TAMPA, Fla. – This year marks the 18th edition of the Junior Florida Cup which follows a Ryder Style format between the North Team and the South team. The highly anticipated event is invitation only and showcases top talent from across the state as they face off in a spirited yet competitive match.
Meet the Teams: North Team | South Team
Understanding the Competition
Each match earns a team one point. The first team to reach 16.5 points wins the Cup for the year. The competition begins with four-ball matches (better-ball) in the morning, followed by foursome matches (alternate shot) in the afternoon. Single pairings will be announced at a player dinner after the conclusion of both Monday rounds. On Tuesday, the final day, the 16 singles matches will take place.
A 16-16 tie results in the defending champions retaining the Cup for an additional year.
Explore the Host Course
Bent Pine Golf Club, located in Vero Beach, Florida, is a riveting 18-hole Championship course designed by course architect Joseph L. Lee. Lee balanced wide driving areas with well-bunkered greens to create a challenging track for every level of golfer.
The course was second-site to the 107th Amateur Championship back in June and has played host to six U.S. Open Qualifiers, Florida Boys and Girls State Championships, a 2017 and 2018 US Women's Mid–Amateur Qualifier, and a 2016 US Amateur Qualifier.
Know the History
In the annual Junior Florida Cup, 16 of the top junior golfers from North Florida compete against 16 of the best juniors from South Florida. Following a Ryder Cup format, the team that accumulates the most points over two days claims the cup. In 2023, South Florida successfully defended their title with a decisive 21-11 victory.
Some notable players that have competed in the Junior Florida Cup include:
- Latanna Stone - 2013 - North Team (2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur Finalist)
- Lexi Thompson - 2006 - South Team (Fifteen-time LPGA Tour winner)
- Brooks Koepka - 2006 - South Team (Nine-time PGA Tour winner, five career majors)
- Daniel Berger - 2008, 2009 - South Team (Four-time PGA Tour winner)
- Tyler Strafaci - 2013 - South Team (2020 U.S. Amateur Champion)
Follow Along
The 18th Junior Florida Cup is set to commence August 4th at 8:00 AM with tee times beginning off of holes #1 and #10. For Four-Ball and Foursome pairings, click here.
Featured Monday Matchups
Monday Morning Four-Ball
Aiden Arce & Matvey Golovanov (South Team) vs Konner Kubica & Chase Bauer (North Team)
With three out of four players making their Junior Florida Cup debut in this match, the South Team will rely on the experience of Matvey Golovanov. Golovanov, the 2021 Boys’ Junior Champion, is playing in his 3rd Junior Florida Cup and looks to improve on his 2-4-0 record. The Boca Raton native will be joined by Aiden Arce whose runner-up finish at the 12th FJT Tour Championship earned him a spot on the South Team.
Arce and Golovanov will face a formidable opponent in Konner Kubica and Chase Bauer. Kubica is coming off a great summer where he was one shot short of Monday qualifying for the Rocket Mortgage Classic on the PGA Tour. The Tampa resident has four Top-5’s this year on the Florida Junior Tour, including a victory at the FJT Eagle Harbor Open. His partner, Chase Bauer, was victorious at the FJT Innisbrook 54-Hole Major in 2023 and has continued his great play into 2024 highlighted by a Top-5 at the Future Masters this summer.
Claire Liu & Emma McKoan (South Team) vs. Ana Boone & Dannika Hines (North Team)
The final match of Monday morning pits two FSGA Champions against each other. Emma McKoan was crowned the 65th Girls’ Junior Champion at Pelican Golf Club in June while Ana Boone was the 2023 Junior Amateur Match Play Champion. With her victory, McKoan earned a birth to the 2024 U.S. Girls Junior Championship where she made it to match play. Boone’s match play record has been impeccable, 8-2 in the last two years as she found herself back in the final match against North teammate Alexandra Snyder this year.
This match may come down to McKoan and Boone’s partners. Claire Liu has 5 FJT Top-5’s this year which includes a win at the FJT Okeeheelee Open. Dannika Hines cemented her spot on the North Team with a victory at the FJT Rockledge Open where she posted rounds of 68-69 for a 6-shot victory. Both players are making their Junior Florida Cup debut and will want to get their first point in the Championship early Monday morning.
Monday Afternoon Foursomes
Layla Pedrique & William Lisle (South Team) vs. Alexandra Snyder & Henry Robards (North Team)
The afternoon matches kicks off with two sets of partners that have a player with experience and a player making their Junior Florida Cup debut. Layla Pedrique comes in with an undefeated record in the Cup, after a 3-0 debut. Pedrique will be paired with William Lisle, who made it to the Round of 32 at last month’s U.S. Junior Amateur Championship.
The North Team brings in Henry Robards who’s making his third and final appearance with a 3-3-0 record through his first two showings. The Senior headed to Mercer in the fall, was the FJT Pam-McCloskey Brosnihan Champion and will be paired with Alexandra Snyder. Snyder recently captured the Junior Amateur Match Play Championship at Streamsong. The #4 player in Florida for the 2028 graduation class has four FJT victories this season and will look to be an impactful player in this year’s Junior Florida Cup.
Wylie Inman & Marley Pedrique (South Team) vs. Ana Boone & Luke Balaskiewicz (North Team)
Wylie Inman comes into the Junior Florida Cup with a bevy of great finishes on the Florida Junior Tour. Inman’s runner-up finishes in strong fields at the FJT UF Major and FJT Sandridge Exempt-Only cemented his spot on the South Team for 2024. Marley Pedrique is coming off a summer where she made her U.S. Girls Junior debut, where she secured a spot in match play after a birdie on the first playoff hole. The younger Pedrique sister has three FJT victories this year along with being a 2-time FSGA Champion at the Futures Championship.
Luke Balaskiewicz is making his first appearance at the Junior Florida Cup and comes in having not finished outside the top-five all season on the Florida Junior Tour. The Jacksonville native competed in last year’s U.S. Amateur Championship and made the cut this year at the 107th Amateur Championship. Balaskiewicz will be paired with the aforementioned Ana Boone and look to capture a point late on Monday afternoon to give the North Team momentum headed into Tuesday’s Singles Matches.