September 2024
Produced by JAGA
Tyler Mawhinney, 17, wins 119th Canadian Amateur
Fleming Island HS junior and 2024 Class 3A state individual champion Tyler Mawhinney was the wire-to-wire winner of the 119th Canadian Amateur Championship in Saskatoon, Canada. The Times-Union’s 2023 high school Player of the Year and Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Golf sealed the one-shot victory when he drilled an 8-iron from 178 yards to birdie tap-in range on the par-3 17th, then parred the 72nd hole. He finished with a 15-under-par 273 total. The win garnered Mawhinney exemptions into the U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine GC and next year’s RBC Canadian Open on the PGA TOUR.
Mawhinney Shines in U.S. Amateur
Tyler Mawhinney’s win in Canada secured him the final spot in the following week’s 124th U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine in Minnesota. His stellar play continued as he placed T22 in stroke play to grab one of the 64 available match-play spots. The 16-year-old won his first two matches before falling to co-Big Ten Player of the Year Jackson Buchanan of the U. of Illinois. Mawhinney was one up standing on the 17th tee only to see his opponent birdie the last two holes to capture a 1-up win.
2024 Florida Amateur champion from Atlantic Beach CC, Jimmy Ellis, fired 71-61 to earn the No. 1 overall seed but lost 2 down in his first-round match.
Several other locals were among the 312 who qualified to compete in the stroke play competition at Hazeltine: Andrew McLauchlan, Henry Robards, Miles Russell, Brent Schell and Brody Stevenson.
Mawhinney picked up where he left off upon his return to Jacksonville and the start of his junior year at Fleming Island HS. He shot 64 to win the Back to School tournament at the Ocean Course at Ponte Vedra Inn & Club. Ponte Vedra HS took the title with a 1-under-par team total of 279.Upcoming for JAGA
- Sept. 10: JAGA directors meeting at The Yards.
- Oct. 28: JAGA Four-Ball, The Plantation at Ponte Vedra Beach.
- Nov. 4: NFPGA/JAGA Club Team Championship, TBD
- Nov. 19: JAGA directors meeting at Palencia.
- Nov. 25: JAGA Scholarship Trust Classic, Deerwood.
- Dec. 10: JAGA directors meeting at Deerwood.
- Dec. 21: JAGA Family Championship, Jax Beach.
- Jan. 7: JAGA directors meeting at San Jose.
*For details: www.jaxareagolf.org
Upcoming for the Northern PGA Chapter
- Sept. 5: Northern Chapter Pro-Pro at Golf Club of Amelia.
- Sept. 9-10: Northern Chapter Championship at The Plantation.
- Sept. 23: Northern Chapter Pro-Am at Amelia River.
- Nov. 7: Northern Chapter PGA, Sawgrass CC.
Other
- Sept. 10: Jacksonville Women’s GA opening day, Deerwood.
Tournament News
• Augusta, Ga. resident Hamilton Coleman parred the second hole of a sudden-death playoff to defeat Blades Brown of Nashville, Tenn. in the 18th playing of the AJGA Junior Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. The duo finished with 54-hole totals of 6-under-par 210 playing from the Stadium Course tips. Coleman, who was one shot off Mason Howell’s second-round lead, closed with a 70. Blades battled into contention with a final-round 66. The runner-up admittedly “got greedy” and hit his tee shot in the water on the always difficult 18th at TPCS the second time around in the playoff. Coleman, a recent UGA commit, was ranked 91st in the Rolex AJGA rankings entering the week. Blades, who recorded a T26 in this year’s PGA TOUR event in Myrtle Beach, S.C., was 5th. Four locals competed – Phillip Dunham of Ponte Vedra Beach (T7), Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach (T16), Tyler Mawhinney of Fleming Island (T30) and Ambrose Kinnare of St. Augustine (T73).
• Three U. of Florida teammates survived 72 holes of stroke play, then two sets of matches only to collide in the semifinals of the 122nd Western Amateur in Dayton, Ohio. Reno, Nevada senior Ian Gilliganbattled Jack Turner in the championship match that went a record 11 extra holes. Gilligan outlasted junior teammate Parker Bell in 19 holes in their semifinal match. It was 50 years ago that another pair of college teammates squared off in the Western Amateur – Curtis Strange took down Wake Forest teammate Jay Haas in 20 holes in 1974. The following spring they led the Demon Deacons to a second consecutive NCAA title.
• Alexandre Vandermoten of France, who just completed his senior season at JU, fired a 7-under-par 207 to win one of amateur golf’s oldest and most prestigious events, the 95th Southeastern Amateur, by one shot at the CC of Columbus (Ga.). UNF’s Chase Carroll finished six shots back, T12. Vandermoten placed T5 in the previous week’s Jacksonville Amateur presented by Synovus.
• Tyler Mawhinney (Fleming Island) and Miles Russell (Jacksonville Beach) have a busy September ahead. They competed in the Junior Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, where Russell won last year and Mawhinney was T6 (see related note above). The duo has also been named to play for captain Jim Furyk’s U.S. Junior Presidents Cup team Sept. 26-29 in Montreal
• South Florida defeated North Florida 17 ½ to 14 ½ in the 18th Florida Junior Cup at Bent Tree Club in Vero Beach. Representing North Florida were area junior standouts Henry Robards, Maxwell Morgan, Cooper Franklin and Luke Balaskiewicz. North Florida holds an 11-6-1 lead in the competition.
• The 2025 PLAYERS will be March 10-16, sandwiched between the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Valspar Championship. The tournament sponsors again will be Comcast Business, Optum and Morgan Stanley.
• UNF assistant coach Michael Mattiace defeated Sawgrass CC assistant Marshall Collins 3 and 2 in the finals of the Northern Chapter PGA Match Play Championship.
• Michael Mattiace and Bea Mauricio (St. Johns GC) shot a 1-under-par 70 to beat Michael Saccente (NA) and Bobby Newberry (Timuquana) by one shot in the Aug. 22 Chapter Assistants event at Sawgrass CC.
People News
• David Duval was No. 7 in the Florida Times-Union’s countdown of “Top 100 Athletes” from Jacksonville. Among his many accomplishments were 13 PGA TOUR titles (11 of which came in a span of 31 starts), wins in the 1999 Players Championship and 2001 Open Championship, the first final-round score of 59 on TOUR, and a No. 1 world ranking for 14 weeks. Football and track great Bob Hayes claimed the top spot.
• Kaitlyn Schroeder has elected to transfer from the U. of Alabama back home to UNF, where she will play for her dad, Scott, who was recently elevated to oversee both the men’s and women’s golf programs. Scott Schroeder cited her desire to be closer to those who’ve mentored her, which includes her dad, Dan Carraher and Alex Bennett. The three-time AJGA All-American and 2022 Junior PGA Championship winner will be a redshirt sophomore in 2024-25.
• UNF got some more good news when Bolles’ senior Luke Balaskiewicz decided he will attend UNF and play for the Ospreys beginning next fall. In two recent starts he finished T3 in the Jacksonville Amateur presented by Synovus and T5 in an AJGA event at Bay Hill in Orlando.
• Since becoming a member of the Korn Ferry Tour in June, UNF grad Nick Gabrelcik has made six cuts in 11 starts. He is 115th on the points list.
• Longtime TPC Sawgrass PGA professional Jim Poole recently retired. He looks forward to focusing more on competitive golf, his favorite hobbies of surfing and riding his motorcycle, and spending more time with his daughters after the recent passing of his wife Michelle.
• FSU juniors Lottie Woad and Luke Clanton were named respective winners of the Mark H. McCormack Medal as the leading female and male golfers in the World Amateur Golf Ranking for 2024. Woad is the first winner of the Medal from England. Clanton hails from Hialeah, Fla.
• St. Johns Country Day senior Addy Vogt has committed to play for Rollins College next fall. Vogt was named the 2024 North Florida Junior Golf Tour Girls’ Player of the Year. She played in 14 events, won four times and had two runners-up and three third-place finishes.
• Duke Butler III of Ponte Vedra Beach will be honored by his alma mater, Texas A&M University. The retired PGA TOUR executive and PGA of America Life Member will receive the Texas A&M Lifetime Achievement Award from the Texas A&M Lettermen’s Association at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas on Sept. 6th. Butler has dedicated his life to playing, promoting, teaching and officiating “the greatest game” through his affiliations with the PGA TOUR, PGA of America, LPGA, Houston Golf Association, JAGA, Moore-Myers Children’s Fund, and numerous charities.
• JAGA director from Brentwood GC and U.S. Am Tour – Jacksonville director Mike Charrie has added another role to his resume. Charrie has joined Turflogic as a Golf Course Account Manager. He will promote Turflogic’s data-driven drone technology services that are designed to help superintendents and agronomists optimize their turf management practices, while simultaneously improving course conditions and generating more revenue for the club. Contact: Mike@turflogic.ai or 904-318-0038.
• While playing with his “Munchkin” friends at TPC Sawgrass/Dye’s Valley on Aug. 16th, Francisco “Paco” Aleman played holes 4 through 7 in five-under par from the blue tees. He carded 3-2-2-3 – three birdies and an eagle. The highlight was his 188-yard 4-iron that disappeared into the hole on the 424-yard, No. 1 handicap sixth hole. Aleman posted 33-38-71. A native of Argentina and resident of Ponte Vedra, he is the lead analyst for Golf Channel Latin America’s coverage of professional golf.
• Local colleges start play this month and Jacksonville University‘s women’s team has eight nations represented on its roster. In addition to the USA, players come from Iceland, Wales, Brazil, Estonia, Mexico, Australia and Portugal.
Club News
• Ponte Vedra Inn and Club’s massive expansion project is underway with little disruption to the golf course. The par is 71 with the first hole now back on the temporary tee as a par 4. In staffing news, Bob Wallace has moved on to an assistant professional role at Palencia and Josh Wolfe is PVI&C’s new head golf professional moving from San Jose CC.
• Mike Duckworth has been named the new director of golf at Marsh Landing CC. He has been at the GC of North Hampton for the last 8 years.
• South Hampton is planning a renovation within the next two years.
• As Timuquana CC turned 100 years old, it was duly recognized by the Donald Ross Society with an impressive plaque. Fred Seely, a past president of both JAGA and Timuquana, shared the plaque at the August JAGA directors’ meeting. It will be displayed at the club.
JAGA News
• Timuquana’s membership presented a check for $7,890 to the JAGA scholarship program at JAGA’s August meeting at Deercreek.
• The 2025 JAGA Scholarship Trust dinner will be May 20 at Deerwood. The dinner honors the year’s new scholars. Applications are at jaxareagolf.org. The deadline for submission is March 31 and interviews start April 15.
• The JAGA Nominating Committee is soliciting recommendations for next year’s officers. The slate will be proposed to the board at its November meeting and a vote will be at the annual meeting in December.
Did you know?
If you watched last month’s PGA TOUR/Wyndham Championship, you may have noticed a nice bond between Billy Horschel and eventual winner Aaron Rai as they played the final two rounds together. NE FLORIDA GOLF NEWS has learned the Englishman Rai recently decided to make Ponte Vedra Beach and TPC Sawgrass his home away from home. Welcome to Northeast Florida, Aaron!
Wyndham Championship winner Aaron Rai, now residing in Ponte Vedra Beach.
NFJGF Banquet
The North Florida Junior Golf Foundation held its annual banquet on August 21st at TPC Sawgrass and honored those who were champions on and off the golf course:
NFJGT “Top Honor” Awards
- Boys 13-19 – Jonah Nacional
- Girls 13-19 – Addy Vogt
- Futures Tour – Krish Choksi
Players of the Year
- Elite Tour Boys – Jonah Nacional
- Elite Tour Girls – Addy Vogt
- Rising Tour Boys – Sawyer Clark
- Rising Tour Girls – Gracie Duett
- Futures Tour – Arjun Vemuri
- Foundation Tour – Krishna Clark
In addition, $28,000 in scholarships were awarded:
(Left to right): Nolan Harper ($8,000 / NFJGF); Emma Wells ($10,000 / Bill Straub Sr.); Alexandra Drum ($2,000 / Henry Tuten Gator Bowl Pro Am); Ralienne Nacional ($2,000 / NFJGF); Madison Balaskiewicz ($2,000 / Northern Chapter PGA); Jake Linabury (Henry Tuten Gator Bowl Pro Am / $2,000.00).
A new $2,000 scholarship was announced – the Gary Vanover Scholarship, which was awarded to Juliana Leach.
Enjoy the Course
St. Johns Golf Club shared the following in their monthly newsletter…a refresh of the USGA/Jack Nicklaus initiative called “Play It Forward”. For most golfers, the sport is largely recreational, and while we all want to challenge ourselves, it is also important to set yourself up for the most enjoyable round of golf possible.
One recent initiative, created by the PGA of America to address this and improve pace of play, is Tee It Forward.
“TEE IT FORWARD is not necessarily about creating a new set of tees — many facilities already have multiple tees in use every day. It is about changing the mindset of golfers in a positive way — encouraging people to consider setting aside playing from 6,500-6,700 yards and moving up to a length of 6,000-6,200 yards or moving from 6,000-6,200 yards to 5,700-5,800 yards.
The 6,700-yard course that many amateur golfers play today is proportionally equivalent to a PGA Tour player competing on a course measuring 8,100 yards — 700 yards or more longer than a typical PGA Tour layout.
| Average Drive | Recommended Tees |
| 300 yards | 7,150 – 7,400 yards |
| 275 yards | 6,700 – 6,900 yards |
| 250 yards | 6,200 – 6,400 yards |
| 225 yards | 5,800 – 6,000 yards |
| 200 yards | 5,200 – 5,400 yards |
| 175 yards | 4,400 – 4,600 yards |
| 150 yards | 3,500 – 3,700 yards |
| 125 yards | 2,800 – 3,000 yards |
| 100 yards | 2,100 – 2,300 yards |
JAGA directors Fred Seely (Timuquana CC) and Jeff Adams (TPC Sawgrass).Note: Reporting from Garry Smits’ Florida Times-Union “Golf Notebook” is used in NEWS.
ABOUT JAGA
Established in 1954, JAGA enters its 71st year in 2024. It is a not-for-profit corporation of approximately 40-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 12 tournaments, including six championship events and six others that feature team formats. JAGA has a charitable arm that manages a scholarship program which currently provides college funding for 40-45 area students. Since 1974, the program has generated approximately $2 million in financial aid to approximately 400 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”.
