VERO BEACH, Fla. - In a remarkable conclusion to a historic championship, Jimmy Ellis emerged as champion of the 107th Amateur. Ellis overcame a seven stroke deficit after firing an eight-under-par, 64 in the final round to raise a well-deserved trophy.
Quail Valley Golf Club hosted the championship and it provided a great test of golf for the talented field and ever-changing leaderboard. The course is as beautiful as it is challenging and features 18-holes spread across 280-acres. Within that, lies 60-acres of waterways along with rolling hills and elevation changes. In addition, bunkers litter almost every hole providing not only beautiful views, but also challenges for all who tee it up.
Yet, it was the greens that each player consistently highlighted in interviews. In fact, the champion stated after his final round, “The greens are just so perfect here. All you have to do is get it started on line, and the ball is going in.” He then continued, “It’s my first time at Quail Valley, and I was shocked when I drove in. This place is just perfect, and like I said, the greens have just been unbelievable all week.”
The championship saw a dynamic leaderboard across the four rounds. Clipper Salmon, a rising high school senior, finished the first round with the solo lead by two strokes over the field. However, Christian Figueredo and Jason Duff shared the lead after the second round each with a tournament total of nine-under-par. The third round also saw movement as Jason Duff extended his lead to four strokes heading into championship Sunday, which proved to be nothing short of exciting.
Ellis describes how his final round started as he was seven shots off the lead, “It was pretty strange, really. First tee shot I flared a driver 50 yards right into a bunker and made bogey. But then, the second hole just kind of kick started everything. I hit an eight iron to about two feet and made it for birdie. Then, I birdied the next hole after that and was just off and running from there.”
Ellis certainly did take off in the final round as he carded nine birdies en route to a tournament total of 16-under par. He came tantalizingly close to breaking the lowest 72-hole record with his impressive total of 272. However, the record still remains with the 2023 champion, Marc Dull, who posted a remarkable total of 271.
Yet, perhaps it was the interesting pre-round preparation for Ellis that helped to make his final round and win so special. In fact, he said that he was convinced that he would not break 80 on Sunday after he made the drive three hours back to his home in Atlantic Beach to watch his four-year-old daughter perform in her first dance recital. He said, “I had to roll the windows down on I-95 to keep myself awake, but I made it back. I did not think I would play well today at all, but you know, it all ended up working out.”
It undoubtedly worked for Ellis as his drive back home seemed to only phase him on the first hole of the day where he made his only bogey. When asked if he ever had a turning point in the round he said, “I have been hitting it pretty good all week, but today the putts finally started dropping for me which was really nice.” He added in, “My game is typically just fairways and greens, and I tend to struggle the closer I get to the hole. But today I felt nice with the putter and this is just such a great golf course, the greens are perfect.”
With this win, Ellis also earns an exemption into the U.S. Amateur Championship in August. This will not be Ellis’s first appearance at a USGA event. He has played in one U.S. Amateur and three U.S. Mid-Amateur’s. Ellis explains that he cannot wait to play at Hazeltine. “You know, the talent level of those guys at the U.S. Am is unreal. It will be a great experience.”
That’s a wrap on the Amateur Championship until next year. Jimmy Ellis’ name will forever be etched in FSGA history among other names like Gary Koch, Jerry Pate, and Blayne Barber. Each tournament and champion brings its own unique story brandished to the great history of the event. Ellis will always remember that not only did he win his first state Amateur with the FSGA, but also that he did not miss out on one of his daughter’s first sporting events also. When asked about his daughter Ellis smiled, then laughed to himself and said, “It was her very first recital and she just turned four. I had to be there.”
