Florida Senior Open Championship

Gene Fieger Earns his 2nd Senior Open Crown in Runaway Fashion

Round 1 & 2 Recap

Gene Fieger, of Club Pelican Bay, the 2010 Florida Open Champion, takes a commanding four stroke lead into the final round. Fieger's second round 64 (-8) on Las Colinas propelled him to the front after trailing by one stroke following the opening round. The 64 included nine birdies and one bogey, and paired with his opening 70, leaves Fieger at -10 for the Championship.

Mark Mielke, of Lost City Golf Club, opened with 69 (-3) on the El Campeon to lead after Round 1, posted the same in Round 2 on Las Collinas, and sits in solo second at -6, four strokes behind Fieger.

2010 Florida Senior Open Champion, Pete Williams (a), of Eastpoint G&RCC sits at -2 for the Championship, tied for third along with Don Bell, of LPGA International, and John Lee, of Imperial Golf Club. Williams currently leads the race for low amateur.

62, 24 amateurs and 38 professionals, players made the cut at eight over-par 152. There is a large contingent of nine players tied for sixth place, nine strokes behind our leader, including defending champion, Eduardo Herrera, of Orange Tree Golf Club, and four-time Champion Mike San Filippo, of Hobe Sound.

Final Round

Gene Fieger, of Naples, sealed his second Senior Open victory with a final round of 71 (-1) on Sunday! After finishing in second place last year and not earning a FSGA victory in 7 years, Fieger hoists the Florida Senior Open trophy, winning by seven strokes. The final round was played on El Campeon, where Fieger finished strong carding three birdies on the last four holes to finish with a 205 (-11) total. Round one leader, Mark Mielke, of Jupiter, fell to second place with a final round 74. Mielke’s final round consisted of three bogies on the front nine and one birdie on the 14th hole for a 212 (-4) tournament total. Rounding out the top three was Miles McConnell who played consistent golf with rounds of 72-72-69 for a three under-par 213 total.

Three players tied for fourth place at 214 (-2) including Dan Heaslip, Don Bell, and Jerry Tucker. Defending Champion, Eduardo Herrera, finished tied for eighth place at even par 216. 

Full Results

Photos

Final Purse

The 42nd Florida Senior Open heads to Mission Inn Resort & Club. For players to compete in the Florida Senior Open, they need to be 50 years old as of the first day of the Championship. For a look at the 2017 Championship Results click here.

Exemptions may be earned through State Amateur Championships and PGA Section Events. (See Exemptions listed at the bottom of this page)

Championship Format

• 54 holes of individual stroke play
• The field is cut to the low 60 and ties after 36 holes
• The lowest score for 54 holes is the Champion

Championship Field Size

• Maximum of 156 players

Eligibility

• Male amateur and professional golfers
• Florida Resident
• At least 50 years of age as of the first day of the Championship
• A valid USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 6.4 at time of entry (amateurs and amateurs awaiting reinstatement only)
• Entrant is not required to be a member of the FSGA
• PGA class A-3 members are ineligible
• Playing Activity - Players that have played in more than 10 select professional tour events are ineligible

Qualifying Sites:

• July 12 - St. Johns Golf & Country Club, Saint Augustine
• July 19 - Turtle Creek Club, Tequesta
• July 20 - Club Pelican Bay, Naples
• July 22 - Indian Bayou Golf Club, Destin
• July 30 - Feather Sound Country Club, Clearwater
• July 30 - West Orange Country Club, Winter Garden

Entry Fees

• Qualifying Fee: Qualifying Fee includes entry fee and cart fee.
• Championship Fee: Fee paid by those individuals who advance to the Championship through qualifying. Includes tee gifts and gift certificates, course and cart fees, and range balls.
  
• Exempt Fee: Exempt Fee includes Championship Fee and Entry Fee for those individuals eligible for exemption.

Late entries will be subject to a $10 late entry fee should the entrant gain acceptance into the qualifying field. 

Pre-Registration

Those players who advance to the Championship through local qualifying must pre-register and remit the appropriate Championship Fee (see above) at www.fsga.org under the "My Account" section, located in the top right hand corner of the web-page. Payment must be received by Friday, August 3 by 3:30 PM or the individual will be withdrawn from the Championship.

To Pre-Register:

• Log on to the FSGA website at www.fsga.org using your email address and password
• Click on "My Account" in the upper right hand corner of the homepage
• Under "My Tournaments", click on the "Pre-Register" button to the right of the tournament name
• Enter your credit card information and then click the "Charge My Card" button on the bottom right hand corner of the page

Refunds, Notice of Withdrawals

Requests for qualifying entry refunds received prior to entry closing date will be honored (less $20 per entry administrative fee). Requests received after the closing date will be honored (less 50% of entry fee). No requests will be honored within two days of the scheduled start date.

Requests for refunds of Exempt or Championship fees prior to the pre-registration deadline will be honored (less $20 per entry administrative fee). No requests will be honored after the pre-registration deadline.

Estimated Purse

$35,000  1st Place - $5,000

Schedule of Events 

Friday, August 10th

• 7:30 AM - 9:18 AM - Round One tee times off #1 and #10 - El Campeon 
• 7:30 AM - 9:18 AM - Round One tee times off #1 and #10 - Las Colinas
• 11:00 AM - 2:15 PM - Complimentary Players' Lunch Buffet

Saturday, August 11th

• 7:30 AM - 9:18 AM - Round Two tee times off #1 and #10 - El Campeon
• 7:30 AM - 9:18 AM - Round Two tee times off #1 and #10 - Las Colinas
• 11:00 AM - 2:15 PM - Complimentary Players' Lunch Buffet
• After 36 holes are complete, the field will be cut to the low 60 players and ties 

Sunday, August 12th

• 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM - Final Round tee times off #1 and #10 - El Campeon
• 11:00 AM - 2:15 PM - Complimentary Players' Lunch Buffet
• Awards ceremony immediately following the completion of play

Course Set-Up

The golf courses will be set-up at approximately 6,600 yards.

Local Qualifying

18 holes stroke play at 8 qualifying sites.

Transferring Qualifying Sites

Players may submit one entry for the Florida Senior Open and choose the site at which they will attempt to qualify.  However, if any site requires adjustment (including, but not limited to, the receipt of more entries than can be accommodated), players will be transferred to another site based on their preference listed on the entry application and date of receipt of entry application (i.e. later applicants will be subject to transfer).

Cart and Caddie Policy

During qualifying and the Championship proper, each player must use a golf cart which is included in the qualifying and Championship entry fees. Caddies are allowed, however, a player must not use a parent, step-parent or guardian as a caddie. The caddie MUST walk and the player's clubs must remain on the golf cart. 

Championship Information

All players play eighteen holes each at El Campeon & Las Colinas, Friday, August 10th and Saturday, August 11th. The field will be cut to the low sixty and ties after 36 holes. The final eighteen holes will be played at El Campeon, Sunday, August 12th.

Championship Practice Round and  Practice Facility Information

Practice rounds will be available to the competitors one week prior of the competition on a space available basis and after 12:00 PM on the weekends. The cost of a practice round is $30 plus tax. Players will be responsible for direct payment of any fees for the practice rounds. To schedule a practice round, call the pro shop at 352-324-3885. 

Defending Champion

Eduardo Herrera, of Windermere, played three exceptional rounds of golf to be crowned the Florida Senior Open Champion for the second time after winning the championship in 2015 at Bellair Country Club. Herrera won by two shots with rounds of 68-69-66 for a 203 (-13).

Exemptions

Players in the following categories will be eligible for exemption provided they meet all entry and eligibility requirements.

PROFESSIONALS

• Last five year's Florida Senior Open Champions
• Professionals finishing top ten and tied from last year's Florida Senior Open Championship
• Championship Host Clubs' Representative (may be an amateur)
• Professionals finishing top three and tied from the current year's South Florida Senior Open Championship
• Professionals qualifying for the current year's PGA Senior Championship
• Professionals qualifying for the current year's U.S. Senior Open Championship
• Top three and tied from last year's Dixie, NFPGA and SFPGA Section Senior (Regular Division) Championship
• Top five and tied from last year's final Dixie, NFPGA and SFPGA Section Senior Player of the Year Points List
• Current year's NFPGA Senior Match Play Champion

AMATEURS

• Last five year's Florida Senior Open Champions
• Amateurs finishing top ten and tied from last year's Florida Senior Open Championship
• Low Amateur from last year's Florida Senior Open Championship
• Last two year's Senior Amateur Champions
• Current year's Senior Amateur Match Play Champion
• Amateurs finishing top three and tied from the current year's South Florida Senior Open Championship
• Low Amateur from the current year's South Florida Senior Open Championship
• Top five and tied from the current year's Senior Amateur Championship
• Top five and tied from last year's final FSGA Senior Player of the Year Points List
• Amateurs qualifying for the current year's U.S. Senior Open Championship
• Amateurs qualifying for last year's U.S. Senior Amateur Championship

Exemptions Earned from this Tournament

• Next five Florida Senior Open Championships
• Next year's Florida Open Championship

Players finishing in the top ten and tied

• Next year's Florida Senior Open Championship
• Next year's Senior Amateur Championship

Low Amateur

• Next year's Mid-Amateur Championship
• Next year's Florida Senior Open Championship

Other Policies

• Spectators and Spectator Cart Policy - Click here
• Caddies - Caddies are allowed in all FSGA Championships except Junior events. However, a player must not use a parent, step-parent or guardian as a caddie. The caddie MUST walk and the player's clubs must remain on the golf cart. 
• Championship Pace of Play Policy - Click here.
• Local Rules and Conditions of Competition - Click here.
• Championship Policies - Click here to read the withdrawal, dress code, and other policies.
• Procedures for Alternates - Click here for information on how alternates may gain entry into this Championship.
• Conditions/ Schedule - The FSGA Championships Committee/on-site Rules Committee reserves the right to alter any of the conditions, provisions and/or schedules. The decision of the Championships Committee/on-site Rules Committee in any matter will be final.

Host Hotel and Accommodations

Mission Inn Resort & Club

Hotel Rates for Florida Senior Open Championship

10400 County Road 48
Howey-in-the-Hills, FL 34737
800.874.9053

To book call 1.800.874.9053 identifying yourself as a "Florida Senior Open Competitor"

$115 per room, per night, plus tax. Plus a $16 daily resort fee which includes parking, wifi, Keurig coffee maker and replenishments, USA Today, resort shuttle, fitness center, bicycle rentals, game room, nature trail and fishing supplies.
Last day to book: 7/9/2018

Dress Code

• Proper attire for competitors and caddies is required at all times at the golf facility. Failure to comply may result in withdrawal of entry. 
• Golf Shorts are permitted
• All hats must be worn properly.
• Collared shirts or shirts specifically designed for golf must be worn and tucked in at all times.
• This code supplements any course or club guidelines, which shall take precedence.

Publicity and Promotion; Broadcasting

By participating in The Florida Senior Open you grant the FSGA/SFPGA and those acting with the FSGA/SFPGA, permission, authority and the permanent rights to use your name or likeness for publicity and promotional purposes. Participants understand that all Media, including film, photographic prints, audio or digital files are the exclusive property of the FSGA/SFPGA. Participants in FSGA/SFPGA events waive their rights to inspect or approve all media produced by the FSGA/SFPGA and those acting on the FSGA's behalf. Participants waive their permanent rights to compensation for use of their name and likeness by the FSGA/SFPGA.

Directions

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