LAKELAND, Fla. – The Club at Eaglebrooke played host to the FSGA Winter Series for its third event of the 2023-2024 season where the Four-Ball format and ideal weather provided many opportunities to score low. Ultimately, the sides of Jimmy Kozikowski and Ryan Prokay, John Gabler and Paul Royak, and Jim Stone and Carey Watson emerged victorious.
Mid-Amateur
In round one, Jimmy Kozikowski and last season’s Winter Series Mid-Amateur points champion Ryan Prokay took ownership of the lead with an 18-hole score of 6-under par, 66, powered by an eagle from Kozikowski on the par-5 seventh and no bogies from the pair throughout the round. Tied in second just one shot behind the leader sat the teams of Dana Awad/Austin Bagshaw and Daniel Eggertsson/Allister Munro after each team recorded a first-round score of 5-under par, 67. Three other teams were within four shots of the lead at the end of the first round.
On Tuesday, Mark Allen and Jacob Richard, who began the day four shots back of the lead, made a quick climb up the leaderboard by recording a birdie on six of their first 10 holes. The pair from Saint Petersburg and Mount Dora, respectively, would finish the second round with an impressive 9-under, 63, but it was not enough to catch up to the Round-One leaders. Kozikowski, of Bradenton, and Prokay, of Seminole would improve on their score from the previous day with a 10-under par, 62, the lowest of the tournament. This impressive round, highlighted by an eagle from Prokay on the par-5 10th and three birdies from Kozikowski on the back-nine, would clinch the second-straight victory for Prokay and the first Winter Series victory for Kozikowski.
Senior
At the end of round one, the side of John Gabler and Paul Royak held a one-shot lead after recording a bogey-free 6-under, 66, with each partner contributing three birdies. The pair from Tampa were followed closely by Gary Buffington and Bill Wrobbel (5-under par, 67) and Chad Ibbotson and Mike Jackson (4-under par, 68). Meanwhile, six other teams would head into the second round within four shots of the leaders.
While Ibbotson and Jackson did their best to contend in the final round with a 5-under par, 67, they would fall just short of Gabler and Royak, whose consistency led to them turning in a second straight bogey-free round, this time at 5-under par, 67. The pair from Tampa went on to secure a two-shot victory, marking the first win of the 2023-2024 Winter Series season for both players. Buffington and Wrobbel would ultimately finish in third place, four shots off the lead.
Super-Senior
Following 18 holes, the teams of Marcus Beck/Bill Moore, Lenny Barthle/Ralph Remmert, and Bob Levy/Steven Stuetzle were locked in a three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard after firing off rounds of 5-under par, 67. Beyond the clutter at the top, the Super-Senior division was still up for grabs with three other teams all sitting just one shot back of the lead.
As the three leading groups from the first round struggled, other teams were given a real chance to make a move and claim victory. One of those sides that began the second round just one shot back of the lead was Jim Stone, of Plantation, and Carey Watson, of Bradenton. A final round of 7-under par, 65, highlighted by five birdies on the front nine, propelled the pair into the lead and ultimately to victory. This was the first win for each player in the 2023-2024 Winter Series season. Tampa’s Dick Clemens and Kevin Macy matched their first round total of 4-under par, 68, on Tuesday to finish in second place, three shots back.
