TAMPA, Fla. – The 47th Florida Senior Open Championship makes its way down to Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club, April 29 – May 1. With over 330 players attempting to qualify and fifty-four exempt competitors, the field has officially been finalized. Consisting of PGA Tour champions, Senior Player of the Year recipients, and a golf course that is no stranger to hosting the Florida Senior Open, everything is lining up for an exciting championship co-hosted by the FSGA and South Florida PGA Section.
Miromar Lakes is a great friend to both the FSGA and South Florida PGA, hosting both the 45th and 44th Florida Senior Open Championships. Originally an Arthur Hills design, the club was renovated by Drew Rogers. Unlike most Florida golf courses, Miromar Lakes is designed to promote playing shots that run into the greens. Highly promoted by both PGA and LPGA stars such as Brooke Henderson and Gary Koch, the golf course should be a great test to the state’s best senior golfers, amateur, and professional alike.
Outside of a fantastic host venue, the professionals playing this week mirror the quality of the venue with their remarkable talent for the game. PGA Tour winner Guy Boros, is set to make his fifth appearance in the Florida Senior Open. Only finishing outside the top-ten once, Boros has yet to win the championship. In 1996, he won his first and only PGA Tour event, the Greater Vancouver Open. Look for the Pompano Beach native to grab a piece of the $65,000 purse next week.
Yet, Boros is not the only former PGA Tour member in the field, as Skip Kendall, and Garrett Willis are both set to make an appearance at Miromar Lakes. Although Kendall has never won on the PGA Tour, he has impressively posted over a 60% made cut rate, making 265 cuts. To top that, he has made 63/67 cuts on the PGA Tour Champions. Kendall’s experience at the highest level will prove to be crucial at Miromar Lakes this year.
After recently becoming eligible for the Florida Senior Open, Garrett Willis looks to capitalize on his youth this week. Willis is also a PGA Tour Champion, winning the 2001 Touchstone Energy Tuscon Open in his rookie year. He later posted three top 25 finishes that year. Willis is one of the favorites heading into Miromar Lakes next week.
Along with the former PGA Tour players is defending champion, Shannon Sykora. Last year was Sykora’s second year playing in the Florida Senior Open. After coaching the FGCU Women’s Golf Team to a sixth-place finish in the ASUN Championship, the Naples native looks to go back-to-back for the first time since 2008.
In addition, Jerry Tucker, being the 2009 Florida Senior Open champion, will be the oldest player in the field this year. Don’t let that fool you. Last year, he shot below his age in two out of the three rounds to finish tied for twenty-seventh. Moreover, Mike San Filippo is another past champion in the field. He is only one of two players with four Florida Senior Open trophies. San Filippo will be celebrating his twenty-year anniversary of his first victory this year after winning in 2004. His other three victories came in 2007,2008 and 2011.
Joining the professionals are a few amateurs that have become household names. Miles McConnell is coming off of a second place finish after losing in a devastating playoff to R J Nakashian in the 63rd Senior Amateur. McConnell is hungry to bounce back. The Tampa native has not finished outside of the top-two this year, including a win at the Winter Series Four-Ball at Buckhorn Springs and a win at the Senior/Mid-Amateur Four-Ball with partner Jay Halverson.
Mike McCoy is also coming off of a heartbreaking Senior Amateur finish after a second round, 77 took him out of contention. However, after almost battling back, took a tied-for-fourth finish with a final round, 71 to build some momentum heading into the Florida Senior Open. The 2023 Walker Cup Captain and former low-amateur at The Masters is certainly a name to look out for.
It is no surprise that the Florida Senior Open field is, once again, stacked full of players decorated with accolades. We highlighted only a few professionals and amateurs, but the trophy could rightfully fall in the hands of any one of the players in the field next week. Make sure you are following along with live scoring to see these talented players go head-to-head at the largest Senior event in the state.
