OCALA, Fla. – It was the team of Jay Halverson and Miles McConnell who raised the trophy and captured the victory of the first men’s championship of the 2024 season. It was a tight leaderboard all throughout the final round, but after firing a final round score of 63 and making a birdie on the first playoff hole, the duo secured yet another win.
The first round brought hot temperatures and a slight breeze, but that did not stop Cobb/Avril from shooting a seven under par, 65 to hold the solo lead by one stroke heading into the final round. Avril/Cobb carded five birdies and one eagle in the first round. However, the team of Walters/Pike and Notley/Smathers were not far behind both sharing second place with a first round of six under, 66.
The final round was certainly an exciting one as the team of Halverson/McConnell made an early charge by starting the round with back-to-back birdies. The pair quickly moved from fourth place to first place as the birdies kept falling. They made the turn posting a five-under, 31 on the front nine as the team of Galloway/Royak and Cobb/Avril also moved into first place. Galloway/Royak made a charge on their second nine. The team carded ten birdies en-route to a 62, the low round of the day. Halverson/McConnell and Galloway/Royak traded off the lead throughout the back nine and ultimately finished in a tie for first with a tournament total of fourteen under par. However,
Halverson/McConnell finished the playoff in only one hole. McConnell striped a drive down the middle of the fairway and then continued to hit his approach shot to five feet from the hole. He tapped in his birdie putt to capture the victory over Galloway/Royak. This is certainly not the first time that Halverson and McConnell have found themselves on top of the leaderboard. Halverson is the defending Mid-Amateur Champion and McConnell has received Senior Player of the Year honors for the past three consecutive years, so it is no surprise to see this pairing with a well-deserved trophy in hand.
