FOR RELEASE: Sunday, January 25th, 2026
JACKSONVILLE, FL – Three birdies in his first seven holes of the final round propelled Coastal Carolina University senior Max Bengtsson to victory in the 10th annual JAGA First Coast Amateur presented by the City of Jacksonville, sending him back to his Conway, S.C. campus with the second big amateur win of his young career.An uneventful back nine that included one birdie, one bogey and seven pars allowed the 23-year-old to walk away with a five-shot victory over runner-up Roman Solomon of the University of South Florida (final-round 70). A freshman from Sarasota, Fla., Solomon is the son of six-time Major League Baseball All-Star Bobby Bonilla.
Bengtsson flipped the script on his fellow competitors with a hot final-round start that included birdies on Nos. 3, 5 and 7 and pars on the other four opening holes at host Deerwood Country Club. One shot off fellow Swede Rasmus Gross’s 36-hole pace, Bengtsson turned in 3-under-par 33 to leap in front of Gross by four.
Gross, a University of Toledo freshman, seriously derailed his hopes with a double-bogey, bogey, bogey, bogey start. Birdies on Nos. 7, 8 and 9 kept him in the hunt. He would go on to shoot 38-38—76.
2026 JAGA First Coast Amateur presented by the City of Jacksonville champion Max Bengtsson of Sweden and Coastal Carolina University
Bengtsson posted rounds of 68-74-69—211 (-5).Finishing one back of Solomon in third place was Gross (76). Fraser Walters (76) of Scotland and University of North Florida redshirt sophomore and the reigning JAGA Jacksonville Amateur presented by Pinnacle Financial Partners champion Danny Erickson (73) tied for fourth at 219.
Defending champion and University of South Florida assistant coach Payne Denman had one of the final day’s top scores, a 70. It moved him into the final top 10 (T9).
Two-time First Coast Amateur champion (2018, 2020) and current Purdue University assistant coach Cole Bradley finished T33.
Several others with local connections placed in the top 25: T9 – Ryan Nicholson (Kennesaw State U. & Nease HS), T13 – Henry Robards (Mercer U. & Episcopal School), T17 – Jaspreet Kondal (Texas Tech U. & Beachside HS), and T25 – Ambrose Kinnare (North Florida Junior Golf Tour & Tocoi Creek HS).
Bengtsson attended Tarleton State in Texas his first two years of college. While there, he earned All-WAC second team honors in 2023-24, picking up one win (Monterey Invitational in Mexico), three top 10s, and six top-20 finishes. Since coming to Coastal Carolina, the 6’3” Bengtsson has been named Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year, Second Team All-Sun Belt, and recorded the 10th best scoring average (72.33) in team history. His plan is to turn professional, starting in Europe, after graduating from Coastal Carolina this spring.
The champion and other top finishers received World Amateur Golf Ranking points, which has been the case since the First Coast Amateur’s inception in 2017.
Runner-up Roman Solomon
Complete tournament results may be found by clicking HERE.
42 colleges/universities were represented, and the players came from most of the states located east of the Mississippi River. The schools with the strongest representation were Ball State University (9), UNF (8), and the U. of South Carolina (6).For the fourth year in a row, the JAGA First Coast Amateur has benefitted from the financial support of the City of Jacksonville’s Sports and Entertainment division. JAGA is very appreciative of their continued support.
The First Coast Amateur was held at Deerwood CC for the second year in a row. The par-72 layout was set up to play between 6,900 and 7,200 yards, depending on the weather, which varied dramatically each day. The 2027 venue will be announced at a later date.
The weather was: Saturday – Sunny, very pleasant with a high of 70 degrees; Sunday – Rain and wind with temperatures barely reaching 50 degrees; Monday – Sunny, blue skies, light winds with temps reaching the low 50s.
Photo Gallery
2026 champion Max Bengtsson
The golf bag of Coastal Carolina Chanticleer Max Bengtsson
Swedish counterparts, Rasmus Gross (left) and Max Bengtsson, on 54th hole.
Final third-round grouping (l -r) – Fraser Walters, Laurens Schulze-Doering, Max Bengtsson, Rasmus Gross
Second-to-last final-round grouping (l -r) – Ryan Nicholson, Chase Kyes, Roman Solomon, Danny Erickson
Play got started early all three mornings….
Tournament co-chairs Jeff Johnstone (left) and John Milton (right), with JAGA president Duke Butler III in the middle
The champion receives congratulations from his fellow competitors after holing out on No. 18.
The awards presentation
ABOUT JAGA
Established in 1954, JAGA enters its 73rd 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 to 62 area students. Since 1974, the program has generated approximately $2 million in financial aid to approximately 400 students.
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Contact:
Jeff Adams
JAGA
Cell: 904-607-6142
Email: jeffreytadams71@gmail.