104th Amateur Championship

Biondi Chomps His Way to the Amateur Title

STREAMSONG, Fla. – Forty feet. That’s the length of the birdie putt that gave Fred Biondi the lead on the 71st hole of the Amateur Championship. One hole later, he rolled in a short-par putt to be crowned the 104th Amateur champion on Sunday at Streamsong Resort.

"It means a lot," Biondi said. " I know the people that have won this championship and it's an honor. It feels good to to win. Getting this win early in the summer gives me a lot of confidence going forward. I'm glad I won and got the job done."

The University of Florida junior posted a final-round 71 to capture the championship by one shot at 13-under 275. This is Biondi’s fourth FSGA title, after winning the Boys’ Junior in 2016 and 2017, as well as the Amateur Public Links in 2020.

Biondi becomes just the eighth player to win both the Amateur and Boys’ Junior Championships. He also becomes the second Florida Gator to accomplish this feat after Sam Horsfield did it in 2013 with his Amateur win.

Biondi began the final round in a tie for first with University of South Florida junior, Runchanapong Youprayong, at 12 under. Biondi got off to another quick start with birdies on two of his first three holes, taking the outright lead at 14 under on the third.

Biondi and Youprayong ran into some trouble on the fourth and fifth, with both players carding back-to-back bogeys. Biondi bounced back with a birdie on the par-4 sixth hole, hitting his approach shot to the tucked pin to 1 foot, and extending his lead to two shots.

After a birdie for Youprayong on the eight, Biondi headed to the back side with a one-shot lead with nine holes to play. Youprayong sunk a 5-foot birdie putt to pull back into a tie at the top of the leaderboard.

The Thailand native took his first lead of the day with a birdie on the 14th but ran into some trouble on the next hole as his putt lipped out, finishing with two bogeys on the 15th and 16th.

After par on the 16th to take a share of the lead again, Biondi hit his third shot on the 17th to 40 feet on the green. He stepped up to the ball and rolled it in for birdie and to take the lead with one to play.

"I hit a lot of bad long putts today - speed wise," Biondi said. "I knew that was a key one. I saw Jake's (Beber-Frankel) putt just before and knew exactly where to go to let it trickle down the hill. I did a pretty good job doing it and it's not one of those that you make all the time. But it went perfectly in the middle and I was pretty pumped up."

The Brazil native secured the championship with a par on the 18th to take home the one-shot victory.

"I grew up playing a bunch of Florida Junior Tour events, so winning here means a lot. It's the biggest event for Amateurs in Florida and it's an honor."

Youprayong finished the weekend in second place at 12-under 176, after a final-round 72.

Michael Mays and Jake Beber-Frankel each took a piece of third place at 9-under 279. Mays used a final-round 70 to finish inside the top three. Beber-Frankel finished with a final-round 70, with a bogey-free front nine and going birdie-eagle on Nos. 13-14.

The Florida State Amateur Championship is one of the oldest and most prestigious amateur golf championships in the country. The Amateur Championship has a rich history dating back to 1913 with A.C. Ulmer winning his first of four titles. Other past champions include: Carl Dann Jr. (5 time champion & Hall of Fame inductee), Don Bisplinghoff (4 time champion & Hall of Fame inductee), Bob Murphy (Hall of Fame inductee), Doug Sanders, Gary Koch (Hall of Fame inductee), Jerry Pate, Buddy Alexander (Hall of Fame inductee), and Blayne Barber.

Championship Format

• 72 holes of individual gross stroke play
• Championship Field Size - 168 players
• All players play 18 holes on each the Blue Course and the Red Course before the 36-hole cut
• The field is split between the two courses for round one and switch courses for round two
• The field is cut to the low 70 and ties after 36 holes
• The final 36 holes will be played on the Blue Course

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

Eligibility

• Florida Resident
  
• Amateur golfer with valid Florida GHIN Handicap Index not exceeding 7.0

Entry Fees

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

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

Schedule of Events

Thursday, June 24th

• 7:00 AM - 9:10 AM - Round one tee times off of #1 and #10 on the Blue Course
• 7:00 AM - 9:10 AM - Round one tee times off of #1 and #9 on the Red Course
• Complimentary lunch from 12:00 PM - 2:30 PM

Friday, June 25th

• 7:00 AM - 9:10 AM - Round two tee times off of #1 and #10 on the Blue Course
• 7:00 AM - 9:10 AM - Round two tee times off of #1 and #9 on the Red Course
• Complimentary lunch from 12:00 PM - 2:30 PM
• After the completion of play, the field will be cut to the low 70 players and ties

Saturday, June 26th

• 7:00 AM - 9:10 AM - Round three tee times off of #1 and #10 on the Blue Course
• Complimentary lunch from 12:00 PM - 2:30 PM

Sunday, June 27th

• 7:00 AM - 9:10 AM - Final round tee times off of #1 and #10 on the Blue Course
• Awards ceremony immediately following the completion of play 

Pre-Registration

Those individuals who advance to the Championship through qualifying must pre-register and remit an additional $145 either online at the FSGA website at www.fsga.org or by check to the FSGA office for advance payment of Championship Fees. Payment must be received by Thursday, June 17th 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

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).

Course Set-Up

The golf courses will be set-up at approximately 6,900-7,400 yards.

Local Qualifying

18 holes of stroke play at 14 qualifying sites.   

The number of qualifying spots will be allocated and posted at each site. Playoffs will not be held. All players tied for for the last qualifying spot will qualify.

Alternates will be determined randomly (by the FSGA office) using the players that missed qualifying by one stroke. If less than two players missed by one stroke we will use players missing by two strokes and so on. Alternate positions will be labeled on the final results.

Defending Champion

Dean Greyserman's record setting final round led to a play-off against Nicholas Gabrelcik to determine the 103rd Amateur Champion. A birdie from Greyserman on the first playoff hole crowned him champion after a final round 62 and 10-under 278 finish. The 17-year-old became the first junior golfer to win the Amateur since Gabriel Lench in 2014 and Sam Horsfield in 2013. Click here for the previous year's results.

Carts

During qualifying and the Championship proper, each player must use a golf cart which is included in the Qualifying and Championship Entry Fees. There will be two carts per threesome and carts will be shared between players in the group. 

Qualifying Practice Rounds

Players must pay for practice round cart fees at qualifying sites and at the Championship.

Championship Practice Rounds and Practice Facility

• Before June 22nd - Streamsong is a public facility and offers a Florida Resident Rate. The rate requires either walking, or cart and use of a Streamsong Forecaddie
• June 22 - June 23 on a space available basis. The cost of the practice round, including range balls and cart, is $35 + tax, open to competitors in the Championship Field Only. Exempt and qualified competitors will receive an Email with a link to book practice rounds on Golf Genius after June 1st.
• The practice facilities at Streamsong are open to competitors June 22nd - June 27th free of charge. The driving range will close at 5:00 PM at the Red & Blue facility each day for maintenance.

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.

• Competitors (along with family) may play the Black Golf Course at Streamsong Resort after tournament rounds:
  • $55 per round walking - caddie not required
  • $90 per round with golf cart - forecaddie required at additional charge
    • must book with golf staff 24 hours in advance if planning to ride to have caddie booked

Headwear Provider

Ahead USA will be the official hat provider for the 104th Florida State Golf Association Amateur Championship.

Exemptions Earned from this Tournament

 Winner

• Next twenty-five Amateur Championships
• Next three Amateur Match Play Championships
• Next two Florida Open Championships

Top five and tied finishers

• Current year's Amateur Match Play Championship
• Next year's Florida Open

Top fifteen and tied finishers

• Next year's Amateur Championship

Player's making the cut

• Next year's Boys' Junior Championship

Exemptions Earned After 2017

Beginning in 2018, the Winner will receive the exemptions above but will receive a 25-year exemption into the Amateur Championship rather than a lifetime exemption. This exemption to the Amateur will not be lost in the event a player turns professional and subsequently has his amateur status reinstated by the USGA. Winners of the 2017 Amateur and prior years are grandfathered in under the prior policy and receive a lifetime exemption, except that consistent with the prior exemption rules, they would lose their lifetime exemption if they turned professional. Winners prior to 2018 that do turn professional, will retain their exemption for 25 years, which may used if their amateur status is reinstated.

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 MUST ride, with the player's clubs remaining on the golf cart.
• 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 

Accommodations For The 104th Amateur Championship at Streamsong Resort

Arrangements have been made at Streamsong Resort ($137 per night)

To make reservations please call (844) 207-8079 and ask for reservations. Please identify yourself as a FSGA Championship participant.

Reservations must be booked by Thursday, June 17 to receive the discounted room rate. 

Click here for Host Hotel Information

Payment

Streamsong Resort accepts Cash, Visa / MasterCard / American Express as forms of payment.

Directions

Streamsong Resort 
3000 Dunes Pass
Streamsong, FL 33834
(863) 428-1000

Click here for directions.