TAMPA, Fla. - Four players have been selected to serve as captains for the North and South teams for the 2020 Florida Cup. Doug LaCrosse and Steve Carter will serve as the captains for the North Team, while Rick Woulfe and Kevin Hammer will be the captains for the South Team.
The Florida Cup veterans will hope to lead their teams to victory later this year. The Florida Cup will be held October 15-16 at Bay Colony Golf Club in Naples. Two sixteen player teams, representing the North and the South of Florida, will compete in this Ryder Cup style format.
North Team Captains
LaCrosse will return as a captain, after leading the 2018 North Team, alongside Marc Dull, to a victory. In the 2018 matches, LaCrosse was unable to compete due to an injury, but was present as a non-playing captain. In three previous Florida Cup appearances, the Tampa native has a 5-2-2 record.
"Steve and I look forward to keeping the cup in the North after the win in 2018. I was disappointed to not compete in 2018, but I am excited to be back out in 2020 to help the team as opposed to riding in a cart as a cheerleader, constantly updating my iPad," LaCrosse said.
LaCrosse's resume is extensive, and highlighted by the 1992 Amateur Championship, 1996 Amateur Match Play Championship and being a three-time Amateur Player of the Year (1994, 1996 and 2000). Since becoming a Senior, he has earned the 2013 Senior Player of the Year by winning both the Senior Amateur Championship and Senior Amateur Match Play. In 2018, LaCrosse added the Super-Senior Amateur Championship. He also currently leads the 2019-2020 Super-Senior Winter Series Points list for the second year in a row.
Carter will make his fourth Florida Cup appearance and first as a captain. The Saint Augustine native was part of the victorious team in 2018 and holds a 5-3-1 record in Florida Cup matches.
"I'm honored and extremely excited to co-captain the North Team, along with Doug. Based on the Florida Cup history, I fully expect another spirited version of the matches." Carter said.
The 2004 and 2009 Florida Mid-Amateur champion has qualified for the last two U.S. Mid-Amateur Championships. Carter finished 8th and 13th the last two seasons on the Mid-Amateur Player of the Year Points list, while also serving as the FSGA President. He has also won numerous Florida Four-Ball Championships, highlighted by the 2005 Four-Ball Championship at Grand Cypress with Andy Purnell.
South Team Captains
Woulfe will make his record tenth Florida Cup appearance in 2020. The Fort Lauderdale native was slated to be a captain of the South Team in 2018 but was sidelined by injury. Back healthy in 2020, Woulfe will look to improve on his 11-9-5 overall record from previous appearances.
Woulfe is a household name in Florida amateur golf. Once a Michigan State University standout, he never turned professional and had a amateur career that saw him amass nearly 20 state championships, including the 2012 Mid-Amateur Championship at the age of 63. In 2007, Woulfe captured the Senior Amateur, Senior Amateur Match Play, Mid-Senior and Mid-Amateur Four-Ball South Championships. He went on to earn one of his nine Senior Amateur Player of the Year honors. Woulfe was also a three-time (2002, 2004 and 2006) Amateur Player of the Year, while also serving as the FSGA President in 2000 and 2001.
In 2019, Woulfe finished tied for second in the Senior Amateur Championship, third in the Super-Senior Amateur Championship, seventh in the Mid-Amateur Stroke Play and captured Super-Senior Amateur Player of the Year honors.
Hammer's third Florida Cup appearance will come as a captain.The Boynton Beach native and former University of Florida golfer has fared 2-3-1 in his previous two appearances. Hammer's highlights include wins in the previous two Mixed Shoot-Out Championships in 2018 and 2019, and victories at the Summer Mixed Championships in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
Outside of FSGA play, Hammer posted a top-10 finish in the 2015 Coleman Invitational at Seminole Golf Club and advanced to the Round of 16 at the 2014 Crump Cup at Pine Valley.
"It’s such a privilege to be a co-captain and help bring together some of the very best, and most involved, amateur competitors from around the state. It doesn’t take much for the Florida Cup team spirit to come alive and we fully expect an energetic season leading up to these coveted matches," Hammer said.
Florida Cup Match History
Held every two years, 16 of the top amateurs from North Florida face off with 16 of the top amateurs from South Florida. Using a Ryder Cup format, the team with most points over two days holds the cup. Players are invited based on their performance from the previous two seasons. In 2018, North Florida won to tie the series 6-6. Click here for full history of the matches.
- 16 members per team
- Each team consists of 12 amateurs (age 21 & over) and 4 senior amateur golfers
- Ryder Cup style format between the North Team and the South Team
- Each match is worth one point to the team total
- First team to 16 1/2 points wins the Cup for one year
- A 16-16 tie results in the defending champions retaining the Cup for an additional two years.
- 8 Amateurs (age 21 & over) selected from the Two-Year Amateur Player of the Year Points List
- 2 Senior Amateurs selected form the Two-Year Senior Player of the Year Points List
- 4 Amateurs selected by the Captains and FSGA Championship Committee
- 2 Senior Amateurs selected by the Captains and FSGA Championship Committee
Players are selected by their standing on the Points Lists on the Wednesday after the Mid-Amateur Four-Ball Championships, with qualifying points for the US Mid-Amateur Championship being taken into consideration. Due to NCAA regulations, college players are not eligible. Any designated selections which are not filled due to ineligibility, or other reason, will be selected by the Captains & FSGA Championship Committee.
