Tampa, Fla. – The 19th edition of the Southeastern Challenge Matches begins on Saturday with the best golfers from Florida, Georgia and Alabama making their way to West Palm Beach in hopes to bring the trophy back to their home state. Florida has won four of the last six titles dating all the way back to 2010. Here are five things to know before the tri-state matches begin.
Format of Play
The Southeastern Challenge began in 1989 at Lake Nona Golf club. With three different teams competing against each other, it is different from any other format seen in FSGA sanctioned tournaments.
Saturday morning, players get paired together for four-ball matches. Four-ball is seen quite often in FSGA play, with two players being partnered up and playing the hole out individually. At the conclusion of the hole, the lower score out of the two-man team is taken as the counting score. With six two-man teams for Florida in the morning, three of them will be against Georgia teams and three of them will be against Alabama teams. There are 9 total points available in the Saturday morning Four-Ball Matches.
In the afternoon, a unique format of play will be in place called Foursomes. Like traditional Foursomes (Alternate-Shot) play you see at the Ryder Cup, two men from each team are partnered together for alternate- shot matches. However, they will be in groups of six with two players from each of the three teams in each pairing playing a Three-Ball Match. Each group of 6 will have 3 points available for a total of 18 points available in the Saturday afternoon Foursomes session.
On Sunday morning, singles matches will be sent out in groups of three for Three-Ball Matches. For example, the player in a group from Florida will be in a match with the player from Georgia, as well as Alabama. There will 36 total points available in the Sunday Singles.
State Champions Competing
Florida heads into the matches this weekend with a team that has all twelve players winning an FSGA state championship throughout their career.
Highlighting the team is the 106th Amateur Champion, Marc Dull. Dull picked up his third win of 2023 just two weeks ago at the Mid-Amateur Stroke Play Championship, locking up Amateur Player of the Year, as well as Mid-Amateur Player of the Year honors.
Joining players who have recently locked up player of the year honors is Miles McConnell. With a win at the 62nd Senior Amateur Championship accompanying his Senior Four-Ball win, McConnell has secured Senior Player of the Year honors for the third straight year.
Another name very familiar to the FSGA spotlight on this year’s team is Joe Alfieri. Alfieri is one of the winningest players in FSGA history, with 15 total championships, and five Amateur Player of the Year titles.
Experience Provides Advantage
9 out of 12 players on this year’s team have been in the Southeastern Challenge spotlight before, with Alfieri making his seventh appearance.
Dull is the second most experienced player is making his fourth appearance with a record of (9-4-2).
Even though experience will be a big factor this year, there have been many players who have stood out in their first year on the team. Joey Latowski, Richard Donegan and Scott Turner are all making their second appearance. However, they have a combined record of (11-1-1). Do not be surprised to see new names take down some great players from Georgia and Alabama this week.
Players to Watch
It is very difficult to have an amateur golf event in the state of Florida and not mention the name Marc Dull. Dull looks to continue his record setting year after recording the lowest score in State Amateur Championship history earlier in June. Also capturing victories at the Two-Man Scramble Championship and Mid-Amateur Stroke Play, Dull is no stranger to team or match play events.
There are multiple rookies on the Southeastern Challenge team that are hungry and looking to make a name for themselves. Jonah Wasserstrom is coming off of a year of close calls. After finishing runner-up in the Mid-Amateur Championship and fourth at the Amateur Championship, Wasserstrom wants to end the year with a win just as badly as the rest of the team, if not more. Wasserstrom made appearances in both the U.S. Amateur & U.S. Mid-Amateur this past summer.
Rhett Pooley may be the youngest on the team, but that does not mean he can’t compete with the best of them. He has proved he belongs after being the youngest player to advance to match play the 2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship. While opting not to play college golf, Pooley put together and impressive amateur career. He concluded his Junior Career taking down future US Amateur Champion, Ty Strafaci in the 2014 Junior Amateur Match Play for his first FSGA crown, and only until adding a second this summer along Dull. Other close calls saw Rhett finisher runner-up in a play-off in the 2019 Amateur Championship, and advance to the Quarterfinals of this season’s Amateur Match Play. Look for Pooley to bring some energy in his first year on the team, and carry some match play momentum from previous success.
Jay Halverson, the third rookie, showed his match-play prowess this spring, going 5-0 en route to capturing the 42nd Florida Mid-Amateur Championship back in May. His run saw him close it out with a final hole chip-in to defeat Wasserstrom 1 up.
Banyan Golf Club to Host
Designed by architect Joe Lee, Banyan Golf Club is very different from your typical Florida Golf Course. With elevation change, and no residential areas, Lee wanted to create a golf course that stood out from the rest, and he did just that.
Not a single hole parallels each other, and the tree lined fairways are going to give players a chance to get creative with their shot making. Keeping their tee shots in the fairway will be crucial, but do not be surprised to see some hero shots out of the trees.
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