100th Amateur Championship

Cristian DiMarco Wins by 4

Cristian DiMarco came out on top as the 100th Amateur Championship concluded June 26th. Shooting a four day total of eight-under par, 280, DiMarco held on to win the prestigious event by four shots over Brandon Mancheno. With the temperature reaching the mid-90s, 72 of Florida's most talented amateur golfers teed off on the final round of the 100th State Amateur Championship with the goal of claiming the Clarence Camp trophy at the end of the round. However, at the end of the day, it was only Cristian DiMarco who earned the title of the 2017 Florida State Amateur Champion. 

DiMarco, a rising senior at the University of South Florida, started out with a birdie on the first hole and kept the putter hot throughout the front nine. After posting three birdies and one bogey in his first nine oles, DiMarco made the turn with a comfortable lead over Jackson Suber. With nerves of steel, DiMarco rolled in crucial par putts early on in the back nine to keep his lead. Missing greens in regulation on the 15th and 16th holes cost DiMarco two strokes, bringing his lead from five to three. However, with a lengthy drive on the final hole, DiMarco safely landed his second shot on the green for a two-putt birdie that would give him the title of the 100th Amateur Champion. "I told myself to try and keep making birdies," DiMarco told himself coming down the final stretch. "I wanted to get to ten-under par."

Finishing the championship with an eight-under par total of 280, DiMarco becomes the 100th Amateur Champion and the second University of South Florida golfer in three years to claim the title. "It means a lot to win the 100th Amateur Championship here because of Jack Nicklaus and the history of the tournament," DiMarco said.

Brandon Mancheno of Jacksonville finished alone in second after posting a three-under par round of 69 this afternoon. Mancheno started off with a bogey, yet became the fourth player this week to make a hole-in-one after he aced the 210-yard second hole with a six iron. Using the hole-in-one as momentum, Mancheno went on to make two more birdies and 14 pars to card a 69. The University of Auburn commit finished the championship with a four-under par total of 284. Rounding out the top three was Kyler Tate of Winter Garden and Jackson Suber of Tampa. Tate finished the round with four birdies, one bogey, and one eagle to shoot the low-round of the day, a five-under par 67. Suber moved up the leaderboard this morning by going out in 32 that included an eagle at the par-four ninth hole after holing out from the fairway bunker. Struggling a bit early in the back nine, Suber was able to add three more birdies to his round throughout his last seven holes to secure third place with Tate. 

Those finishing in the top 15 and ties will automatically earn exemption into the 101st Amateur Championship that will be taking place at The Concession Golf Club and The Ritz-Carlton Member's Club in Bradenton June 21-24, 2018. 

The FSGA would like to generously thank Mr. Nicklaus, his whole family, and the staff at both Lost Tree Club & The Bear's Club for their constant hospitality this week.

The Florida Amateur Championship is the oldest continuous sporting event in the state, and now Cristian DiMarco can add his name to the many decorated golfers that have won before him. 

Round 3 Story | Round 2 Story | Round 1 Story | 100th Amateur Preview

The 100th Florida State Amateur Championship is one of the oldest and most prestigious amateur golf championships in the country. This year the Amateur will head to one golf's greatest player's home. Jack Nicklaus' home,The Bear's Club, is hosting the 100th Amateur and Lost Tree Club, another Nicklaus course, is co-hosting the first two rounds.  The Amateur Championship has a rich history dating back to 1913 with A.C. Ulmer winning the 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, Doug Sanders, Gary Koch, Jerry Pate, Buddy Alexander, and Blayne Barber.  Click here for the 2016 tournament results.  

Championship Format

• 72 holes of individual gross stroke play
• All players play 18 holes at The Bear's Club and 18 holes at Lost Tree Club before the 36-hole cut
• The field is split between the two courses for round one and they switch courses for round two
• The field will be cut to the low 70 and ties after 36 holes
• The final 36 holes will be played at The Bear's Club

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

Eligibility

• Amateur golfer
• Florida Resident
• A valid USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 11.4

Entry Fees

• Qualifying Fee: Qualifying Fee includes entry fee, course and cart fees, and range balls..
• 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 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 an additional $135 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 15th by 3:30 pm, or the individual will be withdrawn from the Championship. Championship Fee includes cart fees for all competitive rounds.

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 48 hours of the first scheduled tee time.

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.

Schedule of Events

Wednesday, June 21st

• 5:00 PM - Courses close to practice rounds and practice facilities close to players
• 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM - Player only reception at The Bear's Club featuring guest speakers. Due to limited space, only players are permitted to attend.

Thursday, June 22nd

• 8:00 AM - 9:57 AM - Round One tee times off of #1 and #10 at The Bear's Club

• 8:00 AM - 9:57 AM - Round One tee times off of #1 and #10 at Lost Tree Club

• 8:00 AM - 9:57 AM - Round Two tee times off of #1 and #10 at The Bear's Club

• 8:00 AM - 9:57 AM - Round Two tee times off of #1 and #10 at Lost Tree Club

• After the completion of play the field will be cut to low 70 players and ties

• 8:00 AM - 9:57 AM Round Three tee times off of #1 and #10 at The Bear's Club

• 8:00 AM - 9:57 AM Final Round tee times off of #1 and #10 at The Bear's Club

• Awards ceremony immediately following the completion of play 

Championship Field Size

Maximum field of 168 players

Course Set-Up

The golf courses will be set-up at approximately 6,900-7,300 yards.

Local Qualifying

18 holes stroke play at 14 qualifying sites. During qualifying, each player must use a golf cart. Caddies are acceptable, but he/she may not ride in a golf cart or carry the player's clubs. Players are responsible for cart fees for all practice rounds.  

Defending Champion

Jacob Huizinga, of Orlando, took a first round lead with a 65 (-7) and looked back. He lead wire-to-wire and won the 99th Florida Amateur Championship by five strokes over Blake Dyer. Huizinga posted rounds of 65-67-69-71--272 (-16) to run away with the title. Huizinga looks to defend his title at the centennial celebration of the championship in 2017. 2016 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.

Qualifying Practice Round Cart Fees

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

Championship Practice Rounds and Practice Facility

Practice rounds are available one week prior to the Championship on a space available basis and after 12:00 PM the weekend prior. The cost of the practice round, including range balls and cart, is $40 plus tax. Only exempt and qualifying participants may play practice rounds. Alternates are not extended practice privileges. Please call (561) 721-2080 for The Bear's Club and (561) 626-1400 for Lost Tree Club to schedule a practice round.

Exemptions

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

NOTE: Blank entries will be filed by the FSGA for players who become exempt after the close of entries. 

• Previous Amateur Champions
• Top 1,000 and tied from last year's final World Amateur Golf Rankings
• Top 15 and tied from last year's Amateur Championship
• Top 20 and tied from last year's final Player of the Year Points List
• Championship Host Clubs' Representative
• Last year's Florida Open Low Amateur
• Amateurs finishing top five and tied from last year's Florida Open Championship
• Last year's Boys Junior Champion (16-18 Age Division)
• Last year's Boys Junior Champion (13-15 Age Division)
• Last year's Amateur Match Play Champion
• Last year's Mid-Amateur Stroke Play Champion
• Current year's Amateur Public Links Champion
• Last year's Mid-Senior Champion
• Last year's Senior Amateur Player of the Year
• Current year's Senior Amateur Champion
• Current and last two year's Mid-Amateur Champions
• Current year's Mid-Amateur Championship Semifinalists
• Last year's Junior Player of the Year 
• Florida residents qualifying for last year's U.S. Amateur Championship
• Current year's final Winter Series Mid-Amateur (25-54) Points Leader
• Last year's FHSAA Boys Class 1A Individual Champion
• Last year's FHSAA Boys Class 2A Individual Champion
• Last year's FHSAA Boys Class 3A Individual Champion

Exemptions Earned from this Tournament

 Winner

• Lifetime Amateur Championship
• Next five Mid-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
• Next year's Mid-Amateur Championship

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'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

Palm Beach Gardens Marriott
4000 RCA Boulevard
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
561.622.8888

$89 per room, per night, plus tax. Click here to reserve online or call mentioning "FSGA Amateur Championship".

Payment

The Bear's Club and Lost Tree Club accept Cash, Visa / MasterCard / American Express as forms of payment.

Directions

The Bear's Club
250 Bear's Club Drive
Jupiter, FL 33477
(561) 721-2080

Lost Tree Club
11520 Lost Tree Way
North Palm Beach, FL 33408
(561) 626-1400