Senior Amateur Championship

Barnes Holds off Charge to Capture 57th Senior Amateur in Playoff!

Mayacoo Lakes Country Club, in West Palm Beach, was a perfect test for 139 top senior golfers to compete in the 57th Senior Amateur Championship. After 36 holes of stroke play and a cut made at 158 (+16) or better the Champion would be determined by a sudden death playoff! 

The final round began with Bill Barnes, of Bonita Springs, leading by five strokes at 140 for the tournament. Barnes held onto his lead throughout the front nine, remaining two under-par at the turn, while several players started to move up the leaderboard. One of those players was Temple Terrace resident, Don Whittemore, who posted four birdies on his front nine making it his best round of the Championship. The final nine holes served as a challenge for Barnes especially the final hole. On the par four 18th hole, Barnes laid up short of the water only to dump his third shot in the water and make an eight-foot putt for double-bogey for a final round 75 and 215 (+2) total. Within his same pairing group, Barnes watched Whittemore come from behind with an impressive low final round of 68 (-3)! Whittemore started the day seven strokes back, tied for third place, and ended the day tied for first place with Barnes!

Barnes and Whittemore went head to head in a sudden death playoff to determine who would hoist the trophy. Whittemore, who won his last FSGA Championship in 2012, was ready to end his drought while Barnes was fighting to win his first FSGA Championship. The playoff was short lived as Barnes sealed his victory with a two–putt par on the first play-off hole, number 18. Whittemore missed his shot into the green left, putted through the green rolling to 20 feet on the fringe, and missed his par.  Barnes not only earned his first win but he is now exempt into the next ten Senior Amateur Championships, the next two Florida Senior Open Championships, as well as the 101st Amateur Championship and the 2018 Mid-Amateur Championship being played in May! 

David Anthony claimed solo third place, four strokes behind, with a final round 74 and 219 total. 2013 Senior Champion, Doug LaCrosse, 2014 Senior Champion, Pete Williams, Michael Mercier, and Richard Kerper tied for fourth place at 221 (+8). Since the number of entries received has always surpassed the capacity of the Championship, a qualifying stage was instituted in 2005. While 61 players earned exempt status through a variety of different means, nearly 300 participants attempted to qualify at one of six sites across the state, as competitors played 18 holes of stroke play hoping to advance to the Championship. Participants must be 55 or older to participate in the Championship.

Full Results 

Round 2 Recap

Preview

The 57th Senior Amateur Championship heads to beautiful West Palm Beach and the always immaculate Mayacoo Lakes Country Club. Enjoy a complimentary players' dinner on the evening before the first round as well as lunch before or after the first two rounds. For those not exempt into the Championship field, six qualifiers are held around the state to determine the field. Click here for a look at the 2017 Championship Results.

Championship Format

• 54 holes of individual stroke play
• Cut to the low 60 and ties after the second round
• Initial groupings will be for two days; the field will be cut and re-paired by score after the second round
• Round three tee times will start at 8:00 AM off of the 1st and 10th tees

Championship Field Size

Maximum of 144 players

Eligibility

• Male amateur golfer
• At least 55 years of age as of the first day of the Championship
• Entrant is required to be a member of the FSGA

Qualifying Sites:

• March 12 - St. Johns Golf & Country Club, Saint Augustine
• March 14 - Weston Hills Country Club, Weston
• March 19 - The Club at Hidden Creek, Santa Rosa
• March 19 - Hunters Green Country Club, Tampa
• March 27 - Disney's Palm Course, Lake Buena Vista
• March 28 - Old Corkscrew Golf Club, Estero

Entry Fees

• Qualifying Fee: Qualifying Fee includes entry fee and cart fee.
• Championship Fee: Fee paid by those individuals who advance to the Championship through qualifying. Includes a players' dinner, tee gifts and gift certificates, course and cart fees, range balls, and lunch for the first and second round.
  
• Exempt Fee: Exempt Fee includes Championship Fee and Entry Fee for those individuals eligible for exemption. As well as the players' dinner, tee gifts and gift certificates, course and cart fees, range balls, and lunch for the first and second rounds.

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

Pre-Registration

Those individuals who advance to the Championship through qualifying must pre-register and remit an additional $245 online at the FSGA website at www.fsga.org. Fees include lunch after each of the first two rounds and a Players' Dinner. Payment must be received by Tuesday, April 3 by 3:30 pm, or the individual will be withdrawn from the Championship. Championship Fee includes cart fees for all competitive rounds.

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
  

Practice Round

Championship players are responsible for practice round cart fees at qualifying sites and at the Championship proper. Click on Tee Times & Info above and then view the Player Information sheet for each qualifying site venue to find the practice round information

At the championship, a practice round is available on a space available basis at the following times:

Monday, April 2nd After 1:00 pm. 
Tuesday, April 3rd After 1:00 pm. 
Wednesday, April 4th No Practice Rounds
Thursday, April 5th 10-11am and after 1:00 pm
Friday, April 6th 10-11am and after 1:00 pm
Saturday - Sunday, April 7th - 8th after 12:00pm. 
Monday, April 9th after 10:30 am.

Except for Monday 9th, we kindly request that competitors limit their practice on the range and short game area to prior their round only.

First Practice Round at $35 per player. $86.00 per additional Practice Round.

Please call 561-793-1700 to arrange your practice round. 
 
Refunds, Notice of Withdrawals

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.

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.

Schedule of Events

Monday, April 9th 

• 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM – Tournament Registration
• Optional practice rounds
• 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM – Players’ Dinner at Mayacoo Lakes Country Club

Tuesday, April 10th

• Tournament Registration 7:00 AM - 2:00 PM
• 8:00 AM - 9:48 AM - Round One morning tee times off #1 and #10
• Complimentary players' lunch buffet in the main clubhouse
• 12:30 PM - 2:18 PM - Round One afternoon tee times off #1 and #10

Wednesday, April 11th

• 8:00 AM - 9:48 AM - Round Two morning tee times off #1 and #10
• Complimentary players' lunch buffet in the main clubhouse
• 12:30 PM - 2:18 PM - Round Two afternoon tee times off #1 and #10

Thursday, April 12th

• 8:00 AM - Final Round tee times off #1 and #10
• Awards ceremony immediately following the completion of play
• Lunch available for purchase

Course Set-Up

The golf course will be set-up at approximately 6,500-6,600 yards.

Local Qualifying

18 holes of stroke play at 6 local sites. Cart fees are included in your qualifying fee. 

Defending Champion

George DeSear overcame a 5-shot deficit in the final round to capture his first FSGA title which was held at Bradenton Country Club.  Playing on his home course, DeSear shot rounds of 74-72-70--216 (E) to claim the title by one stroke over Doug LaCrosse and Robert Polk. Results

Exemptions

Players in the following categories will be eligible for exemption provided they meet all entry and eligibility requirements.

• Last ten year's Senior Amateur Champions
• Top 30 and tied from last year's Senior Amateur Championship
• Last three year's Senior Amateur Match Play Championship (55-64 Age Division) Champions
• Last year's Super-Senior Amateur Champion (65-69 Age Division)
• Player finishing runner-up in last year's Senior Amateur Match Play Championship (55-64 Age Division)
• Top 20 and tied from last year's Senior Player of the Year final point standings
• Top 20 and tied from the Winter Series (55-64 Age Division) current points list as of the close of entries
• Top 3 and tied from the Winter Series (65 and Over Age Division) current points list as of the close of entries
• Winners of the current season's Winter Series Senior (55-64 Age Division) individual events
• Points Champion of previous season's Winter Series (55-64 Age Division Age Division) points list
• Points Champion of previous season's Winter Series (65 and Over Age Division) points list
• Players finishing in the top 10 and tied of last year's Florida Senior Open Championship
• Players finishing in the top 30 and tied of last year's Mid-Senior Championship
• Players making match play at last year's Mid-Amateur Championship
• Florida residents qualifying for any one of last year's USGA National Championships 
• Top 3 and tied from last year's Palm Beach County Golf Association Senior points list
• Last year's PBCGA Senior Amateur Champion
• Last year's PBCGA Tour Championship Senior Division Champion
• Top 3 and tied from last year's Lie Scratch Tour Florida Senior Division points list
  
• Last year's Lie Scratch Tour Florida Senior Division Champion
• Championship Host Club's Representative

Exemptions Earned from this Tournament

Winner

• Next 10 (Ten) Senior Amateur Championships
• Current year's Amateur Championship
• Current year's Mid-Amateur Championship
• Next 2 (Two) Florida Senior Open Championships

Top five and tied finishers

• Current year's Florida Senior Open Championship

Top thirty and tied finishers

• Next year's Senior Amateur Championship

Other Policies

• Spectators and Spectator Cart Policy - Click here. Due to the limited number of carts available, spectator carts will not be available at this Championship.
• 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 Conditions of 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 Boulevard
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
(561) 622-8888

$139 per room, per night, plus tax. Click here to book online. 

Payment at Club

Mayacoo Lakes Country Club accepts cash, Visa, MasterCard and Discovery (No American Express).

Directions to Mayacoo Lakes Country Club 

Mayacoo Lakes Country Club
9697 Mayacoo Club Drive
West Palm Beach, FL  33411
561-793-1703

Click here for Directions