SOUTHEAST Fla. - RJ Nakashian and Will Davenport have been named captains of the South Team. Both fantastic players with experience in match play formats. Nakashian will be making his sixth Florida Cup appearance holding a record of 6-6-3. Yet, this past year alone he was captured victories at the Senior Amateur Championship and the Senior Amateur Match Play Championship. He stated, “I am excited to build on the success from this season, having seen success in both stroke play and match play. Looking back on being a finalist at the 2023 Senior Amateur Match Play, and then capturing the victory this year, will always be great experiences that I can fall back on in close matches.”
In addition, Davenport has played some remarkable rounds and gained a few accolades to his golf resume over the past few years. He captured the 2023 Four-Ball Championship with partner, TJ Shuart, in addition to earning a top-5 finish in five out of six events played in 2023. Moreover, this will be Davenport's third Florida Cup Appearance, and the Palm City native holds a record of 3-1-2.
The two captains have played together regularly in various amateur events over the years. Davenport stated, “I was thrilled to find out RJ and I would be captaining the team together. He’s a class act through and through and a juggernaut of a golfer. I very much look forward to partnering with him to put our best foot forward for Team South.” Nakashian has similar thoughts as he stated, “Will is a great player who I’ve seen for a lot of years in Palm Beach County and FSGA events. I looked forward to leading the team alongside him.”
Davenport is no stranger to team events in golf. He explains how a team golf event, especially a match play format, is a very different dynamic from the usual amateur event. It calls for different strategies and levels of aggression, and the match can be easily swayed from team to team based off of the energy and momentum of the players. Yet, Davenport, “Can’t wait to get in the thick of it.” He was a member of the Southeastern Challenge team last year in which Team Florida captured the win against Georgia and Alabama. He described that experience, “The Southeastern Challenge last year was a special one. We put together a very strong team and a group of guys that meshed well together which made for a great time both on and off the course. Many of those same guys will be at the Florida Cup this year, and while some will undoubtedly be representing the North side, it’s always a treat to come together and compete with such talented and familiar faces.”
However, most recently, Davenport along with partner, Mike Smith, advanced all the way to the Semifinals at the U.S. Four-Ball Championship, and he explains that event taught him how to play with self-belief. Moreover, with so much success in team match play events, Davenport attributes it to his experience playing team sports growing up. He stated, “Team golf is the best. I grew up playing several different sports and enjoy being part of a team, so I always look forward to the chance to make golf a less ‘lonely’ endeavor.” Moreover, Nakashian also acknowledges the importance of teamwork in this event. “The teams are staying on site at Old Memorial this year in this cottage, and I really think that will add to the team comradery of the event.”
The South Team certainly has two decorated captains who are excited and ready to lead the team in hopes of defending their title. Currently, the South Team and the North Team are tied each with seven wins, so this year is a monumental win as it will give one team the lead in overall wins, at least for the next two years. Nakashian said it best when he described this event, “I am so honored to be a captain. In the past cup matches it has been a lot of fun with the needling back and forth between teams, the strategy of each format and the mind games between players, all while also seeing the best competition in the state!”
