26th Amateur Public Links Championship

Orlando, Fla. – Kiko Francisco Coelho of Miami captured the 26th Amateur Public Links Championship with scores of 69-67-64 at Dubsdread Golf Course.

Round One

Prior to round one, there was a three hour and forty-five minute rain delay that left players wondering if they were even going to be able to touch a golf club on the first day. After careful consideration, players were sent off in a shotgun at 11:15 A.M. Friday morning and there were some low scores.

Alex Medinis fired a first round bogey free 63 (-7) to grab a hold of the lead by 3 over Joe Alfieri. Multiple others continued to come in under par, but nobody was able to match Medinis.

Round Two

When day two rolled around, Medinis was able to hold the lead, but there were multiple players right on his tail. John Houchin shot the round of the day with a five-under 65. The 2016 champion, Alfieri and the 2011 champion, Bill Anderson sat at five-under par after 36 holes.

Final Round

In the second to last pairing, Kiko Francisco Coelho and Bill Anderson teed off at 9:27, knowing they needed to make birdies to catch Medinis. However, Houchin of Stetson University was able to rattle off three birdies to start the round, grabbing the early lead. Houchin continued to lead the field through 10 holes. Making a charge up the leaderboard, Coelho birdied his first hole. A birdie on seven left him with a front nine score of two-under. Birdies on 11, 13, and 15 gave him a tie for the lead with Houchin, but danger loomed near for the Stetson golfer.

After hitting his tee shot right on the par-3 15th, Houchin’s ball took off up the cart path, eventually leading to out of bounds and making a score of triple bogey. Coelho, not knowing at the time, stuck to his game plan and stayed steady coming in. “I did not look at the leaderboard until 18,” Coelho said after the round. “Once I looked at the leaderboard, I decided to lay up on the last hole [par 5 18th]”. A birdie on the last secured his victory by two shots over Alex Medinis. Medinis gave it his all however, birdieing his last hole to finish at eight-under par for the three rounds.

“It feels awesome man, it has been a while. I have just been working really hard and it feels really good to get it done today,” Coelho said after realizing he became the Public Links Champion. Coelho looks to ride this momentum into his junior year at Arizona State University.

Championship Format

• 54 holes of individual gross stroke play
• Maximum Field Size - 90 players

Eligibility

• Male amateur bona fide "public links" golfer
• Entrant is required to be a member of the FSGA, with a Florida GHIN not exceeding 7.0

Male amateurs must be bona fide public course players, since January 1, 2023, and have not held privileges at any course that does not extend playing privileges to the general public, or privileges at any private club maintaining its own course.

A bona fide public course player may hold incidental privileges at a course not open to the public when such privileges are provided by; an educational institution at which he/she attends, a federal armed service at which he/she is a member, or an industry by which he/she is employed.

If you answer "Yes" to any of the following questions, you are NOT ELIGIBLE for this year's FSGA Public Links Championship:

1. Private Club Access - Have you had privileges at a private club (not open to the public) at anytime during the current year?
2. Social Memberships - Do you maintain a social membership at a private club that allows you to play the course sometimes during the year?
3. Dependents of Members - Does your spouse or parent/guardian belong to a private course and as a result you are allowed to play the course without a guest fee?
4. Golf Course Employees - Have you been an employee at a private course during the year, where you are allowed to play golf more than one day per week?
5. Resort Courses - Do you have a membership at a resort that restricts which days resort guests can play?
6. Golf Team Members - As a member of a scholastic golf team, are you allowed to play a private course not owned by the school at times other than your regular golf season including playoffs and championships?

Permitted Exceptions:

• Military Courses - A player, because of his military service may hold privileges at a facility from which the general public is excluded.

• County and City Courses - A player may be a member at a course open to county or city residents even if it is closed to nonresidents.

• Handicap - There is no restriction to where a player maintains his handicap.

Entry Fee

• $235

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

Schedule of Events

Friday, June 23rd

•  7:30 AM - 9:36 AM - Round one tee times off #1 and #10 tees

Saturday, June 24th

• 7:30 AM - 9:36 AM - Round two tee times off #1 and #10 tees 

Sunday, June 25th

• 7:30 AM - 9:36 AM - Final round tee times off #1 and #10 tees 
• Awards ceremony immediately following the completion of play

Entry Priority

With the ever growing popularity of the Public Links Championship, the FSGA Championships Committee instituted Entry Priority in 2020 with the reduced field and has expanded the priority for 2023. The entry priority will be as follows.

• 75% of the field will be determined using the following order of preference
• Previous 5 years Amateur Public Links Champions
• Top 30 in previous year's Amateur Public Links Championship
• Players qualifying for any of the previous year's USGA Individual National Championships
• Any players making the 36 hole cut at the previous year's Florida Amateur or Florida Open Championship
• Any players advancing to Round of 16 at Amateur Match Play Championship
• Top 50 on the previous year's Amateur Player of the Year Points List
• Players Selected by FSGA Championship Committee (up to 5 spots)
• Handicap Index on Entry Close Date
• 25% of the field - First Come, First Served

Course Set-Up

• The course will be set-up at approximately 6,200 yards (par 70)                       

Practice Rounds

Practice rounds are available one week prior to the event, limited to after 12:00 PM on the weekends on a space available basis. The price of a practice round is $45 + tax and includes cart and range balls prior to the round. Please call 407-246-2551 to arrange your practice round. A Golf Genius Tee Time booking link will be provided at a later date to schedule practice rounds on a specific date specified by the club.

The proper place to practice your golf swing is on the driving range, hitting multiple shots on the course is unacceptable. 

Defending Champion

Matthew Read captured his first FSGA championship victory by two-strokes after posting three under-par rounds at The Florida Club, June 10-12.  Click here for results.

Exemptions Earned from this Tournament

Winner

• Current year's Amateur Championship
• Current year's Amateur Match Play Championship
• Next year's Mid-Amateur Championship

Other Policies

• Spectators and Spectator Cart Policy - Click here.
• Caddies - Caddies are NOT permitted in FSGA Championships and FSGA qualifying rounds per the FSGA Code of Conduct; except at the Florida Open, Florida Women's Open & Senior Open, and the Florida Senior Open - Click here 
• 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

There is currently no host hotel for this event. 

Payment

Dubsdread Golf Course accepts cash and all major credit cards as method of payment.

Directions

Dubsdread Golf Course
549 West Par Street
Orlando, FL 32804
(407) 246-2551

Click here for directions