TAMPA, Fla. – One-hundred and forty one of the top mid-amateur and senior amateur golfers from across the country gathered at Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club in the heart of Tampa last week. The field represented 33 states and included 88 WAGR Ranked individuals. The Sunshine State was well-represented at this year’s invitational, with over 50 Floridians in the field.
Senior Division
Jimmy Jones, Sr. claimed the Senior Division title in the 65th Gasparilla Invitational on Saturday at Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club. The Tampa native captured the three-stroke victory with a 4-under 214 for the three-day event.
Jones fired a 3-under 67 in the first round, posting four birdies on the day with a single bogey on the 15th. He held the first-round lead with fellow Floridian and 2004 Gasparilla champion, Richard Kerper. Jones broke away from the field in Friday’s second round, carding a 1-over 71, to take a five-shot lead in the senior division.
The FSGA champion started the final round with three-straight bogeys, but settled down to finish the front nine with a 38. Jones finished the final round with a 74 to earn the win. Kerper finished three shots back at 7-over 217.
Also finishing behind Jones were three past U.S. Senior Amateur Champions - Bob Royak (2019), Sean Knapp (2017) and Doug Hanzell (2013).
Mid-Amateur Division
2018 Gasparilla champion and two-time FSGA Player of the Year, Marc Dull picked up a second-place finish on Saturday, three shot back of champion, Derek Busby. Dull finished the weekend with a 1-under 209 for the event, posting a pair of 69s.
Devin Hernandez, an FSGA champion, finished tied for eighth at 5-over 215. The Saint Petersburg native birdied three of his four final holes to earn a top-10 finish.
The 2019 FSGA Amateur and Mid-Amateur Player of the Year, Devon Hopkins, also took home a top-10 finish with a 6-over 216 for the event.
Mike Finster, the 2019 Gasparilla champion and Florida Cup and Southeast Challenge Team Member, was in the mix heading into the final round, but was forced to withdraw due to an elbow injury.
The Gasparilla Invitational dates back to 1932. In early years as a professional event, The Gasparilla Open offered the largest purse of any PGA Tournament in the United States.The event would crown World Golf Hall of Fame members, Paul Runyan and Walter Hagen as champions, and the 1935 victory by Walter Hagen was his last ever professional victory. After a lapse, the Gasparilla Invitational resumed in 1956 as a strictly amateur competition and would become a premier event for the country’s best mid-amateurs and seniors.
Notable Champions include former U.S. Amateur Champions and FSGA Hall of Fame Members, Bob Murphy (1967) and Buddy Alexander (1976), PGA Tour winner and Ryder Cup Captain, Hal Sutton (1981). FSGA Hall of Fame member, Jack Veghte & former FSGA Tournament Director Peter Dachisen share the record of five Gasparilla victories. Three-time FSGA Player of the Year, 1991 Florida Amateur Champion and Palma Ceia member, Doug LaCrosse captured the 1991 & 2012 titles and competed again in the 2020 field.
Full Results | Gasparilla Tournament Homepage
