Florida Sports Wire

 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. ...

JACKSONVILLE ( www.sportsdayjax.com ) – The Jacksonville Area Golf Association (JAGA) officially announced and honored its 18 new college scholarship recipients for 2023 at a banquet last evening at Deerwood Country Club. The 18 JAGA Scholarship Trust recipients for 2023 are:   Name Club Affiliation High School College Hometown Tom Anderson Sawgrass CC Ponte Vedra Florida State University Ponte Vedra Beach, FL Will Anderson Sawgrass CC Ponte Vedra Florida State University Ponte Vedra Beach, FL Shanya Arasu Palencia GC Nease Flagler College St Augustine, FL Chase Carroll Deerwood CC Middleburg University of North Florida Middleburg, FL Jacob Davis First Tee Home School Florida Gulf Coast Jacksonville, FL Olivia Drake Hyde Park GC West Nassau University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL Matthew French NAS JAX GC Bishop Snyder Flagler College St Augustine, FL Casey Jones Jacksonville G & CC Providence California Polytechnic University Jacksonville, FL Juel Kimball Deercreek CC Bi...

  JACKSONVILLE (Florida Sports Wire) – Palencia Golf Club won its first JAGA/NFPGA Club Team Championship on Monday, November 7th by three shots, besting a field of 24 other teams at the King and Bear at The World Golf Village in the two best balls of four, net format.  This year’s tournament was the 25th playing of the championship, which is conducted by the Jacksonville Area Golf Association and the Northern Chapter of the North Florida PGA Section. The winning Palencia team posted an 18-under-par score of 126. Team members included Northern Chapter PGA member and Flagler College men’s and women’s golf coach Santiago Cavanagh and amateurs Larry Baker, Tom Cassady and Dannie Wilson. Three strokes back at 129 was the Deerwood Country Club team of pro Mitchell Haley, Sal Randisi, Melissa Heaton and Mat Nemeth. A trio of teams shared third place at 130. They were Palatka Golf Club – Andy Heartz (pro), Jeff Elledge, Ron Jerin and Ron Mullis, Sawgrass Country Club – Leonard Thomp...

By FRED SEELY Jacksonville Golf News The Palatka Golf Club team won the Jacksonville Area Golf Association's Club Team Championship played last month at Timuquana Country Club. The team consisted of pro Paul Trettner and amateurs Ron Jerin, Ron Millis and David Perkins. The winning score was 29-under-par 115 and there were three teams a stroke behind: Deercreek, Atlantic Beach and Fleming Island. The reason for the low scores: the new rules which allow professionals to carry a handicap. This is a recent trend to equalize the professionals in a pro-am competition, and strokes are now awarded starting with players on the forward most tees. For instance, Charles Raulerson of Fleming Island is one of the state's best players and he was given five strokes.  The complete results: 115: Palatka Golf Club (Paul Trettner, Ron Jerin, Ron Mullis, David Perkins.) 116: Deercreek (Tom Maxwell, Arch Copeland, Lee Fields, Mark Rutland); Atlantic Beach (Spencer Brown, Joe Fitzgera...

By FRED SEELY Jax Golf News The battle among Jacksonville-area clubs will be Aug. 31 at Timuquana. It's the Club Team Championship and it's co-sponsored by the Jacksonville Area GA and the Northern Chapter of the North Florida PGA. Jacksonville G&CC will defend its title in the field, which is anticipated to be about 25 teams. Teams must include a PGA pro employed by the entering club and three amateurs with established handicaps at the club. The top six teams will be in the payout plus there's an additional $500 added to the professionals' skins pool. If the field doesn't reach 25 teams, clubs may enter an extra team but must designate which one is playing for the trophy. Both will be eligible for payouts. Information is available through each club's JAGA directors. In other JAGA news, planning is underway for the 2016 meeting and tournament schedules. The association directors will meet seven times during the year with each meeting at a d...

By FRED SEELY Jacksonville Golf News A few thoughts on attending The Open at St. Andrews: • The greatest seat in sports is in the grandstand next to the 17 th green. Even though you can't see the tee, you're looking down the fairway and can easily follow the ball. The green complex looks different that you think from television, as it wraps around the deep bunker that everyone goes to every length to avoid. • Here's how well organized the Royal and Ancient had transportation. St. Andrews isn't easy to find and it doesn't even have a train station, so many come from cities at least 40 miles away such as Edinburgh or Aberdeen. It's a train ride to Leuthers, then a five-mile bus ride from that station. It took us exactly 1:15 from the Edinburgh train station to the grandstands at the 17 th tee.  At this year's Players in Ponte Vedra Beach, it took my neighbor exactly 1:15 to go the final three miles to the parking lot and the 20-minute walk to th...