru December to close out the calendar year. 

Thanks again to all of the players, both new and returning, for their participation in the Broken Sound Classic! We look forward to seeing everybody out there in mid August at Jacaranda!

The Grande Oaks Classic

Saturday June 29, 2013

It was a banner day for the SFLAGT  as the Tour scoring record was broken in both the Championship and Eagle Divisions! The field of 27 consisted of 10 new players as the tour continues to grow while reaching new local golfers.

Grande Oaks is an attractive venue for our tour; in addition to being a well conditioned private Club with a great clubhouse and practice facility, Grande Oaks is a little more of a friendly layout than the Eagle Trace, Parkland GCC, Emerald Hills rotation that our players typically experience. To that end, we saw a remarkable day on multiple levels as our respective winners left with some memorable moments.

In the Championship Division, Donald Wolfe III got back in the winners circle after an impressive 66, that included seven birdies and four consecutive birdies on 7-10. After getting to 4 under par thru 10 holes, Wolfe III played steady down the stretch and scrambled for par on the last hole to finish off the round. First time SFLAGT player Bob Scala shot a back nine 34 to post 72, and earned Runner up honors.

The Players Division was tightly contested throughout the day, but in the end Grande Oaks member Scott Mager was able to finish off a solid round and carded a 78 to finish three clear of John Acornero, Kirk Conners, and John Wood. Mager is a first time player on the tour and was thrilled to come out victorious as he admitted this was his first competitive round in many years.

The Eagle Division turned out quite the story, as we saw a career best round from Jordan Mulrain who shot a blistering 71! Mulrain got off to a hot start and rode the momentum all the way to the conclusion of the round to cap off the impressive feat. This is now the second victory for Mulrain this season, who has seen his game steadily improve this year, due in part to his participation on the SFLAGT; Mulrain will now move up to compete in the Players division.

In addition to the camraderie, competition, and ability to play great courses among other things, one of the goals of the SFLAGT is to see this tour serve as a catalyst for improvement for our players. There is no doubt the tournament atmosphere brings on a different feel, and certainly challenges the field while furthering their level of experience. This improvement and accomplishment was perhaps most evident today as we saw several players have successful efforts, and a few experience particularly memorable rounds.

As always, a sincere thank you goes out to all of our players who participated in the Grande Oaks Classic- your support of the SFLAGT is greatly appreciated as we continue to build the authentic, local resource for competitive amateur golf in South Florida.

Our next event brings us to a new course on the rotation- Broken Sound Country Club will host on Saturday, July 27.

The Emerald Open Recap

Saturday, May 11

The South Florida Amateur Golf Tour Emerald Open hosted 30 players and came to a conclusion shortly after 5 pm Saturday when the final group in the Players division finished up on the 18th hole.

The Club at Emerald Hills is certainly one of the more challenging venues for our circuit and Saturday was no different as the course was just two days removed from hosting US Open Qualifying.

Logan Stauffer played fantastic golf to get to -3 through 14 and settled for a 73 to win by two strokes over Erik Carlson, who played the final 7 holes in 2 under to shoot 75. Kyle Williams ended up in third place and has now finished in the top 3 in each event this year. 

Ray Davies was steady all day and carded a 79 to win by three over David Gochin in the Players division- and Todd Williams won handily in the Eagle division with an 82.

Our Blind Draw Prize winner was SFLAGT regular Scott Sloane- Emerald Hills Golf Professional Mike Sage helped conduct the drawing while the players were out on the course and Sloane was the recipient of an OGIO Straight Jacket Travel Bag as the drawing winner. 

We welcomed several new players to the tour this weekend- also multiple participants came out on a referral from some of our existing players, which is much appreciated!

There is a slightly longer time period in between events for us as we move into June, due to some holidays and aerication schedules of our primary venues. 

The SFLAGT returns to action Saturday, June 29 at the private Grande Oaks Golf Club. This promises to be a treat for our players- Grande Oaks is a very friendly layout and a great overall facility that we know you all will enjoy.

Thanks again for playing!

Saturday April 13, 2013

The South Florida Amateur Golf Tour returned to Parkland Golf and CC on Saturday as the Club has become one of our flagship host venues. The SFLAGT hosted its largest field size in its second year of operation as we welcomed several new participants, as well as many of our returning players!

Unfortunately, inclement weather forced a significant delay and thus the event was reduced to a 9 hole format, with players returning to the course at 4:35 to complete play. While the delay was less than ideal, we were fortunate to get back out on the course and conclude the event, allowing our players to get the 9 hole format concluded; several players took advantage of our offer to play some additional golf and jumped on the back nine to keep at it. Moving to a 9 hole weather shortened format was neccesary in part because we needed some extra holes to decide two of the three divisions!

In the Championship Division, Kevin Garbizo and Kyle Williams both birdied the 9th hole while playing in the same group, narrowly edging out Mike Wurtenberger who was +1, and Donald Wolfe III, who had a chance to eagle the Par 5 9th to tie.

Tom Christensen, Matt Minlionica and Kevin Houk all tied for 4th at 38, while Wurtnerberger finished 3rd. Garbizo and Williams went to the 1st hole, where Garbizo made birdie to earn the victory. Kyle Williams, despite two close calls, has started the year nicely, with back to back runner up finishes. 

In the Players Division, Matt Pourbaix edged SFLAGT Tour regulars David Gochin and Mike Sacks by one shot in his first event on the tour. David Kuffner was in the running for a shot at a playoff, and settled for 4th place after finishing two strokes back. 

The Eagle Division provided for some nice late drama; Scott Sloane narrowly missed a 22 foot birdie effort on the 9th hole to win, leading to a sudden death playoff with Jordan Mulrain, winner of the March TPC Eagle Trace Classic. Both players narrowly missed 6 foot putts on the first playoff hole before Scott Sloane flushed his approach shot to two feet on the second playoff hole!

The season long points standings will be updated on the website this week; Kyle Williams, with back to back Runner up finishes, will take the lead in the Championship Division; David Gochin will surge ahead in the Players Division, while Jordan Mulrain, with a Win and runner up, will lead the Eagle Division.

Thanks again to all the players who came out to the event; we appreciate your patience and understanding with the weather situation.

Our next event is Saturday, MAY 11th at The Club at Emerald Hills.

 

Saturday March 9th, 2013

The SFLAGT opened its 2013 season at TPC Eagle Trace Golf Club, which serves as one of the flagship venues and a regular stop for the amateur circuit. The course was in fantastic shape and once again held its own as the field of twenty one competed on what was a great afternoon for golf. 

In the Championship division, Justin Onorati of Davie carded a steady round of golf and prevailed with a 3 over par 75. Onorati made a clutch par at the last after making birdie at the Par 5 8th, his 17th, to win by one stroke. Kyle Williams came up one stroke short, after his 6 footer for par at the last narrowly missed. Two time SFLAGT winner Donald Wolfe finished third. Tom Christensen led the event after turning at 2 under, before giving a few shots back to par on the home stretch. There was plenty of intrigue in the Championship division with several players in contention down to the wire.

In the Players division, Tim Tronzo was steady all day, and set the pace earning a three shot victory over Mike Fouts who finished second. This was the first event and victory for Tronzo on the SFLAGT.

Another newcomer, Jordan Mulrain, hung tough in the Eagle division as increased winds made the final few holes a stern test. Mulrain, finished four clear of Greg Carvajal who took second place in the Eagle division.

The South Florida Amateur Golf Tour extends its appreciation to all the players who came out to Eagle Trace for the season opening event.

The tour returns to action on April 13 at the pristine Parkland Golf and CC.