102nd Amateur Championship

Reichert Captures 102nd Amateur Championship in Four-Way Play-off

JUPITER, Fla. – It may have taken an extra hole, but Ben Reichert added his name to the history books on Sunday as he was crowned the 102nd Amateur Champion at The Loxahatchee Club.

“To get this win, it means a lot. I’ve went through some struggles over the last couple of years, on and off the course. It’s pretty humbling to get back in the winner’s circle after a while, so pretty excited about it,” Reichert said.

Reichert, who began the day in a three-way tie for second place, defeated Colin Kresl, Jordan Batchelor and Rhett Pooley on the first playoff hole to secure his first Florida State Golf Association Championship victory.

The rising junior at the University of Alabama Birmingham got off to a slow start in the morning, bogeying two of the first six holes. Reichert turned it around with a birdie on the eighth hole, finishing the front nine three shots off the lead.

Kresl, who started the round in first place with a two-shot lead, finished the front nine at even-par before running into some trouble on the 10th, carding a double bogey, to cut his lead to one. Batchelor posted two birdies and a bogey on the front nine to move to 3-under for the championship and bring himself without one shot of the lead.

With a birdie on the 12th, Reichert pulled into a tie for first place with Kresl at 3-under. Pooley joined them at 3-under on the next hole with an improbable eagle from far left of the green.

Batchelor birdied the 14th hole to also move to 3-under. He stuffed his approach shot on the 16th to about two inches, tapping in for birdie to take the outright lead at 4-under.

Heading to the 18th, Bachelor, Kresl and Pooley where all tied for the lead at 4-under, with Reichert one shot back. Reichert made a steady par on the final hole, while Batchelor, Kresl and Pooley all carded bogeys, to finish at 3-under 285 and force a playoff.

The four players head back to the 18th hole. Reichert was the only player to make it on the green in two, left with a 10-foot putt for birdie. After going out of bounds, Kresl had a 15-foot putt for bogey, while Batchelor and Pooley both hit their second shots left of the green.

Reichert two-putted for par to secure the championship and become the 102nd Amateur Champion. 

"I tried to do what I did all day: make as good of a swing as I can. The rest was out of my control," Reichert said. 

Final Results  |  Round 1 Recap  |  Round 2 Recap  |  Round 3 Recap

The 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 The Loxahatchee Club & Jonathan's Landing - The Fazio at Old Trail, in Jupiter. The Jack Nicklaus' Signature Design Loxahatchee Club went through an extensive renovation in 2015, and co-hosted the 2012 Florida Amateur Championship and hosted the 2014 Mid-Amateur Championship. The Fazio Course at Old Trail, was just redone in the summer of 2018 and will be give players an exciting fresh look at a local favorite as the companion course. The courses will be sure to provide a test to the top amateurs in the state!

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 past Amateur Championship results.  

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.

Eligibility

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

Championship Field Size

• 168 players

Championship Format

• 72 holes of individual gross stroke play
• All players play 18 holes at The Loxahatchee Club and 18 holes at Jonathan's Landing - The Fazio at Old Trail 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 at The Loxahatchee Club 

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.

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 Friday, June 14th 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).

Schedule of Events

Wednesday, June 19th

• 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM - Player registration at The Loxahatchee Club in the clubhouse

Thursday, June 20th

• 7:00 AM - 9:30 AM - Player registration at The Loxahatchee Club in the clubhouse

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

• 8:00 AM - 9:57 AM - Round One tee times off of #1 and #10 at The Fazio at Old Trail

Friday, June 20th

• 7:00 AM - 9:30 AM - Player registration at The Loxahatchee Club in the clubhouse

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

• 8:00 AM - 9:57 AM - Round Two tee times off of #1 and #10 at The Fazio at Old Trail

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

Saturday June 21st

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

Sunday June 22nd

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

• Awards ceremony immediately following the completion of play 

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. 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

72 Holes was not enough at the 2018 Amateur Championship. With a birdie on the closing hole of regulation, Gabriel Lench forced a play-off with Marc Dull. Eventually, Lench made par on the 2nd play-off hole to claim his second Florida Amateur Championship. 2018 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 Rounds

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 $35. Please call Loxahatchee Club at (561) 744-5533 and Jonathan's Landing Golf Club - Fazio at Old Trail at 561-371-1015 to book a practice round time.

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.

Exemptions

Players in the following categories are eligible for exemption from qualifying 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. 

• Last 25 year's 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 Semifinalists
• 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 
• Last year's FJT Points Champion (Boy's 16-18)
• Last year's FJT Tour Championship Champion (Boy's 16-18)
• Florida residents qualifying for last year's U.S. Amateur Championship
• Current year's final Winter Series Mid-Amateur (25-54) Points Leader

Loss of Exemptions

• Amateur Champions prior to 2018 receive a lifetime exemption provided they remain an amateur
• After 2017, Amateur Champions and any prior winners who turn professional, will remain exempt for 25 years from the year of their victory, regardless of whether they turned professional and were subsequently reinstated as an amateur by the USGA.

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.

Supporting Sponsor

Palm Beach County Sports Commission is a proud Supporting Sponsor for the 102 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 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

Palm Beach Gardens Marriott
4000 RCA Blvd
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
561-622-8888

$114 per room, per night, plus tax. Call and ask for "102nd Amateur Championship Room Block" or click here to book online.

Must book by 6/7/2019 to receive rate.

Payment

The Loxahatchee Club accept Cash, Visa / MasterCard / American Express as forms of payment.

Directions

The Loxahatchee Club
1350 Echo Drive
Jupiter, FL 33458
(561) 744-5533

Jonathan's Landing Golf Club - The Fazio at Old Trail
18505 SE Clubhouse
Jupiter, FL 33478
561-744-8200