TAMPA, Fla. – The top senior amateurs in the state will head to Plantation next week for the 62nd Senior Amateur Championship, which begins on Tuesday at Lago Mar Country Club.
Here are five things to know before the championship begins.
Defending the Crown
Mike McCoy raised the trophy at the Senior Amateur Championship in 2022 at Avila Golf & Country Club. The North Palm Beach resident was the lone player to finish under par to capture the two-shot victory at 1-under 212. McCoy, the 2023 U.S. Walker Cup captain, will look to become to become just the third player in FSGA history to win back-to-back Senior Amateur titles.
By The Numbers
Over 400 entries were received for this year’s Senior Amateur Championship, with 144 players making their way to Lago Mar for the championship. Nearly 300 senior amateurs attempted to qualify at six sites around the state, with 71 players qualifying to join the 73 exempt competitors in the championship field at Lago Mar.
Rick Woulfe will be the most experienced player in the field at 74 years old, while Bruce Kelvington will be the youngest players in the field at 55 years old, becoming Senior eligible in March.
Senior Amateur Takes Center Stage at Lago Mar
Lago Mar will play host to its first Senior Amateur Championship and its fourth FSGA championship. The Plantation club previously hosted the 2015 Senior Amateur Match Play Championship and the 2011 Senior Four-Ball Championship.
“Lago Mar Country Club is very proud and excited to be hosting the 62nd Senior Amateur Championship,” said Rick Woulfe, Lago Mar member and FSGA Hall of Fame member. “I know all the competitors will enjoy a very good test of their games on a very well-manicured track.”
Founded in 1970, Lago Mar was originally designed by Bill Watts, with Kipp Schulties leading the redesign in 2009 to create the challenging championship golf course there is today.
FSGA Hall of Famer in the Hunt
Rick Woulfe, a 2020 FSGA Hall of Fame inductee, has his eye on another Senior Amateur win. The Fort Lauderdale native won the 2007 Senior Amateur, while also being a 15-time FSGA champion and a 12-time FSGA Player of the Year.
Past Champions Eye Another Title
The 2022 field includes seven past Senior Amateur champions: McCoy (2022), Dave Bunker (2021), Adam Armagost (2020), Kelly Gosse (2019), Bill Barnes (2018), Peter Wegman (2016), Pete Williams (2014), and Woulfe (2007).
Also in the field is the Miles McConnell, the 2022 Senior Player of the Year and 2022 Senior Amateur Match Play champion, and Todd Franks, who earned Low-Amateur honors and a runner-up finish at the 2022 Florida Senior Open Championship.
