Senior Amateur Championship

George DeSear Battles to the Top

In his first FSGA event and at his home club, George DeSear made a furious late charge to capture the 56th Senior Amateur Championship.  Sitting alone in 10th place after two rounds, DeSear was able overcome a five shot deficit.  Through the 54 hole Championship, players battled through windy conditions and notoriously fast Donald Ross greens.  

The final round began with Bret Voisin holding the lead after excellent rounds of 70-71.  Voisin found himself at one under par and leading 2013 Senior Amateur Champion, Doug LaCrosse and Robert Polk by one shot.  Voisin was unable to hold onto his lead as he started the final round with a few blemishes.  LaCrosse and Polk were steady as they each played the opening nine with eight pars and a birdie to share the lead as they made the turn.  Also making a push was Sarasota resident, Jerry Rose.  Rose birdied his opening hole, to go along with two more birdies on the front nine, but was unable to sustain the momentum as he bogeyed three holes down the stretch.  Notably, Thursday saw two players record a one on their score cards as Bob Levy aced the 165 yard, 2nd hole and Mike Bodney, of Jacksonville, conquered the 185 yard, 18th.  

DeSear, after a slow start including a bogey on the par-four 5th, and a double bogey on number 7, birdied the par-five 8th to get his round moving in the right direction.  Consecutive birdies on holes 12 and 13 vaulted DeSear into contention but a bogey on 15 halted that momentum.  A par on the 16th hole meant that DeSear would need something special on the final two holes and he delivered with another two birdies, the closing birdie in front of a large crowd of members that had gathered to show their support.  With this victory, DeSear has earned himself an exemption into the next ten Senior Amateur Championships, the next two Florida Senior Open Championships, as well as the 100th Amateur Championship and the 2017 Mid-Amateur Championship.  

Since the number of entries received has always surpassed the capacity of the Championship, a qualifying stage was instituted in 2005. While 52 players earned exempt status through a variety of different means, nearly 300 participants attempted to qualify at one of six sites across the state, as competitors played 18 holes of stroke play hoping to advance to the Championship. Participants must be 55 or older to participate in the Championship.

The 57th Senior Amateur Championship is heading to the beautiful and challenging Mayacoo Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach on April 10-12, 2018.

Full Results

Round 1 Recap

Round 2 Recap

Preview

Not only is the 56th Senior Amateur Championship a great chance to reconnect with old friends, but it is also one of the FSGA's most popular and prestigious events. Join the state's top senior amateur golfers at Bradenton Country Club. Enjoy a complimentary players' dinner on the evening before the first round as well as lunch after each round. For those not exempt into the championship field, six qualifiers are held around the state to determine the field. Click here for a look at the 2016 Championship Results.

Championship Format

• 54 holes of individual stroke play
• 144 player field 
• Cut to the low 60 and ties after the second round
• Initial groupings will be for two days; the field will be cut and re-paired by score after the second round
• Round three tee times will start at 8:00 AM off of the 1st & 10th tees

Eligibility

• Male amateur golfer
• At least 55 years of age as of the first day of the Championship
• Entrant is required to be a member of the FSGA

Entry Fees

• Qualifying Fee: Qualifying Fee includes entry fee and cart fee.
• Championship Fee: Fee paid by those individuals who advance to the Championship through qualifying. Includes a players' dinner, tee gifts and gift certificates, 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. As well as the players' dinner, tee gifts and gift certificates, course and cart fees, range balls, and lunch for each competitive round.

Late entries will be accepted subject to a $10 late entry fee should the entrant gain acceptance into the qualifying field. 

Pre-Registration

Those individuals who advance to the Championship through qualifying must pre-register and remit an additional $245 online at the FSGA website at www.fsga.org. Fees include lunch after each of the competitive rounds and a Players' Dinner. Payment must be received by Tuesday, April 4 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
  

Practice Round

Championship Players are responsible for practice round cart fees at qualifying sites and at the Championship proper. Click on Tee Times & Info above and then view the Player Information sheet for each qualifying site venue to find the practice round information

At the Championship a practice round is available on a space available basis one week prior to the Championship, and limited to after 12:00 PM on the weekend, at a rate of $35 plus tax. Please call (941) 792-4159 no more than three days prior to the day you intend to play to arrange your practice round. The proper place to practice your golf swing is on the driving range, hitting multiple shots on the course is unacceptable. A second practice round is available for $122 plus tax.

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 two days of the scheduled start date.

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

Monday, April 10th 

• 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM – Tournament Registration
• 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM – Players’ Dinner at Bradenton Country Club

Tuesday, April 11th

• Tournament Registration
• 8:00 AM - 9:39 AM - Round One morning tee times off #1 and #10
• Complimentary players' lunch buffet in the main clubhouse
• 12:30 PM - 1:18 PM - Round One afternoon tee times off #1 and #10

Wednesday, April 12th

• 8:00 AM - 9:39 AM - Round Two morning tee times off #1 and #10
• Complimentary players' lunch buffet in the main clubhouse
• 12:30 PM - 2:19 PM - Round Two afternoon tee times off #1 and #10

Thursday, April 13th

• 8:00 AM - Final Round tee times off #1 and #10
• Lunch available for purchase
• Awards ceremony immediately following the completion of play

Course Set-Up

The golf course will be set-up at approximately 6,500-6,600 yards.

Local Qualifying

18 holes of stroke play at 6 local sites.  Cart fees are included in your qualifying fee. Click here to view sites and dates

Defending Champion

Peter Wegmann prevailed with three solid rounds of golf to capture his first Senior Amateur Championship held at Adena Golf & Country Club. Wegmann started the final round tied for third but came from behind to win the Championship by one stroke with a 212 (-4) total. Results

Exemptions

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

• Last ten year's Senior Amateur Champions
• Top 30 and tied from last year's Senior Amateur Championship
• Last three year's Senior Amateur Match Play Championship (55-64 Age Division) Champions
• Last year's Super-Senior Amateur Champion (65-69 Age Division)
• Player finishing runner-up in last year's Senior Amateur Match Play Championship (55-64 Age Division)
• Top 10 and tied from last year's Senior Player of the Year final point standings
• Top 20 and tied from the Winter Series (55-64 Age Division) current points list as of the close of entries
• Top 3 and tied from the Winter Series (65 and Over Age Division) current points list as of the close of entries
• Winners of the current season's Winter Series Senior (55-64 Age Division) individual events
• Points Champion of previous season's Winter Series (55-64 Age Division Age Division) points list
• Points Champion of previous season's Winter Series (65 and Over Age Division) points list
• Players finishing in the top 10 and tied of last year's Florida Senior Open Championship
• Players finishing in the top 30 and tied of last year's Mid-Senior Championship
• Players making match play at last year's Mid-Amateur Championship
• Florida residents qualifying for any one of last year's USGA National Championships 
• Top 3 and tied from last year's Palm Beach County Golf Association Senior points list
• Last year's PBCGA Senior Amateur Champion
• Last year's PBCGA Tour Championship Senior
• Top 3 and tied from last year's Emerald Coast Senior Scratch Series (ECSSS) Open Division points list
  
• Last year's ECSSS Match Play Champion

Exemptions Earned from this Tournament

Winner

• Next ten Senior Amateur Championships
• Current year's Amateur Championship
• Current year's Mid-Amateur Championship
• Next two Florida Senior Open Championships

Top five and tied finishers

• Current year's Florida Senior Open Championship

Top thirty and tied finishers

• Next year's Senior Amateur Championship

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

Currently there is no host hotel for this event.

Payment

Bradenton Country Club accepts cash, Visa, MasterCard and American Express as methods of payment.

Directions to Bradenton Country Club 

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

Click here for Course Information & Directions