Florida Senior Open Championship

Eduardo Herrera is Victorious at 39th Florida Senior Open

The final round started with Eduardo Herrera and Brigham Gibbs tied at the top after both shooting rounds of 67-69.  Herrera, of Windermere, began his final round on the West Course slow but steady.  He scored seven pars and made up for an early bogey on hole three with a birdie on the ninth hole. Gibbs, on the other hand, got off to a rough start after bogies on holes 1, 2, and 4. He managed to birdie the par five, sixth hole posting a two-over par front-nine score, and falling two behind Herrera in the same pairing.

The back-nine got off to a better start, making a birdie on the 10th to cut the lead back to one stroke, only to be answered by Herrera's birdie on the 11th.  Both players would birdie the 16th and Herrera would lead by two strokes on the 17th tee.  On the 17th green, the first glimpse of nerves all day from Herrera were shown, as he failed to convert a 3-foot par putt, and the lead was now just one. Stepping up to the 18th tee, Herrera faltered again, but caught the break of the tournament.  With his tee shot heading right of the fairway, towards the parking lot, out-of bounds, the ball caught a tree and kicked out in the fairway. Eduardo would take advantage of the fortunate bounce and hit his approach on the green, and convert the birdie putt to post 206 (-7) and capture the 39th Florida Senior Open Championship by 2 strokes. Brigham Gribbs, of Miami finished alone in 2nd after posting 208 (-5) and took home low amateur honors.

Winning the Florida Senior Open marks Herrera’s first FSGA victory. Four players tied for third at three-under par 210 including 2014 Amateur Player of the Year Don Bell, David Anthony (a), and Mike San Fillippo. First round leader, Rick Woulfe (a), finished tied for tenth with rounds of 66-73-74—213. Gary Koch, defending champion, tied for tenth place as well after he scored 69-73-71—213.

The Florida Senior Open is conducted by the South Florida PGA Section and the Florida State Golf Association and is open to Florida residents who are at least 50 years of age by the beginning of the event.  Over 350 professionals and amateurs competed at 8 qualifying locations. The Championship is conducted over fifty-four holes of individual stroke play.  At the Championship each player played 18-holes on the East and West Course at Belleair Country Club, with a cut instituted after thirty-six holes to the low 60 players and ties.

Full Results

Round One Recap

Round Two Recap

~ East and West Courses ~

Entries Close Wednesday July 8, 2015

$100 per Competitor

The Florida Senior Open gives the best senior amateurs in the state a chance to compete with senior golf professionals living in Florida. For players to compete in the Florida Senior open they would need to be 50 years old as of the first day of the Championship. For a look at the 2014 Championship Results click here.

Exemptions may be earned though State Amateur Championships & PGA Section Events. (See Exemptions listed at the bottom of this page)

Championship Format

• 156 player field size
• 54 holes of individual stroke play
• The field will be cut to the low 60 and ties after 36 holes
• The lowest score for 54 holes will be the Champion

Eligibility

• Open to male Florida Golf Professionals and Amateurs at least 50 years of age as of August 14, 2015 and who are residents of Florida
• PGA class A-3 members and players that have played in more than 10 select professional tour events are ineligible
• See Eligibility page for complete details and a list of professional tours. Click here to view FSGA Tournament Policies

Entry Fees

• Qualifying Fee: Qualifying Fee includes entry fee and cart fee.
• Championship Fee: Fee paid by those individuals who advance to the Championship through qualifying. Includes tee gifts and gift certificates, course and cart fees, and range balls.
  
• Exempt Fee: Exempt Fee includes Championship Fee and Entry Fee for those individuals eligible for exemption.

Late entries will be accepted subject to a $10 late entry fee should the entrant gain acceptance into the qualifying field. 

Pre-Registration

Those players who advance to the Championship through local qualifying must pre-register and remit the appropriate Championship Fee (see above) at www.fsga.org under the "My Account" section, which can be located in the top right hand corner of the web-page. Payment must be received by Friday, August 7 by 3:30 PM or the individual will be withdrawn from the Championship. Championship fee includes: golf, cart fees and range balls plus a player badge and tee gift.

To Pre-Register:

• Log on to the FSGA website at www.fsga.org using your email address and password
• Click on "My Account" in the upper right hand corner of the homepage
• Under "My Tournaments", click on the "Pre-Register" button to the right of the tournament name
• Enter your credit card information and then click the "Charge My Card" button on the bottom right hand corner of the page

Refunds, Notice of Withdrawals

Requests for qualifying entry refunds received prior to entry closing date will be honored (less $20 per entry administrative fee). Requests received after the closing date will be honored (less 50% of entry fee). No requests will be honored within 48 hours of the first scheduled tee time.

Requests for refunds of Exempt or Championship fees prior to the pre-registration deadline will be honored (less $20 per entry administrative fee). No requests will be honored after the pre-registration deadline.

Estimated Purse

Total Estimated Purse: $35,000

1st Place - $5,000
2nd Place - $2,500
3rd Place - $1,500
4th Place - $1,000
5th Place - $800

View the 2014 final purse here.

Schedule of Events 

Friday, August 14th

• 8:00 AM - 9:48 AM - Round One tee times off of #1 and #11 on the West Course
• 8:00 AM - 9:48 AM - Round One tee times off of #1 and #10 on the East Course

Saturday, August 15th

• 8:00 AM - 9:48 AM - Round Two tee times off of #1 and #11 on the West Course
• 8:00 AM - 9:48 AM - Round Two tee times off of #1 and #10 on the East Course
  After play has finished the field will be cut to the low 60 players and ties 

Sunday, August 16th

• 8:00 AM - Final Round tee times off of #1 and #11 on the West Course
• Awards ceremony immediately following the completion of play

Course Set-Up

The golf courses will be set-up at approximately 6,600 yards.

Local Qualifying

18 holes stroke play at 8 qualifying sites.

Transferring Qualifying Sites

Players may submit one entry for the Florida Senior Open and choose the site at which they will attempt to qualify.  However, if any site requires adjustment (including, but not limited to, the receipt of more entries than can be accommodated), players will be transferred to another site based on their preference listed on the entry application and date of receipt of entry application (i.e. later applicants will be subject to transfer).

Cart and Caddie Policy

Qualifying Round
Players have the option of walking or riding (Cart is included in qualifying fee regardless of use). Only a player or his caddie may ride in a cart at any given time, but not both at the same time.  

Championship Rounds
Cart fees are included in the Championship Fee for all competitive rounds of the Championship. Only a player or his caddie may ride in a cart at any given time, but not both at the same time. Players may either walk or ride, at the Championship. All players, including those choosing to walk, must adhere to the established FSGA Pace of Play Policy.

Championship Information

All players play eighteen holes each on the West Course and East Course, Friday, August 14th and Saturday, August 15th. The field will be cut to the low sixty and ties after 36 holes. The final eighteen holes will be played on the West Course, Sunday, August 16th.

Championship Practice Round and  Practice Facility Information

Practice rounds will be available to the competitors ten days in advance of the competition on a space available basis and after 12:00 PM on the weekends. The cost of practice rounds is $30 plus tax. Players will be responsible for direct payment of any fees for the practice rounds. To schedule a practice round call the golf shop at (727) 442-0229.

You may not make your practice round tee time before qualifying is completed. Weather permitting, qualifying concludes on Tuesday, August 4th. A list of players will be faxed to the club following the conclusion of qualifying. 

Defending Champion

Gary Koch posted a tournament total of 13-under par (202) to capture the 2014 Florida Senior Open Championship. Koch posted a final round score of four-under par to win by seven strokes. The 2014 Championship was held at the Breaker's Rees Jones Course and Mayacoo Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach on August 8th-10th.

Exemptions

Players in the following categories will be eligible for exemption provided they meet all entry and eligibility requirements.

PROFESSIONALS

• Last five year's Florida Senior Open Champions
• Professionals finishing top ten and tied from last year's Florida Senior Open
• Championship Host Clubs' Representative (may be an amateur)
• Professionals finishing top three and tied from current year's South Florida Senior Open
• Professionals qualifying for the current year's PGA Senior Championship
• Professionals qualifying for the current year's US Senior Open Championship
• Top three and tied from last year's Dixie, NFPGA and SFPGA Section Senior (Regular Division) Championship
• Top five and tied from last year's the final Dixie, NFPGA and SFPGA Section Senior Player of the Year Points List
• Current year's NFPGA Senior Match Play Champion

AMATEURS

• Last five year's Florida Senior Open Champions
• Amateurs finishing top ten and tied from last year's Florida Senior Open
• Low Amateur from last year's Florida Senior Open
• Last two year's Senior Amateur Champions
• Current year's Senior Amateur Match Play Champion
• Amateurs finishing top three and tied from current year's South Florida Senior Open
• Low Amateur from current year's South Florida Senior Open
• Top five and tied from current year's Senior Amateur Championship
• Top five and tied from the last year's final FSGA Senior Player of the Year Points List
• Amateurs qualifying for the current year's US Senior Open Championship
• Amateurs qualifying for last year's US Senior Amateur Championship

Exemptions Earned from this Tournament

• Next five Florida Senior Open Championships

Players finishing in the top ten and tied

• Next year's Florida Senior Open Championship
• Next year's Senior Amateur Championship

Low Amateur

• Next year's Florida Senior Open Championship

Other Policies

• Spectators and Spectator Cart Policy -  Click here.
• Championship Pace of Play Policy - Click here.
• Local Rules and Conditions of Competition - Click here.
• Championship Policies - Click here to read the withdrawal, dress code, and other policies.
• Procedures for Alternates - Click here for information on how alternates may gain entry into this Championship.
• Conditions/ Schedule - The FSGA Championships Committee/on-site Rules Committee reserves the right to alter any of the conditions, provisions and/or schedules. The decision of the Championships Committee/on-site Rules Committee in any matter will be final.

Host Hotel and Accommodations

Hampton Inn & Suites - Largo
100 East Bay Drive
Largo, FL 33770
727-585-3333

$99 per night plus tax

Sheraton Sand Key Resort - Clearwater
1160 Gulf Blvd.
Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
727-595-1611

$139 per night plus tax

Click here for more Information

Dress Code

• Proper attire for competitors and caddies is required at all times at the golf facility. Failure to comply may result in withdrawal of entry. 
• Golf Shorts are permitted
• All hats must be worn properly.
• Collared shirts or shirts specifically designed for golf must be worn and tucked in at all times.
• This code supplements any course or club guidelines, which shall take precedence.

Publicity and Promotion; Broadcasting

By participating in The Florida Senior Open you grant the FSGA/SFPGA and those acting with the FSGA/SFPGA, permission, authority and the permanent rights to use your name or likeness for publicity and promotional purposes. Participants understand that all Media, including film, photographic prints, audio or digital files are the exclusive property of the FSGA/SFPGA. Participants in FSGA/SFPGA events waive their rights to inspect or approve all media produced by the FSGA/SFPGA and those acting on the FSGA's behalf. Participants waive their permanent rights to compensation for use of their name and likeness by the FSGA/SFPGA.

Directions

Belleair Country Club
1 Country Club Lane
Belleair, FL 33756
(727) 442-0229

Click here for directions.