PALM COAST, Fla. – The FSGA Winter Series traveled to the Conservatory at Hammock Beach for the sixth installment of the 2022-2023 Winter Series season where players competed in a two-round stableford format. Perfect conditions paved the way for the competitors to rack up points, but in the end it was Ryan Prokay, Lloyd Fisher, and Joe Shaktman who elevated their play above the rest of their respective divisions to secure victories.
Mid-Amateur
At the conclusion of the first round, the Mid-Amateur division had developed into a two-man race between eventual winner Ryan Prokay, of Bradenton, and Jackson Sampselle, of Palm Coast. Prokay, who began the first round on the third hole, found success through his consistent play by scoring two or more points on 14 of the 18 holes, including six birdies. Sampselle followed a similar path on Monday, recording two or more points on all but three holes, including five birdies. Despite finishing the round with different stroke totals (Prokay, 71; Sampselle, 70), the two were tied with 43 points.
On Tuesday, Sampselle was able to jump out to an early advantage with a birdie on the par-4 first; however, this lead did not last long. Back-to-back bogeys from the Palm Coast native on holes three and four opened the door for Prokay to jump ahead. Despite holding an eight point advantage through seven holes, Prokay would once again find himself behind when the leaders made the turn thanks to a birdie and eagle from Sampselle on the last two holes on the front nine. But just like at the start of the round, Prokay made up ground quickly and eventually retook the lead with a birdie on the 12th hole. Prokay would add two more birdies to his card and keep hold of the lead en route to a 5-point victory, his fourth victory and fifth top-two finish in five Winter Series starts this season.
Senior
Following the first round, the Senior division was tightly contested with eight players within six points of the two leaders, Lloyd Fisher, of Lecanto, and George Steinmetz, of Malvern. Despite struggling to score large amounts of points in his first four holes, a stretch that included two bogeys, the Lecanto native would rally back and card four birdies over the remainder of the round to finish with 40 points. Steinmetz would also bogey two of his first four holes and bounce back to record four birdies over the course of the round, tying Fisher with 40 points.
Fisher would once again get off to a slow start in round two, scoring less than two points on three of his first four holes. This allowed Steinmetz to briefly take the lead, but a rough stretch of holes on the back nine would open the door for those lurking on the leaderboard to put up points and have a shot at victory. Both Danny Turbide, of Plantation, and Matthew Avril, of Vero Beach, began the day six points behind the lead, but jumped on the opportunity, recording two or more points on 15 of their 18 holes on Tuesday. Ultimately, Fisher did just enough to hang on and secure a two-point win, his third of the Winter Series season.
Super-Senior
When Monday’s round was completed, Kevin Macy, of Tampa, sat alone atop the leaderboard in the Super-Senior division with 42 points. After a strong start, Macy would struggle in the middle of his round, carding four bogeys in a stretch of eight holes. But an eagle on the par-5 ninth and a birdie on the par-4 10th gave the Tampa native a two-point lead over Joe Shaktman, of Coral Springs. Shaktman, who posted five birdies on his card including four in a stretch of five holes, likely would have found himself leading after round one if not for two double-bogeys. The Coral Springs native was joined by seven other competitors within six points of the lead heading to round two.
Then, in round two, Macy and Shaktman would trade the lead through the first five holes and found themselves tied with 52 points and 13 holes to play. A birdie on the par-3 17th would give Shaktman a two-point advantage, a lead the eventual winner would not give up for the rest of the day thanks to three birdies on the front nine. The Coral Springs native came away from The Conservatory with a four-point victory, his second win of the Winter Series season.
