TAMPA, Fla. – Due to Hurricane Milton, the 15th Florida Cup was rescheduled to December 1-3. North Florida and South Florida will now head to Streamsong Golf Resort for the 15th Florida Cup Match. The event features 16 top amateurs from each region competing in a Ryder Cup format, where the team with the most points over two days claims the cup.
The tournament begins with morning Four-Ball matches, followed by afternoon Foursomes, and concludes with Singles matches to determine the champion. Players are selected based on their performance over the previous two seasons, with the current year's results receiving a 50% bonus.
In the last match, which took place in 2022 at Kensington Golf & Country Club, South Florida won 18.5-13.5, tying the series at 7-7 with the North team. Get ready for an exciting Florida Cup as this year one team will take the lead of overall wins. Without further ado, we’d like to introduce the two teams playing in the biannual Florida Cup.
North Team
The North Team will be led by Joe Alfieri out of Tampa, and Mike Finster of St. Petersburg. Click Here to read more about the North Team Captains. The team is formed by Daniel DeBra (Lutz), Ty Capps (Palm Coast), Marc Dull (Lakeland), Jimmy Ellis (Atlantic Beach), Matthew Galloway (Tampa), Tyler Gulliksen (Flagler Beach), Jay Halverson (St. Pete) Rhett Pooley (Babson Park), James Preston (Bartow), Michael Smith (Ponte Vedra Beach), Justin Grant (Ocala), Chad Ibbotson (Sanford), Brian Keenan (Tampa), and Miles McConnell (Tampa). To read the North Team bios, click here.
One standout player on the North Side is Jimmy Ellis. This year, Ellis claimed victory at the Amateur Championship at Quail Valley, overcoming a seven-stroke deficit with a stunning eight-under-par 64. His impressive performance earned him an exemption to the 124th Amateur Championship at Hazeltine, where he shone during stroke play, posting a career-best 61. This near-record score earned him medalist honors and came within inches of the USGA’s all-time 18-hole scoring record. This is Ellis’s debut at the Florida Cup, and he is set on securing his first win and leading the North Team in overall victories.
South Team
The South Team will be led by R J Nakashian of Palm Beach Gardens and Will Davenport of Palm City. Click Here to Read about the South Team captains. The South Team features Austin Collins (Deerfield Beach), Will Davenport (Palm City), Richard Donegan (Jupiter), Blanton Farmer (Bradenton), Joey Latowski (Port St. Lucie), Carl Santos-Ocampo (Naples), Jake Sherwin (Naples), TJ Shuart (Fort Lauderdale), Nick Solimene (Naples), Scott Turner (Palm City), Jonah Wasserstrom (Hollywood), Abbie Valentine (Naples), Bobby Bird (Vero Beach), Matt Avril (Vero Beach), R J Nakashian (Palm Beach Gardens), and Pete Williams (Juno Beach). To read the South Team bios, click here.
On the South side, keep an eye on Jake Sherwin. A seasoned FSGA competitor, Sherwin triumphed at this year’s Mid-Amateur Championship, defeating Ty Capps, a fellow contender, in the championship match 2 & 1. Sherwin only fell behind for one hole during the final and ultimately claimed his first FSGA Championship trophy. His previous close call came in 2022 when he was the runner-up at the 41st Mid-Amateur Championship. From his beginning playing on the Florida Junior Tour to now the Florida Cup, Sherwin is focused on leading the South Team to victory.
Streamsong Golf Resort
This year, Streamsong Golf Resort will host the 15th Florida Cup. Streamsong sits among one of the greatest golf destinations in the world with 3 top 100 courses and the highest-rated golf collection in all of Florida. The Florida Cup will be held on Streamsong's Black Course, designed by Gil Hanse. The Par-73 championship layout offers breathtaking views of the vast landscape, which includes flowing elevation, rolls, tumbles, and sand ridges, similar to the Sand Belt Region of Melbourne, Australia.