Northeast Florida Golf News – October, 2026

JAGA shared the notes below with its NEWS readers last month but because our distribution of October NEWS falls the same week as the PGA Tour Champions Tour event (Oct. 5-11), we are sharing it with everyone again. We encourage all NEWS readers to grab a family member or call a few friends and head down to Palm Coast/Hammock Beach Resort this week.

Reminders for fans going to the Constellation Furyk and Friends presented by Circle K on October 5-11 at the Ocean Course at Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast:
• Parking will be at the Daytona Beach State College campus at 3000 Palm Coast Parkway SE. It’s a 10-minute shuttle ride to the course. Golf cart and bicycle parking are at the course, and rideshare is nearby at 105 16^th Street. All parking is free.
• The competition days are Oct. 9-11. Most of the top PGA TOUR Champions players will be there, including defending champion Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey.
• There are two extra events. The Champions Breakfast will be Friday morning with Lee Trevino as the speaker, and the Furyk Foundation Concert featuring Billy Currington will be that evening. Details are at constellationfurykandfriends.com.
• There are five pro-ams but none are open to the general public. The events are on Monday, Wednesday morning and afternoon, and Thursday morning and afternoon.
• The course is a Jack Nicklaus design with six holes having ocean views. The entire 9^th and 18^thholes are along the ocean.
• Host Jim Furyk, who has only played one event in 2026, will not be playing, focusing instead on his host and Golf Channel duties. He told Garry Smits of the Florida Times-Union, “Playing five rounds in a row puts a lot of stress on my back.”
• Numerous charities are involved and the tournament payout has been almost $5.5 million in its first five years. Constellation Energy returns as the title sponsor with Circle K also in a major role.
• Ticket information is at ticketmaster.com. 17-and-unders are free, as are college students.

Hosts Tabitha (left) and Jim Furyk (right) flank 2025 champion Tommy Gainey
Credit: Constellation Furyk & Friends

JAGA Tournaments
•  The Beachside HS girls’ and boys’ teams won the 7^th Jax Beach (GC) High School Invitational on Sept. 19^th in a battle of the top First Coast-area high school teams. Beachside teammates Lily Wachter (63) and Jaspreet Kondal (66) took individual honors, Jaspreet for the second year in a row (68 last year).
The event is unique for high school golf in that it combines both the female and male team scores to determine an overall champion. JAGA played a key role in the event for the first time this year providing JAGA volunteers for registration, starters, rules, scoring, publicity, plus lunch. Chairing the event were Bolles coaches Trey Leonard and Michael McGrath.
For more details, click HERE.

JAGA News

•  JAGA is pleased to announce it will accept 2027 JAGA Scholarship applications starting Jan. 1, 2027 and ending on March 31, 2027. Details are available at https://jaxareagolf.org/scholarships/apply/
Here are some of the program details:
+ It is in its 53^rd year.
+ Currently, there are 63 scholars receiving awards who attend 33 institutions, including nine who are at UNF, seven at UF, seven at FSU, and four at JU.
+  At least one scholarship will be awarded to a PGA Associate candidate in support of his/her Level 2 or Level 3 educational requirements (must be submitted by November 30, 2026).
+ Beginning in 2027, JAGA is offering cost assistance to golf course maintenance personnel who are pursuing agronomy courses. The submission deadline is November 30, 2026.
+ Interested candidates should contact one of the JAGA directors who represents their home facility. If you are unsure who the directors are, ask your head golf professional.
+ Follow-up questions may be directed to JAGA Scholarship Committee chairman Peter Karpen of Marsh Landing CC….413-429-1995 / pfkarpen@aol.com

•  Several donations were made to the JAGA Trust college scholarships fund by JAGA member facilities/JAGA directors at the September meeting, highlighted by a $10,000 donation by Patrick Brown of Timuquana CC. Additional donations of $1,000 by Ron Jerin (Palatka GC), $1,000 by Moore-Myers Children’s Fund, $2,500 by the JAGA Kid-Am, and $4,000 by the JAGA Scholar Supporter Program were made.

Northern PGA Chapter News

•  Hayes Farley of San Jose CC shot 66 (-6) to defeat Tyler Gray of Marsh Landing CC by two and Jarred Garcia of Fleming Island GC by four in the Northern Chapter Pro-Am at Oak Marsh. The prize payouts for the top three spots were $625, $510 and $350. Next up for the Chapter is the Nov. 16^th Pro-Am at TPC Sawgrass (Dye’s Valley).

•  Amelia National Golf Club has a new head professional, Jeff Marks. Having earned a Professional Golf Management degree from Ferris State U. in Michigan in 1990, he has held head professional and general manager positions at clubs in Mississippi, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee. A native of Bethpage, N.Y., Marks once shot 64 at Bethpage Black.

FSGA Tournaments

•  Ty Capps of Palm Coast and Tyler Gulliksen of Flagler Beach recorded rounds of 63-68-131 (-11) to place T3 in the Mid-Amateur Four-Ball Championship (North) on Sept. 12-13 at Buckhorn Springs G&CC in Valrico. They were five off the winning pace of brothers Joe and Lucas Trim.

•  A pair of former JAGA Senior Amateur presented by Lennar champions Tim Cobb (2020, 2026) and Mark Spencer (2022), recorded the best finish among area players (5^th) in the Senior Four-Ball at Vero Beach CC. Their 66-66-132 was five off the winning pace of Orlando’s Todd Schmitt and Garry Singer. The team of Clayton Brewer (Jacksonville) and Ken Moody (Ponte Vedra Beach) also had a top-ten finish (T9), posting 135.

•  A trio of teams with local affiliations recorded top-10 finishes in the Super-Senior Four-Ball Championship at The Conservatory at Hammock Beach, Palm Coast, Sept. 28-29. Mark Taylor/Thomas Donovan, Jr. were sixth, just two off the winning score, and Ken Moody/Mike Riley (Panama City) and Mark Rutland/Gary Reed one shot higher at T7.

USGA Tournaments

•  Two of senior women golf’s perennial top competitors – Tama Caldabaugh and Carolyn Creekmore, both of whom reside in Ponte Vedra Beach – qualified for last month’s 64^th U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur played in Portland, Ore.
Creekmore, 74, is a past champion (2004) of the event and was this year’s oldest and most experienced tournament competitor. Though a qualifier, she did not participate in the event. It would have been her 15^th appearance.
Caldabaugh, 62, was a semifinalist in 2015. She did not advance from stroke play to the match-play field of 64, missing the cut by one shot.
Caldabaugh was featured in the event’s preview “Inside the Field”. Click on this LINK and scroll down to the “Players Notes” section to learn more about Tama

•  Local qualifiers Manny Girona and Trey Sanders, both Jacksonville residents, missed the cut in the stroke-play portion at the 45^th U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, played at Sand Valley Resort in Wisconsin, Sept. 26-27. Girona, 27, is a former UF golfer and now TaylorMade Golf tour rep. He qualified Sept. 1^st at Hammock Dunes. He was one of six who shot 71, then was one of three to survive a playoff. Bowing in the playoff was Tyler Gulliksen of Flagler Beach. Tyler Brown of Ponte Vedra Beach (72) missed the playoff by one.

Korn Ferry Tour

There are two remaining events to decide which 20 players will earn their 2027 PGA TOUR cards via the Korn Ferry Tour. The events end on Oct. 4 in Oklahoma and Oct. 11 near Richmond, Va. Among those with local affiliations who are in contention are UNF grads Nick Gabrelcik (No. 35 as of Oct. 1) and Travis Trace (No. 45). Trace is a Sandalwood grad and former JAGA Jacksonville Amateur presented by Pinnacle Financial Partners champion (2014). At No. 76, Bartram Trail HS and Duke U. grad Julian Suri has considerably more ground to make up. Only the top 60 after the Oklahoma event will advance to the season’s finale in Virginia.
UPDATE (Oct. 4) –Gabrelcik finished T3 to move up six spots to 29^th. Trace finished T50 to drop three spots to 48^th. Suri missed the cut to end his season.

Other Tournaments

•  Jacksonville Beach’s Miles Russell contributed nicely to the USA team’s 17.5 to 6.5 winning effort on Sept. 20-21 at the Junior Presidents Cup, which preceded the Presidents Cup at Medinah CC near Chicago. He was 2-1 in his three matches. The fall ’27 FSU-bound Russell has now played in two Jr. Ryder Cups and one Jr. PCup, with a combined 6-5-1 record.

•  Tocoi Creek HS junior Brady Dougan fired a bogey-free final-round 62 for a two-day total of 131 (-13) to win his first Florida Junior Tour event by three shots at Quail Ridge/South Course in Boynton Beach. It was his personal low round, broke the course record and was the second-lowest score ever in an FJT event.

Florida Junior Tour winner Brady Dougan
Credit: Florida Times-Union

•  Marsh Landing CC assistant professional Tyler Gray ran away with the Concert Cup individual title, played at the GC of the Everglades in Naples. He opened with 68, then closed with a 12-under-par 60 on the 6,500-yard Naples layout to win by 10. The 60 included a penalty shot for hitting his second shot over a par-5 into a penalty area (water).The event was comprised of members from across the Concert Golf Partners network.

•  With accounting not quite final, the Bork family of San Jose CC shared that it raised approximately $21,000 at last month’s Wolfson Children’s Hospital fundraiser. It was spearheaded by teenage siblings Jordan, Jackson and Joshua Bork for the second year in a row. Twins and Middleburgh HS students Jordan and Jackson spent 90 days at the Wolfson NICU in 2008 when they born at 28 weeks.

The Bork family (L-R) – Jackson, Jordan, Todd, Joshua and Jessica

•  Therese Quinn was the overall champion at the 63^rd San Jose (CC) Ladies Golf Association Invitational on Sept. 15-16. The Deerwood CC member recorded rounds of 75-76-151 to defeat Tama Caldabaugh of The Plantation at Ponte Vedra Beach by two shots in the Championship flight. There were eight flights in all.

Other News

•  The wife of Clayton Bromberg, Christie Bromberg, passed away unexpectedly on Sept. 25^th at the age of 68. The Brombergs, who moved to Jacksonville from their hometown of Birmingham, Ala. in 1980, were married for 46 years. Mr. Bromberg and his Underwood Jewelers have supported many philanthropic causes over the years, including several in golf. The Underwood Cup has been sponsored by Underwood Jewelers every year since its inception in 1992.

Christy Bromberg

•  Jacksonville native and former UNF golf team member Jacob Davidson has been named Event Director for The Players Championship, while former Players Executive Director Lee Smith has assumed an expanded role as Vice President of TPC Sawgrass and The Players. Davidson will oversee day-to-day Players’ planning and execution. Over the past decade, he  has been in senior leadership positions with Callaway Golf. Davidson attended his first players in 1998 as a ten-year-old and later volunteered while a student-athlete at UNF. For more details on the announcement, click HERE.

New Players Championship Event Director Jacob Davidson
Credit: The Players Championship

•  Tickets for the 2027 Players Championship (March 9-14) went on sale Sept. 24^th, almost a month ahead of last year’s launch. There are a series of ticket, parking and “dynamic” pricing options in effect. To learn more, visit  https://www.theplayers.com/

•  Deerwood CC renovation update
Deerwood’s renovation has started and is expected to last “10-11 months,” according to Director of Golf Mike Broderick. The course will get a full facelift with some new routing, new grass and new irrigation.
The first six holes on the back nine, which starts behind the clubhouse, will be changed.
No. 10 – The par 4 will become a par 5. It will have similar routing, wrapping around the lake, but the fairway will be smoothed out and the green will be moved to approximately the current 11^th tee.
No. 11 – It still will be a drivable (for the big hitters) par 4 but now will be straightened out. The tee will be moved south, near the 5^th tee.
No. 12 – You’ll play to half of a double green. It shares the green with No. 14.
No. 13 – The dogleg left will be shortened and become a par 4.
No. 14 – The same routing but the green will be extended to the left to join the 12^th green.
No. 15 – One of the area’s longest par 3s, it will be shortened and the green will above the small lake. Broderick says it will have the feel of Augusta National’s 12^th with a hill behind the green.
Erik Larsen is the architect.

•  Two-time PGA Tour winner and longtime Jacksonville resident Len Mattiace and his Len Mattiace Foundation could use your help to raise funds for the First Tee – North Florida, which the LMF supports. There will be only 17 groups in the Dec. 12^th “Deck the Greens” holiday experience at Brentwood GC on Jacksonville’s North Side. The goal is to recruit 17 “captains” who will commit to form one team of three golfers and pay the $300 team entry fee (or secure $100 from the other two team members). Each team will be paired with a First Tee Junior. It will be a nine-hole event, with tee times from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tee times may be requested and assigned if available, so the earlier you sign up the better. The mission of the First Tee is to positively impact young people through golf and character development, which the organization has been doing nationally since 1997. For questions or to register, contact Jaycie at Jaycie.LMF@gmail.com

•  Ponte Vedra Beach resident Brad Rollinson, who spends summers in Wisconsin, earned enough tournament points to win the Wisconsin State Golf Association Senior Player of the Year in the Super-Senior Gross Division.

•  After a strong start to her fall season (three top 10s), UNF senior Kaitlyn Schroeder was named ASUN women’s golfer of the week twice in September. Since transferring from Alabama, she has earned the weekly honor six times.

College Golf

September marked the beginning of the fall college golf season around the country. Below are the results of area schools and those of interest, men’s and women’s, for September.

In his first college tournament start, Beachside HS graduate and Valdosta State U. freshman Jonah Nacional won the individual title at the Dunning Invitational Sept. 21-22 in West Point, Miss. by six shots.

DID YOU KNOW?

It takes an average of four years to become a Class A PGA professional through the standard PGA of America Associate Program.
There are three “core” requirements: 1) Playing Ability Test (36 holes), 2) Work Experience(accumulate credits through approved golf facility employment), and 3) PGM Curriculum (complete three sequential levels of coursework, testing and seminars).
The PGA of America has more than 31,000 golf professionals/active members, with over 18,000 actively working in the industry and around 9,000 working toward completing the requirements for full membership.
Source: Executive Golfer Magazine (9/14/26)

ABOUT JAGA

Established in 1954, JAGA enters its 73^rd year in 2026. It is a not-for-profit corporation consisting of 42-member golf facilities located in Northeast Florida. JAGA’s mission is to promote golf, community and goodwill through tournaments and related events and activities. It conducts or supports 11 tournaments, including six championship events and five others that feature team formats. JAGA has a charitable arm that manages a scholarship program which currently provides college funding for 63 area students. Since its inception in 1974, the Scholarship Trust has awarded over $2.5 million in scholarships to more than 475 students.

Anyone interested in receiving JAGA’s monthly “Northeast Florida Golf News” and announcements about JAGA and its tournaments for free via email may do so by clicking here or going to the JAGA homepage (www.jaxareagolf.org) link that reads “Subscribe to JAGA Email” at the bottom of every page.