TAMPA, Fla. – The 43rd Florida Senior Open Championship will head to West Bay Golf Club in Estero. In total, 90 professionals and 65 amateurs will tee it up in Estero, with a cut to low 60 and ties after 36 holes. The event is co-hosted by the FSGA & South Florida PGA Section, with Global Golf Sales / Golf Pride as a Supporting Sponsor.
Moved to an earlier date this year, The Florida Senior Open will be played from April 29 – May 1 and feature a $52,000 professional purse. 
Here are five things to know before the championship begins on Monday.
Senior Amateur Champion Looks for Another Title
Kelly Gosse captured his second individual Florida State Golf Association Championship earlier this month at the Senior Amateur Championship. He posted a 2-under 214 for the championship, the only under-par score in the field, to secure the title with a 2-stroke victory.
PGA Tour Winner and FSGA Hall of Famer in the Hunt
Gary Koch, who was inducted in the FSGA Hall of Fame in 2006, has his eye on another Senior Open win, his first since 2014. Koch was a six-time winner on the PGA Tour and won the 1972 Florida Amateur Championship. He finished tied for 18th at last year’s championship.
Past Champions Back for More
Including Koch, the 2019 field includes nine past Florida Senior Open Champions: John Calabria, Gene Fieger, Eduardo Herrera, Mike San Filippo, Jerry Tucker, Michael Weeks (a), Rick Whitfield and Pete Williams (a).
Gene Fieger won his second Florida Senior Open last year at Mission Inn Resort & Club, his first since 2010. He secured the 7-stroke victory with a tournament total of 11-under 205. He will look to become the sixth player in Championship history to win back-to-back Senior Open titles.
Mike San Filippo has captured four Florida Senior Open titles in his career, the most by a player in Championship history. He most recently won in 2011 and finished tied for eighth at last year’s championship.
Nicklaus in the Mix
Gary Nicklaus enters the Florida Senior Open seeking his first senior victory since turning professional earlier this year. The son of the 18-time Major winner Jack Nicklaus qualified for the U.S. Amateur in 2018 and represented team Florida at the Southeastern Challenge Matches.
West Bay Plays Host to Florida Senior Open
West Bay Golf Club will play host to its third FSGA Championship. The Fort Myers club will also host the Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship just three days after the conclusion of the Senior Open.
West Bay is a Pete and P.B. Dye course that opened in 1999. The course was recently renovated in 2018 by Dana Fry and Jason Straka, renovations included enhancing green complexes, rebuilding and repositioning bunkers and re-grassing the course with new turf grass.
2019 Pairings
