TAMPA, Fla. – After a standout season, Joe Alfieri has been named the 2021 Amateur and Mid-Amateur Player of the Year. Miles McConnell has garnered Senior Player of the Year honors, while David Anthony has been awarded as the Super-Senior Player of the Year for the second-straight year.
This is the fifth Player of the Year honor for Alfieri and the first since 2016. Miles McConnell collects his first Player of the Year awards, while David Anthony earns his second.
Amateur Player of the Year
Alfieri was honored with the both the Amateur and Mid-Amateur Player of the Year award following an outstanding 2021 season, that included two FSGA championship wins and a USGA championship appearance.
“At my age, this award means even more,” Alfieri said. It speaks to how much I love the game and how much I love to compete. I’m very humbled and grateful – I couldn’t do it without my family.”
Alfieri captured the 40th Mid-Amateur Championship in May, 22 years after his Mid-Amateur win in 1999. He became just the seventh player to win two Mid-Amateur titles in FSGA, defeating Garrett Morrison, 3 and 2, at The Club at Admiral’s Cove.
The Lutz native earned his 14th-career FSGA title in July when he won the Forty & Over Championship. Alfieri was the only player in the field to fire three rounds at par or better, finishing the championship with rounds of 72-67-71—210 to add his second Forty & Over title.
Alfieri punched his ticket to the 121st U.S. Amateur Championship, earning one of two spots at the qualifier at Cypress Run Golf Club. With 7,811 entries for this year’s U.S. Amateur, Alfieri was one of the 312 players to tee it up at Oakmont Country Club.
He added three other top-five finishes in 2021, including a tied-for-third finish at the Florida Senior Open Championship in April. Alfieri also helped lead Team Florida to its first Southeastern Challenge win in six years, finishing with a 3-2-0 record.
Senior Player of the Year
McConnell earned Senior Player of the Year honors following a season that saw success in both FSGA and USGA championships.
“It’s a great honor,” McConnell said. “There are a lot of outstanding seniors in Florida and a lot of great competition. I still take pride in the fact that on some days, I can compete with the young guys. But it’s also fun to compete with the seniors and I look forward to doing that for years to come.”
The Tampa native secured low-amateur honors with a runner-up finish at the Florida Senior Open Championship in April. This was his second low-amateur honors for McConnell. He advanced to the Round of 16 at the 29th Amateur Match Play Championship in July, falling to the eventual champion, Robbie Higgins, 1 up.
McConnell qualified for his first U.S. Senior Amateur Championship, advancing to the Round of 64 at the Country Club of Detroit. The 2018 Forty & Over champion also added a top-15 finish at the Mid-Amateur Stroke Play Championship in October.
He teamed up with Matt Jackson to cap off the season with a victory at the Senior Two-Man Shoot-Out Championship.
Super-Senior Player of the Year
Anthony earned the Super-Senior Player of the Year for the second-straight year after a successful 2021 season, that included three FSGA championship wins and a number of top finishes.
“I had a great year and it’s been a real blessing to me,” Anthony said. “I’ve enjoyed playing in FSGA events and it is such a big part of my life.”
The Jacksonville native went back-to-back at the Super-Senior Amateur Championship in April, raising the trophy for the second-straight year. He fired a final-round 68 at The Fox Club to become the first player in FSGA history to earn back-to-back Super-Senior titles.
Anthony was also victorious in team events this season. He teamed up with Randy Elliott to capture the Super-Senior Four-Ball title in October, and took home the win at the Two-Man Scramble Championship in August with Steve Sponder.
The 11-time FSGA champion finished runner-up at the Senior Amateur Match Play Championship in June, falling to Steve Riviere in the Finals. Anthony also added a tied-for-fourth finish at the Forty & Over Championship in July.
All three players will be honored at the FSGA’s Annual Dinner in Boynton Beach at The Club at Quail Ridge in February. The Annual Dinner celebrates the best players in the state, tournament volunteers, board members and many other important individuals involved in the game of golf in Florida.
