JAGA: Denman Runs Away with First Coast Amateur at Deerwood Country Club
JACKSONVILLE – University of Tennessee assistant coach Payne Denman made the best impression any coach could on those he coaches when he ran away with the JAGA First Coast Amateur at Deerwood Country Club, recording a nine-shot win over the 96-player field, which included three Tennessee golf team members he traveled to Jacksonville with.
Denman fired rounds of 63-69-66—198 (-18) to record the lowest 54-hole score in the nine-year history of the First Coast Amateur. It was five better than the first-year mark of 203 (-13) established by Brandon Mancheno in 2017.
The nine-shot win also eclipsed Mancheno’s former largest victory margin of six.
Settling for runner-up at nine-under 207 were University of North Florida redshirt sophomore Filippo Serra of Switzerland (69-66-72) and Ali Khan of Ball State University (69-67-71).
The champion and other top finishers receive World Amateur Golf Ranking points, which has been the case since the First Coast Amateur’s inception in 2017.
The Smithfield, Tenn. native set the stage with an opening round nine-under 63 to take a four-shot lead. He followed it with a solid 69 on Sunday only to see his lead shrink to three over Serra (66).
On Monday’s Martin Luther King holiday, the temperatures dropped dramatically throughout the eastern half of the United States, Florida included. Though the day’s thermometer was mostly in the 40s, Denman didn’t seem to mind. He birdied Nos. 1,3, 5 and 7 to increase his lead to six over Serra as they made the turn.
The champion’s only hiccup of the day came on the par-3 12th when his tee shot buried in the lip of a bunker, resulting in an unplayable lie and a double-bogey. Undeterred, Denman birdied four of the final six holes to complete an outstanding final round of 32-34-66.
“This (amateur golf) is fun,” the champion said. “There were times in my life when golf was not fun. At times, when you didn’t play well, it felt like the end of the world. Now I just try to play the best I can and see what happens….To win feels awesome.“
Denman, 33 and a reinstated amateur, played college golf at the University of Florida for a year-and-a-half before transferring to Middle Tennessee State (2012-15). After graduating, he pursued professional golf, which included a stint on PGA Tour Latinoamerica and various mini tours.
Shortly after his professional golf flame blew out, Denman was employed in the golf club and logistics businesses. Idle from playing golf for about three years, he got a call from his alma mater searching for an assistant golf coach. After two enjoyable years at MTSU, UT head coach Brennan Webb recruited him to join his staff in Knoxville prior to the fall golf season.
It appears 18 under is Denman’s favorite victory figure. Last year, he captured the Tennessee State Amateur Championship by four shots after posting another 18-under score.
Andrew Riley of Jacksonville locked up fourth place with rounds of 70-69-69—208.
Playing with Coach Denman in the last group was Tennessee freshman Pearce Lewin of South Africa, who closed with a 73 to finish T5.
41 colleges/universities were represented, with players coming from most of the states located east of the Mississippi River, plus Colorado. The schools with the strongest representation were UNF (8), Ball State (7) and Penn State (5).
For the third 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.
