TAMPA, Fla. – The top senior amateurs in the state will head to Naples this week for the 59th Senior Amateur Championship, which begins on Thursday at Eagle Creek Golf & Country Club. Due to COVID-19, this year's championship was rescheduled from its usual April date to late October.
Here are five things to know before the championship begins.
Defending the Crown
Kelly Gosse raised the trophy at the Senior Amateur Championship in 2019 at Southern Hills Plantation Club. The Inverness resident carded the low round of the day (2-under 70) to secure the two-shot victory and the Senior Amateur title. He will look to become to become just the third player in FSGA history to win back-to-back Senior Amateur titles.
Qualifiers in the Field
Over 200 senior amateurs attempted to qualify for this year’s championship at six sites around the state, with 66 players advancing to the championship, joining 66 exempt players.
FSGA Hall of Famer in the Hunt
Doug LaCrosse, a 2020 FSGA Hall of Fame inductee, has his eye on another Senior Amateur win, his first since 2013. LaCrosse is a 14-time FSGA champion and a four-time FSGA Player of the Year. Earlier this month, the Tampa native helped lead the North Team to victory at the 13th Florida Cup.
Eagle Creek Plays Host
Eagle Creek Golf & Country Club will host its first Senior Amateur Championship and its sixth FSGA championship. A Larry Packard-designed course, Eagle Creek went through a renovation in 2017, led by Gordon Lewis.
Past Champions Back for More
The 2020 field includes five past Senior Amateur champions: Bill Barnes (2018), George DeSear (2017), Kelly Gosse (2019), Doug LaCrosse (2013) and Gordon Marshall (2015). Also in the field is the 2020 Super-Senior champion, David Anthony, along with 2020 Senior Amateur Match Play champion, Richard Kerper.
