Robert Parker, from Sanford, shot a 70 in the first round to trail the first round leader by two strokes going into the final round. With temperatures reaching the mid-90s, Parker came out strong in the final round to fire a 3-under par 69 and capture his second Public Links Championship with a tournament total of 139. Parker posted an even par 36 on the front nine and finished with a 3-under par 33 on the back nine to secure the Championship by one stroke over Jon Veneziano. Parker won last year’s Championship at Falcon’s Fire Golf Club with scores of 71-67—138. Veneziano, of Mount Dora, recorded rounds of 2-under par 70 to claim second place. Kelly Gosse, of Inverness, and Brandon Smith, of Lake Worth, shared third place honors with a tournament total of 141.
The Public Links Championship is open to bona fide public course players who are not members of a private club and also do not have a handicap index no higher than 8.4. Competitors play 18 holes of stroke play on the first day and then, the field is flighted and competitors play another 18 holes of stroke play on the final day.
