On August 11th, 156 of Florida's most decorated and experienced senior men will tee it up at Imperial Golf Club in Naples in hopes of sitting at the top of the leaderboard after Sunday's final round. The 41st Florida Senior Open is the most prestigious golf championship for senior men in the state of Florida. In order to be eligible to play, 
men must be 50 years old on the first day of the championship, August 11th. In addition to amateurs. professionals that meet eligibility requirements are invited to attempt to qualify for the championship.
The Florida Senior Open is a 54-hole stroke play championship conducted over three days. Upon the conclusion of the second round on Saturday, the field will be cut to the low 60 players and ties. With the championship's $35,000 purse, those professionals that make the cut and play Sunday will have the opportunity to take home cash prizes with the champion taking home $5,000. For Friday's first round, players will be playing either the East or West Course at Imperial Golf Club and will switch to the opposite course Saturday to complete the opening 36 holes of competition.
If players did not meet the exemption requirements into this year's championship, they had to qualify through their local qualifying sites. For the 41st championship, there were eight qualifying spots throughout the state. 262 players attempted to qualify and only 117 prevailed to punch their ticket to Imperial Golf Club. In all, 338 senior registered for the 41st Florida Senior Open and less than half of them will be teeing it up Friday morning.
Of the 156 players in the field, 97 of them are professionals. Due to their excellent play throughout the past year, 39 men were granted an exemption into the championship and did not have to qualify. The average age of this year's field is nearly 57 years old. The youngest competitor is Chris Howell who celebrated his 50th birthday on June 20th. The most experienced play in the field is two-time Florida Senior Open champion, John Calabria.
Six past champions are in the field that have won a combined ten Florida Senior Open titles. The most recent Florida Senior Open Champion is Eduardo Herrera who won the event in 2015. Other past champions in the field are Gary Koch (2014), Gene Fieger (2010), and Jerry Tucker (2009). Two past champions have won the event multiple times. John Calabria won the 1999 & 2005 Florida Senior Open and Mike San Fillipo is a four-time Florida Senior Open Champion after winning the championship in 2004, 2007, 2008, and 2011.
The field at this year's championship is perhaps the strongest field the Florida Senior Open has ever had. Defending Senior Amateur Match Play Champion, Owen Joyner will tee it up this week. Joining Joyner are three other Senior Amateur Match Play champions. KC Fox (2015), Lee Booker (2011), and Pete Andrews (2010) will attempt to add another FSGA title to their resume this week. Reigning Senior Amateur Champion, George DeSear is competing this week as well as 2015 Senior Amateur Champion, Gordan Marshall, and 2008 champion, Tim Miller. The most decorated player in the field is Doug LaCrosse of Tampa. LaCrosse is the 2013 FSGA Senior Player of the Year and a three-time FSGA Amateur Player of the Year (1994, 1996, 2000). LaCrosse is the 2013 Senior Amateur Champion as well as the 1992 Amateur Champion. 
The Florida Senior Open is one of the last chances to earn points for the Southeastern Challenge. The invitation-only event features top amateur golfers from Florida, Georgia, and Alabama that compete in Ryder Cup style matches every two years. Hosting Georgia and Alabama at the elite Bear's Club in Jupiter, the race to earn an invitation is tighter than ever. With current senior points leader, Peter Wegmann, opting out of playing in the Florida Senior Open to play in the British Senior Amateur in England, the Florida Senior Open is a chance for players to make big strides towards the top spot. Sitting behind Wegmann in second and third place on the points list is Owen Joyner and George DeSear, respectively. With Joyner and DeSear competing this week, both have the opportunity to close in on the gap between them and Wegmann.
Tee times for the first round of the Florida Senior Open will begin at 8:00 A.M. on Friday, August 11th off of the first and tenth tees. Live Scoring will be available after each nine holes, however hole-by-hole live scoring will be available for the final lead groups on Sunday, August 13th. Spectators and media are encouraged to come out to Imperial Golf Club in Naples to watch the most decorated and experienced golfers tee it up in hopes of hoisting the coveted trophy Sunday afternoon.
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