Medinis Wins Amateur Match Play
Alexander Medinis defeated Gabriel Costa in the final match to win the Florida State Amateur Match Play Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club & Spa in Jupiter on August 5-8.
In the finals, Alexander Medinis, of Fort Myers, secured the title on the 14th hole beating Gabriel Costa, from Tequesta, 5 and 4. After nine holes, Medinis was 2 up, with Medinis winning the 1st, 5th and 6th holes. Costa made par on the difficult par 4 eighth to get the match back to 2 down. Medinis played solid on the back nine winning the last three holes which included birdies on the 13th and 14th holes to secure the championship. This is Alexander’s first State Championship. Medinis, a junior at Florida Gulf Coast University, has had a great summer finishing tied for fifth at the Amateur Championship at Bay Hill Club & Lodge and finishing tied for third at the Amateur Public Links Championship at PGA Golf Club.
En route to the finals, Medinis and Costa each won five matches to meet Sunday afternoon. Medinis, who earned the 25th seed after posting a 75 in the seeding round, defeated Tory Henderson, from Bradenton, 2 and 1 in the first round. Medinis defeated Alan Pope, of Orlando 1 up to advance to the round of 16. Medinis then defeated Jason Burstyn, of Miami in 19 holes to earn his spot in the quarters. Playing Doug Snoap, from Apopka, Medinis won 3 and 2 to advance to the semifinals. On Sunday morning, Medinis faced the 2005 Champion Kelly Gosse, from Ocala, and beat Gosse 4 and 2 to face Costa in the final match.
Since the number of entries received has always surpassed the capacity of the Championship, a qualifying stage was instituted three years ago. More than 390 players attempted to qualify at one of seven sites across the state. In the qualifying, players competed in 18 holes of stroke play in hopes of reaching the Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club & Spa. The Match Play Championship begins with an 18-hole seeding round to seed the 64 player field. Single elimination match play will follow to determine the Match Play Champion.
Designed by Jack Nicklaus, Ritz-Carlton Golf Club features 7,224 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 72. This course holds special significance as Nicklaus walked this natural forest land more than 20 years ago, envisioning the design detail and flow of play of this world-class course. Known for its large adjoining nature preserve which includes a bald eagle sanctuary and special design features like deep pot bunkers, the course presents a unique challenge for golfers of all skill levels. 
DEFENDING CHAMPION 
