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| Devon Hopkins (left) and Matt Kleinrock |
TAMPA, Fla. – This week, 52 two-man teams will head to one of southeast Florida’s most storied clubs. Pine Tree Golf Club is set to host the 70th Florida Four-Ball Championship.
One-hundred and four of the top amateurs in Florida will be tested by the course that major champions past and present call home. Sam Snead, David Graham and 2019 U.S. Open Champion, Gary Woodland all have called Pine Tree home.
Here are five things to know before the championship begins.
Pine Tree Set to Host FSGA Championships in Back-to-Back Years
Pine Tree returns to the FSGA championship rotation for the first time since the 2006 Florida Amateur Championship. In addition this year’s Four-Ball Championship, Pine Tree is slated to host the 74th Florida Open Championship in July 2020.
Will U.S. Four-Ball Success lead to State Four-Ball Success?
Three sides who’s competed in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship in May at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort will take part in this year’s Florida Four-Ball Championship.
Jacksonville duo, Devon Hopkins and Matt Kleinrock, advanced to the quarterfinals at this year’s U.S. Four-Ball. Hopkins has posted numerous strong finishes since May, making the cut at the Florida Mid-Amateur and Florida Open, as well as earning medalist honors at U.S. Amateur Qualifying earlier this month.
The 2018 U.S. Four-Ball runners-up, Chip Brooke and Marc Dull, advanced to the Round of 32 at this year’s championship, while TJ Shuart and Kasey Denesevich failed to advance to match play at Bandon.
State Amateur Runners-Up Team Up
In June, Colin Kresl and Rhett Pooley battled down the stretch and into a playoff at the 102nd Amateur Championship. Pooley, the 2014 Junior Match Play Champion, along with Ben Reichert and Jordan Batchelor chased down Kresl, the 54-hole leader, with Reichert eventually prevailing on the first playoff hole.
Now a month later, Kresl and Pooley, who have known each other since high school golf, will team up and will look to capture the 70th Four-Ball Championship
Recent FSGA Champions in Field
- T J Shuart – 2019 Mid-Amateur Champion
- Nicholas Gabrelcik – 2019 Florida Open Low Amateur, 2019 Public Links Champion, 2018 Amateur Match Play Champion
- Ken Cocolin & Matthew Giovannelli – 2019 Mid-Amateur Four-Ball North Champions
- Daniel Debra & Don Whittemore – 2018 Mid-Senior Four-Ball North Champions
- Milko Britto & Samuel Martinez – 2018 Mid-Senior Four-Ball South Champions
- Derek Hurwitch & Douglas Schneider – 2019 Two-Man Shoot-Out Champions
- Marc France – 2019 Senior / Mid-Amateur Four-Ball Champion
Father and Son Duos
There will be three sets of father & son teams in this year’s field
- Joe & Cade Alfieri, of Tampa – Joe, the four-time Amateur Player of the Year, will team with son Cade, 19, a rising sophomore at Gardner Webb University, for the third year in a row. The duo finished second in 2017 at Trump National Doral.
- Jon & Nicholas Veneziano, of Mount Dora – Jon, a two-time Mid-Amateur Champion, and 2013 Amateur Player of the Year paired with his son Nicholas, 16, an active Florida Junior Tour Member, and will play in their first Four-Ball Championship together.
- Steve & Miles Albright, of Ocala – Steve a former standout at University of North Carolina, and his son Miles, 19, a rising sophomore at Gardner Webb University, will compete in their first Four-Ball Championship together.
Follow the FSGA:
The championship will begin on Saturday with tee times beginning at 8 a.m. A complete recap with full results will be posted on FSGA.org following the day's play.
Twitter: @FSGA
Instagram: @FSGA1913
Facebook: Florida State Golf Association
