Northeast Florida Golf News – October 2025

JAGA Tournaments

•      The entry lists for the Club Team Championship and the Fall Four-Ball are now open and full information is at www.jaxareagolf.org. The Club Team will be at King & Bear on Oct. 27 and is open only to teams from JAGA member clubs (pro/three ams or four ams). Players in the club foursome must have an established handicap at the club. A club can enter more than one team. The Four-Ball will be over the Ponte Vedra Inn’s Ocean course on Nov. 3.
•      One of JAGA’s most important tournaments, the 22^nd JAGAScholarship Trust Classic, will be Nov. 24 at Deerwood. The 9 a.m. shotgun is JAGA’s lead fundraiser for the Trust, which currently assists over 60 students attend college. Mike Charrie of Brentwood GC is this year’s chairman. The tournament format is a gross and net foursome scramble with an entry fee of $195 per person or $750 per team. Entries can be filed at https://jaga-scholarship-classic.perfectgolfevent.com starting Oct. 1 or through the link in the tournament section of www.jaxareagolf.org.

The final tournament on the ’25 JAGA schedule is the Family Championship on Dec. 20 at Jax Beach.

• The First Coast Women’s Amateur Committee announced that its 2026 championship will be played July 20-22 at Jacksonville Golf & Country Club, with Brooks Rehabilitation returning as its presenting sponsor.

Northern PGA Chapter News
•  Sawgrass Pro-Am – The year’s largest Northern Chapter pro-am – 30 teams – went to pro Tyler Gray of Marsh Landing and amateurs Brett Arking, Lee Baggs and Bert Bost with a 15-under 57 over the East-West Course at Sawgrass CC.
•   Stephanie Connelly-Eiswerth of San Jose was low pro at 68. Bobby Newberry of Timuquana was next at 69 followed by Marshall Collins of Sawgrass at 71.
•   In the team competition of one gross, one net, the all-ladies Sawgrass team of pro Sydney Mattiace and amateurs Shirley Budden, Anne Morgan and Kristin Lamport-Stokes was second at 60.
•.  Tied for third at 61 were Newberry with amateurs Jonathan Molski, Ian Hollingsworth and Robert Kirilloff, and Rob Lee of Westside Golf Center with Kenny McLaughlin, Donny Allison and Jeremy Thole.
• North Florida Section’s Pro-Pro Championship – Assistant pros Jarrod Barsamian of Ponte Vedra and Jason Duff of San Jose won the event at Hammock Beach. Tyler Gray of Marsh Landing and Colin Monagle of Rex Golf were fifth, and Michael Mattiace of Sawgrass and Mark Tullo of San Jose tied for sixth.
•  In the Pro-Pro at Long Point, two teams tied at 65: Tyler Gray/Colin Monagle and Will Rehberg/Mark Tullo. Bob Wallace/Clint Avret were third.
•  Jason Duff of San Jose won the Assistant’s event at Jax Beach with 41 points in the Stableford format. Tied at 40 were Bea Mauricio of St. Johns, Tyler Gray and Michael Mattiace of Sawgrass.
• The next Northern Chapter PGA meeting will be Nov. 13 at Deerwood. Tournaments remaining are a pro-am at the TPC Sawgrass-Dye’s Valley on Oct. 7 and a Pro-Pro at The Yards on Dec. 9.
• San Jose CC professionals Stephanie Connelly Eiswerth and Hayes Farley finished first and fifth, respectively, in the PGA Professional Championship qualifier at Lakewood National, which qualified them for the national club professional championship (April 26-29, 2026 at Bandon Dunes in Oregon) for the third year in a row. Andrew Lanahan of the TOUR Performance Center at TPC Sawgrass joined Farley among those tied for fifth who qualified.

FSGA Tournaments
•  Ty Capps of Palm Coast and Tyler Gulliksen of Flagler Beach partnered to win the Mid-Amateur Four-Ball North at Black Diamond Ranch in Lecanto. Tied with two other teams after the first round at 64, the duo returned a 63 in round two to take home a four-shot victory with a two-day total of 17-under-par 127. It was their fourth FSGA team win. Gulliksen is UNF’s men’s assistant golf coach.
•  Steve Carter of Jacksonville and Steve Albright of Ocala placed seventh in the Senior Four-Ball Championship at Stillwater G&CC, followed by Steve Horner and Jeff Kaufman, both of Ponte Vedra Beach, in eighth. Three other teams with area connections – Tim Cobb/Bob Hanneken, Charles Kirk/Larry Smith and Richard Ames/Ken Arenault – finished T10.

High School Tournaments
•  The Ponte Vedra HS boys’ and girls’ teams were victorious in the sixth Jax Beach Varsity Invitationalat Jax Beach GC on Sept. 20. The unique format combines the low four scores from both the boys’ and girls’ teams to determine the overall champion. Nine teams and 87 players competed. With the Sharks winning the girls’ division by 17 strokes over Beachside HS and the guys finishing third, nine off the Beachside boys’ winning pace, Ponte Vedra claimed a nine-shot school win over Beachside. The Providence boys were second, six back of Beachside. The top individual boys’ scores were 68 by Jaspreet Kondal of Beachside and 69 by Charlie Hipp of Creekside. Sofia Rivera of Beachside was girls’ medalist with a 70, followed by Chloe Pierce of Bolles at 73.

•  Led by senior Cooper Franklin’s 64, the Ponte Vedra HS boys reclaimed the St. Johns County boys’ high school championship winning by 10 shots over last year’s champion, Beachside HS. Creekside junior Charlie Hipp was one better than Franklin to claim the individual title. Ponte Vedra’s 20-under-par 268 tally was a school record team score.
•  The Ponte Vedra HS boys and the Bolles girls’ teams won their respective competitions on Sept. 24^that the 18-hole Deerwood Fellowship of Christian Athletes Invitational at Deerwood CC. The Sharks won by 11 over Episcopal and Bolles by 28 over Beachside HS in their respective competitions.
•  District high school golf tournaments for boys and girls will take place Oct. 27-28, followed by Regionals Nov. 3-4. All this leads to the FHSAA state championships in mid-November at Mission Resort and Club at Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.

Other Tournaments
•  The 20^th playing of the St. Augustine Amateur returns to St. Johns GC in southern St. Johns County Dec. 5-7. Tournament details and registration, which opened Aug. 27^th, are available at www.staugustineamateur.com. The 54-hole, no cut tournament will feature a maximum of 84 contestants hailing from around the U.S. and abroad. Top finishers will receive World Amateur Golf Ranking points. Justin Sui of Michigan (10 under) won last December’s event by one shot over local favorite and current San Jose CC assistant pro Jason Duff. Tournament proceeds are earmarked for the First Tee – North Florida.
•  Created and produced by the three Middleburg HS children of host professional Todd Bork, the inaugural Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital fundraiser at San Jose CC was a huge success, raising approximately $26,000. In 2008, Jackson and Joshua spent 90 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Wolfson’s. What a wonderful demonstration of appreciation and giving back! Congratulations, Bork Family!

The Borks (L-R) – Jackson, Todd, Jordan, mom Jessica and Joshua.

•  The 5^th K9s for Warriors event at TPC Sawgrass raised more than $500,000 in support of the program, which places highly trained service dogs who have been rescued with military veterans who are suffering from trauma and injury. K9s mission is to end Veteran suicide through an unwavering bond that facilitates their collective healing and recovery.
•  In his first start since being sidelined in May for right hip surgery, Billy Horschel came up one shot short of making the cut in defense of his 2024 DP World Tour’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in London.
•  With two Korn Ferry Tour events remaining in Oklahoma and Indiana over the first two weeks of October, Ponte Vedra Beach resident Julian Suri holds down the 19^th spot on the KFT points list.  At season’s end, the top 20 in points will be awarded PGA TOUR cards for 2026. Missed cuts in the last two September events dropped Suri from 14^th to 19^th. Area residents and TPC Sawgrass regulars Hank Lebioda (fifth in current points) and Chandler Blanchet (7^th) find themselves in line for their 2026 PGA TOUR card.
•  Therese Quinn was the overall champion of the 62^nd San Jose (CC) Ladies Golf Association Ladies’ Invitational. Quinn, a Deerwood CC!? member, posted rounds of 73-78-151. The Championship A flight gross winner was Lin Culver (155). Jeri Roche captured the Championship B gross flight (157). There were 11 other flights.
•  Troy Vannucci of Palm Coast grabbed one of the three available spots in a 10-man playoff to advance to match play at the 44^th U.S. Mid-Amateur at Troon CC and Troon North GC in Arizona. He bowed in the first round to No. 1 seed Cody Massa 2 and 1. Spencer Schindler of St. Augustine, Fla. did not advance from stroke play to match play.

Other News
•  Retired PGA TOUR executive Henry Hughes passed away on Sept. 19^th at his Ponte Vedra Beach home. The Connecticut native was recruited by Deane Beman to join the TOUR staff in 1986. He served in numerous important capacities including running THE PLAYERS Championship (1988-96), Presidents Cup, Tour Championship and World Golf Championships. Leading up to his retirement in 2010, Hughes was the TOUR’s Chief Executive Officer. Commented former commissioner Beman, “Henry was a very special guy!”  Click here for a link to his obituary.

Former PGA TOUR commissioner Tim Finchem (left) and longtime PGA TOUR executive Henry Hughes.

•  Miles Russell played in his fourth PGA TOUR event via sponsor exemption at last month’s Procure Championship in Napa, Calif. He has come close but has yet to make a TOUR cut. He did, however, finish T20 last year at the Korn Ferry Tour’s LECOM Suncoast Classic at age 15 years, 5 months to become the youngest player on record to post a top 25 on either the PGA TOUR or Korn Ferry Tour.
•  Russell and Tyler Mawhinney of Fleming Island were members of the USA’s winning Junior Ryder Cup team. The matches were held in conjunction with the Ryder Cup at Nassau Country Club and Bethpage Black on Long Island, N.Y. Each team consisted of six boys and six girls. Russell was 1-2-1 in his matches. Mawhinney was winless in his four matches. The final point tally was 17.5 to 12.5.

The 2025 USA Junior Ryder Cup winning team
Credit: PGA of America

• The World Golf Hall of Fame and its IMAX theater have been vacant since they were closed last year, and St. Johns County is seeking buyers. There have been two proposals so far, one from a company that envisions a theme-park type destination and the other which would have a multi-use facility including senior living.
• Deerwood announced details of its course renovation. It will start in October 2026 and will close the course for about a year. Ponte Vedra Beach’s Erik Larsen is the architect and there will be extensive changes, including making the 10^th hole into a par-5, having a double green at 12 and 14 and adding a six-hole short course.
• Former PGA Tour public relations staff member Joel Schuchmann has left the Tour after 23 years and opened his own public relations firm.
• JAGA scholar Annabelle Mozingo, a Tusculum University senior, shot a career-low 71 and 36-hole best 145 to finish third in the King University Invitational in Bristol, Tenn. It was her first top-five finish.

College Golf

Hayt gets top field
It’s a powerful lineup for The Hayt on March 7-9.
UNF’s tournament at Sawgrass CC will include preseason top ten men’s teams from Auburn, LSU, Virginia and North Carolina. Among the others competing are Alabama, Clemson, Duke, South Carolina and Texas Tech.
Jacksonville U’s men’s Sea Best Invitational will be February 2-3 at Atlantic Beach CC and the field includes Florida.

September Roundup
Northeast Florida teams all got off to a slow start in the 2025-26 collegiate golf season. UNF, JU and Flagler were all in action.
UNF men – The team finished last in a 16-team field at the University of Tennessee’s event in Knoxville. The low UNF scorer was Filippi Serra, who tied for 49^th. ADD RESULTS FROM THIS SEPT. 29-30 EVENT – They were X out of X teams at the Bryan Brothers Collegiate in Columbia, S.C.
UNF women – Kaitlyn Schroeder was the runner-up at Purdue University’s tournament, but the team was 11^th of 14 teams. Schroeder’s performance gave her the Atlantic Sun’s monthly honor as top player. The Ospreys were 13^th out of 16 teams at the Lady Paladin Invitational in Greenville, S.C.
JU men – Dolphins had two events, finishing 11^th of 16 teams at Coastal Carolina’s tournament at Myrtle Beach and 13^th of 15 at the JT Poston Invitational in Waynesville, N.C. Freshman Brandon Bohr of Orlando was the low Dolphin in both. He is the son of former PGA TOUR player Bob Lohr.
JU women – The Lady Dolphins were 12^th of 13 teams in the Georgia Southern tournament at Savannah. The team’s low scorer was Erin Marcellino.
Flagler Women – 2^nd of 11 at Eckerd Invitational at Gulfport, Miss., with Henriette Stranda taking the individual title.

Other schools of local interest
UF Men –
+ 10^th out of 12 teams at Sahalee Invitational in Washington.
+ 2^nd out of 15 at Fighting Illini Collegiate in Olympia Fields, Ill.; Matthew Kress, 4^th.
UF Women –
+ 3^rd out of 18 at Cougar Classic in Charleston, S.C.; Katelyn Huber, 4^th.
+ 2^nd out of 12 at Inverness Intercollegiate in Toledo, Ohio.
FSU Men
+ 6^th out of 15 at Folds of Honor in Grand Haven, Michigan.
+ T6 out of 12 at Olympia Fields Intercollegiate in Olympia Fields, Ill.; Carson Brewer, T6.
FSU Women
+ T6 out of 12 at Folds of Honor in Grand Haven, Mich.
+ 6^th out of 16 in Schooner Fall Classic in Norman, Okla.
UGA Men
+ 7^th out of 8 at The Carmel Cup in Pebble Beach, Calif.
+ X out of X at Ben Hogan Collegiate in Ft. Worth, Texas.  FILL IN Xs FOR THIS SEPT. 29-30 EVENT.
UGA Women
+ 13^th out of 18 at Cougar Classic in Charleston, S.C.
+ 11^th out of 16 at Schooner Fall Classic in Norman, Okla.; Sydney Givens, T1.

Note: Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year (2023-24-25) Stella Jelinek transferred from Flagler College to the U. of Miami this summer for her senior year. She finished 24^th in her first tournament for UM.

Guest Appearance
In town for the Constellation Furyk and Friends presented by Circle K tournament, PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions Tour winner Kirk Triplett made a guest appearance at the Moore-Myers Juniors Classic Saturday on Sept. 27^th.

Touring professional Kirk Triplett shows the Moore-Myers juniors how it’s done.

Correction
In a note about Korn Ferry Tour player Julian Suri, it was stated last month that “The top 25 at the conclusion of the Korn Ferry Tour playoffs gain PGA TOUR status.” The figure should have been 20.

Furyk and Friends will have new home in ‘26
JAGA hopes everyone is enjoying this week’s final edition of the Constellation Furyk and Friends presented by Circle K tournament at Timuquana CC. The highly successful PGA TOUR Champions event will have a new home next fall, Hammock Beach Golf Resort and Spa in Palm Coast. Garry Smits of the Florida Times-Union created three pages of content to promote the event and its new venue in the Sept. 28^th “Sunday Huddle” section.