76th Florida Open Championship

BRADENTON, Fla. – It’s been almost a year since Andy Pope teed it up in a professional event, but he ended the week raising the trophy at the Florida Open Championship taking home the $15,000 first-place check.

Pope fired a 3-under 68 on Sunday to capture the 76th Florida Open title and secured the three-shot victory with a 15-under 199 for the championship with rounds of 68-63-68. This is the first professional win for Pope since 2013.  

“Anytime you can win an event with 156 guys it is a pretty big accomplishment,” Pope said. “To be in the last group and hang on to get it done today, it means a lot. Especially representing Florida and The FSGA and the history that goes with it, it is pretty cool to have your name etched into a trophy.”

After taking the 36-hole lead with a second-round 63, Pope got off to slow in the final round with a bogey on the second. Derek Bard, a past U.S. Amateur finalist, made a run on the front nine, playing his first eight holes at 3-under to take a share of the lead at 11-under.

After reaching the par-5 eighth in two, Pope rolled in his first birdie of the day to take back the lead at 12-under. A lead that he would keep for the remainder of the championship. The Orange Tree Golf Club member kept it rolling on the back side, birdieing the 11th and the 12th to extend his lead to three shots at 14-under.

“The pins were tucked so much that I knew guys weren’t going to be able to shoot 6 under or 7 under and chase me down,” Pope said. “I thought if I just played solid, I would have a good chance.”

After playing the next four holes at even par, Pope hit his drive on the 17th and hit 3 wood up on the green to 20 feet, rolling in the putt for eagle to move to 16-under for the championship and a four shot lead with one hole to play. He finished with a bogey on the 18th and secured the championship victory with a final-round 68.

"I wasn't looking at the leaderboard all day. Just focusing on my game and I knew when I tapped in on the 18th and heard the applause that it was enough," Pope said as he walked off the green as the 76th Florida Open champion. Pope and the General Manager of Bradenton Country Club, Dave Taylor, played a lot of rounds together in the Orlando area going back over 20 years and shaking his hand as the Champion behind the 18th green meant a lot to the both of them.

This is the first FSGA Championship win for Pope, who was playing in his third Florida Open Championship. Pope’s second-round 63 was tied for the low round of the championship and his 15-under 199 for the championship is the second lowest total score in Florida Open history.

“I had high expectations, but when you have not been playing competitively, it is a different game,” Pope said. “You get out here and all of a sudden maybe you do not trust your stuff as much. It was nice to put it all on the line again and get the juices going and feel the nerves.”

Derek Bard and Pete Kellerman both took home a share of second place, posting a 12-under 202 and taking home $7,187.50 each. Daniel Robinson finished fourth at 10-under 204, ending the weekend with rounds of 66-68-70 and collecting $4,583.

Nathan Bertsch fired a final-round 67 to earn low-amateur honors and take ninth place at 8-under 206. The Sarasota native carded an eagle and three birdies in the final round to capture the honors. Jacob Penny, an amateur, carded a final-round 66 to finish in a tie for 20th at 4-under 210. His final-round 66 was the low round of the day.

Quick Links

• Full Results
• Visual Recap
• Round 1 Recap
• Round 2 Recap
• 2022 Final Professional Payouts

Championship Format

• 54 holes of individual stroke play
• Championship Field - 156 players
• The field will be cut to the low 60 and ties after 36 holes
• The lowest score for 54 holes will be the Champion
• All players will play 18 holes each at Bradenton Country Club and Lakewood National - Commander course on Friday, July 15th, and Saturday, July 16th
• The final 18 holes will be played at Bradenton Country Club on Sunday, July 17th

Eligibility

• Male amateur and professional golfers
• Florida Resident  (If you have any doubt - please click and review to avoid issues)
• Professionals must have a SSN, EIN, ITIN for tax reporting purposes. This would need to be confirmed before their qualifier, or they will be in-eligible to participate.
• A valid Florida GHIN Handicap Index not exceeding 7.0 at the 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 competed as a professional in less than (7) "major" tour events or less than (26) "minor tour" events in the 12 months prior to the Championship are eligible
• If you have any questions about your eligibility, it is the player's responsibility to review the guidelines and to contact the FSGA office as needed to ensure eligibility
• Ineligible applicants will not receive refunds  Click here to view FSGA Tournament Policies.

Entry Fees

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

Entries for qualifying are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until the site field is full. Entries are then placed on an alternates list in order of receipt and contacted if, and when, a spot becomes available.

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

Pre-Registration

Those individuals who advance to the Championship through qualifying must pre-register and remit the appropriate Championship Fee (See Above) online at www.fsga.org under the "My Account" section, which can be located in the top right hand corner of the web-page.  Payment must be received by Friday, July 8 at 3:30 pm or the individual will be withdrawn from the Championship.  Championship fee includes competitive round lunches, golf, cart fees and range balls, player's badge, tee gift.

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

Qualifying Entry Fees - 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 of the qualifier.

Championship Fees & Exempt Entry Fees - 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 (See pre-registration date displayed on this page).

Local Qualifying 

18 holes of stroke play at 16 local qualifying sites. Cart fees are included in your qualifying fee. The number of qualifying spots will be posted at the host site and will be proportionate to other qualifying sites based on the size of the field. Ties for the last qualifying spot will also qualify (there are no playoffs). Alternates will be determined by ordering the players that just missed qualifying, and ties for alternate spots will be broken by the USGA suggested method (last 9, last 6, last 3, etc.).

Local Qualifying Purses 

A purse for professionals is being introduced at the local qualifiers. The average approximate purse is $1,000 and is determined by the amount of professionals who begin (tee off) at each qualifier. Click here to view the payout schedule.

A player exempt from local qualifying, at the time of entry, may elect to forego the exemption, pay the qualifying fee, and compete in a local qualifier. The election to waive the exemption is irreversible.

Transferring Qualifying Sites

Players may submit one entry for the Florida 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)

Schedule of Events 

Friday, July 15th

• 7:30 AM - 9:18 AM - Round one tee times off of #1 and #10 on both courses
• Complimentary players' lunch 

Saturday, July 16th

• 7:30 AM - 9:18 AM - Round two tee times off of #1 and #10 on both courses
• Complimentary players' lunch 
• The field will be cut to low 60 players and ties after the completion of play

Sunday, July 18th

• 7:30 AM - 9:18 AM Final round tee times begin off of #1 and #10 at Bradenton Country Club
• Complimentary players' lunch 
• Awards ceremony immediately following the completion of play 

Course Set-Up

The golf course will be set-up at approximately 7,000 yards.

Purse

$100,000 (see estimated purse pay-out)  1st Place - $15,000

Defending Champion

Connor Arendell, of Fort Myers, began the final round in a tie for tenth and four shots back of the leader. A bogey-free, 9-under 63 in the final round secured Arendell's Florida Open victory by one-stroke at Fiddlesticks Country Club. Arendell fired rounds of 67-70-63 to earn his first FSGA championship win. Click here for the previous year's results.

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. 

Championship Information

Play-Off

If necessary, there will be a hole-by-hole "sudden death" play-off for Champion. It is the player’s responsibility to be present for any playoff.

Practice Round Information

The cost of the practice round is $30 + tax per round and includes cart and range balls prior to the round. Players may play one round on each golf course. Practice rounds are available at the following times:

• Tuesday - Thursday July 12th-14th  - book through Golf Genius Link which will be sent out after the last qualifier.
• Practice rounds are available one week prior to the event and limed to after 12:00 PM the weekend prior. Please call 941-792-4159 for Bradenton Country Club and 941-900-2424 for Lakewood National Golf Club  to arrange your practice round for any date outside of the Golf Genius booking dates.
• You may not make your practice round tee time before qualifying is completed. A list of players will be sent to the club following the conclusion of qualifying. 

Practice Before & Between Rounds

A player may not practice on the competition course before or between rounds. Penalty for first breach: General Penalty. Penalty for second breach: Disqualification.

Exemptions Earned from this Tournament

Winner

• Next five Florida Opens

Players finishing in the top ten and tied

• Next year's Florida Open

Low Amateur

• Next year's Mid-Amateur Championship
• Next year's Amateur Championship
• Next year's Amateur Match Play Championship

Amateurs finishing in the top five and tied

• Next year's Amateur Championship

Other Policies

• Spectators and spectator cart policy - Click here
• Caddies - Caddies are allowed in all FSGA Championships except Junior events. The caddie MUST walk and the player MUST ride, with the player's clubs remaining on the golf cart. - Click here
• Championship Pace of Play Policy - Click here.
• Local Rules and Terms of the 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

The FSGA has arranged rates for the 76th Florida Open Championship

Courtyard Bradenton Sarasota/Riverfront

100 Riverfront Dr. West
Bradenton, FL 34205
(941) 747-3727

1 King plus Sofa Bed - $139/night plus tax

2 Queen Beds - $139/night plus tax

1 King Junior Suite - $149/night plus tax

2 Queen Bed Junior Suite - $149/night plus tax

Cut-off date to garuntee rates is June 20th, 2022 

Click here to book! 

Compass by Margaritaville

12324 Manatee Ave W
Bradenton, FL 34209
(941) 741-9700

2 Queen Beds - $189/night plus tax

Deluxe 2 Queen Beds w/ Marina View - $219/night + tax

Click here to book!

Publicity and Promotion; Broadcasting

By participating in FSGA Events you grant the FSGA and those acting with the FSGA, 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. Participants in FSGA events waive their rights to inspect or approve all media produced by the FSGA 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.

Payment 

Bradenton Country Club accepts cash and all major credit cards as forms of payment.

Lakewood National Golf Club accepts cash and all major credit cards as forms of payment.

Directions

Bradenton Country Club
4646 9th Avenue West
Bradenton, FL 34209
941-792-4159

Click here for directions 

Lakewood National Golf Club
17605 Lakewood National Parkway
Lakewood Ranch, FL 34211
941-900-2424

Click here for directions