Deacon Triumphs for the Trifecta
NAPLES, Fla. —The Florida heat was relentless, but nothing was hotter than Deacon's game. Emerging from 54 holes of golf and one playoff hole, it was J C Deacon from the University of Florida who claimed his third Florida Open title, cementing his place among the greats of Florida golf.
Round One
The morning kicked off hot with amateur NaShawn Tyson rattling off four birdies through his first four holes. A birdie on the 6th hole would have him rounding the turn at 5-under. Tyson would keep up his strong play on the back nine, however on the 18th hole Tyson would flare his drive right, leading to a costly double-bogey and an even-par back nine.
Allin Crouch also came out hot, beginning his round with a birdie on the first hole. He added four more birdies on the front side to match Tyson’s 5-under 31 at the turn. Unlike Tyson, Crouch kept his foot on the gas, collecting four more birdies on the back nine to post an 8-under 64 and grab the outright lead.
Trevor Hulbert and Brad Schnieder sit tied for second after matching 6-under 66s. Hulbert’s highlight came with an eagle on his 17th hole, hitting a clutch 3-iron from the fairway, propelling him up the leaderboard. Schnieder found his spark late, stringing together four straight birdies from holes 12 to 15 to vault up the leaderboard.
A crowded leaderboard followed, with eight players tied for fourth after shooting 5-under 67s to remain well within striking distance heading into Round Two.
Round Two
Players were once again evenly tested across both Quail West and The TwinEagles Club, with momentum shifts unfolding on both courses as players surged ahead and slipped back. Overnight leader Allin Crouch came out firing, carding an eagle on the third hole and becoming one of the first two players to reach double digits under par. Crouch kept his foot on the gas heading into the final stretch, making birdie on his last two holes, highlighted by an approach shot to three feet on the 18th hole.
Joining him was Brad Schneider, who built on his late birdie run from round one. Schneider overtook Crouch with a strong front nine and grabbed the solo lead through 13 holes. This lead would hold through the rest of the round and Schneider found himself in similar territory.
Just one year ago, Schnieder led the field after two rounds at the 78th Florida Open Championship at Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club. Could that experience give him an edge this time around?
Two of the day’s standout performances came from University of Florida Head Coach and two-time Florida Open Champion, J C Deacon, and former Gator, Joseph Padgin. Deacon carded a bogey-free 7-under 65, highlighted by a flurry of four consecutive birdies from holes 14 through 17. Padgin matched that 65 to climb into a tie for second alongside Allin Crouch, following a bogey-free back nine. Deacon, now sitting solo fourth, is eyeing a third Florida Open title to further cement his decorated career, while Padgin is looking to earn his first win as a professional.
In the chase for low amateur, 17-year-old Tristan Weiland surged into contention with a bogey-free 66 (-6) in round two that had him rounding out the top five heading into the final round. NaShawn Tyson (a) also impressed, following a strong start with birdies on holes one and three and an eagle on the fifth. A double bogey on his final hole proved costly, dropping him one shot behind Weiland, but still firmly in the mix.
Final Round
Overnight leader Brad Schneider came out firing, sticking approach after approach and rolling in three birdies over his first four holes to reach 16-under. Brant Peaper made an early statement of his own, reeling off five straight birdies from holes one through five. After four consecutive pars to end his front nine, Peaper opened his back nine with birdies on 10 and 12 to get within two shots of the lead. However, he couldn't keep the momentum going and was unable to make a birdie over his next five holes, putting himself out of contention.
Two-time Florida Open champion J C Deacon got off to a hot start, making eagle on the opening hole to briefly share the lead. After six straight pars, an unlucky break on the 8th hole led to a double bogey. Still, Deacon continued to grind, making birdie on three of his next five holes and vaulting himself right back into contention. He hit his best shot of the day on the drivable 15th hole, driving the green to 20 feet and calmly two-putting for birdie. After making a clutch up-and-down on the 17th hole, Deacon hit a phenomenal wedge into the 18th, sticking it to three feet and draining the birdie putt to take the clubhouse lead.
Joseph Pagdin kept the pressure on with a pinpoint approach to two feet on the fifth hole, moving him into solo second at 14-under. As the round progressed, Pagdin stayed steady and started climbing the leaderboard. But Schneider wasn’t ready to give up just yet. The two made the turn in a neck-and-neck race, with Schneider at 16-under and Pagdin at 15-under. Both birdied the 10th, maintaining the one-stroke difference, but the 11th hole changed everything. Schneider flared his tee shot right and found the sand, resulting in a bogey, while Pagdin had a three-foot birdie putt—and made it.
On the 14th hole, Schneider hit his shot into a penalty area and made another bogey. Pagdin stumbled on the 15th, finding the water and making bogey himself. However, he quickly bounced back on the 16th with a beautiful birdie on the par-3. Schneider made costly bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes, taking him out of contention. Pagdin found himself out of position on the 18th, needing par to force a playoff with Deacon. Once again, Pagdin came through in the clutch, hitting a chip to seven feet and draining the putt to send the two to a playoff—the University of Florida head coach versus a former UF player.
In the playoff, both players hit irons off the tee, with Deacon’s shot finding the fairway and Pagdin’s finding the left penalty area. Knowing he had the advantage, Deacon calmly laid up, then hit his approach to 17 feet and rolled in the birdie putt, securing the victory.
With the win, Deacon became the first three-time Florida Open champion since Don Bisplinghoff in 1962.
Low Amateur honors this week belonged to Tequesta CC's Tristan Wieland, who finished with a total score of 206 (-10).
