Florida Hickory Open

SARASOTA, Fla. – Four players raised the trophies at the inaugural Florida Hickory Open on Tuesday at Sara Bay Country Club. Will Peterson took home the win in the Men’s Open Division, while Bailey Wiegandt captured the Women’s Open victory. In the Stableford Division, husband and wife, Richard Grula and Natalie Wells were victorious.

The almost 100-year old Donald Ross course served as host to the inaugural Florida Hickory Open Championship, with the FSGA reintroducing hickory golf to its membership in 2020.

Men’s Open

Peterson went wire-to-wire to capture the win in Men’s Open Division, finishing the championship at 7-over 151. The Tampa native opened the championship with a first-round 72, the only even-par or better round of the championship, to take a two-shot lead over the field.

He carded a final-round 79 to take home the one-shot victory. FSGA president, Kevin Hammer took home a runner-up finish at 8-over 152, posting rounds of 74-78. James Leadbetter used rounds of 76-78 to earn low-professional honors with a third-place finish at 10-over 154.

Women’s Open

Wiegandt captured the win in the Women’s Open Divison, finishing the championship at 99-95–194 to earn the four-shot victory. Alice Brown finished as the low-professional in the Women’s Division, closing out the week at 100-98–198.

Men’s Stableford

Grula took home the win in the Men’s Stableford Division, ending the championship with 73 points. The Orlando native began the tournament with 36 points in the first round. He followed his first round up with 37 points in the final round to capture the six-point win.

Charles Johnson finished runner-up at 67 points, posting a tournament-high 39 points in the first round. Michael Shiff took third place at 32-34–66. 

Women’s Stableford

Wells rolled in a key putt on the final hole of the day to secure the win in the Women’s Stableford Division at 56 points. The Winter Park native began the championship with 29 points to sit three points back of the leader, BJ Hayden.

Heading to the final hole of the championship in a tie for first, Wells carded a net eagle on the final hole of the day to take home the win with 27 points in the final round. Hayden finished in second place at 55 points, after a final-round 23 points.

Nancy Keating earned third place with 49 points.

Results

The Florida State Golf Association reintroduced Hickory Golf to our membership in May of 2020. In conjunction with the Florida Hickory Golfers, the FSGA set forth to offer hickory club opportunities through our FSGA One Days and also dedicated hickory club only events. Our 2020 schedule saw five host sites offer hickory golf and we are committed to grow our hickory golf schedule in 2021 and beyond.

In addition to our hickory "play days", we are excited to announce the Inaugural FSGA Hickory Open in May of 2021. The FSGA has secured the historic and timeless Sara Bay Golf & Country Club as the host site and are thrilled to conduct this Championship.  As indicated, this will be an Open and we look forward to drawing amateur and professional golfers from Florida and beyond.

Details of the championship are as follows:

Championship Format

• 36 holes of individual stroke play
• Championship Field - 96 players
• Open Division and Net Division
  - Open Division plays for overall championship 
   - Net division plays net stableford
• Professional purse and amateur gift cards

Eligibility

• Male and female amateur and professional golfers
• Professionals must have a SSN, EIN, ITIN for tax reporting purposes.This will need to be confirmed before the entry deadline, or they will be in-eligible to participate.
• Minimum age of 16 years old
• Handicap - A GHIN handicap, or a handicap through the Society of Hickory Golfers, is required for Net Division
• Entrant is not required to be a member of the FSGA

Entry Fees

Entry Fee Includes:

• Practice round with cart
• Tournament rounds with cart
• Player Welcome Dinner and Club Swap after practice round
• Player luncheon after round one
• Tee gift
• Professional purse for top finishers
• Amateur gift certificates for top finishers

Late entries are subject to a $10 late entry fee should the entrant gain acceptance into the field.

Field Determination

Entries for are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until the 75% of the field is full. Entries after 75% is reached will be held and the remaining field will be selected by the FSGA Championships Committee. Once the field is full, entries are then placed on an alternates list in order of receipt and contacted if, and when, a spot becomes available. 

Schedule of Events 

Sunday, May 23rd

• 1:00 PM - Shotgun practice round
• 6:00 Complimentary Player Dinner and Club Swap

Monday, May 24th

• 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM - Round one tee times off of #1 and #10
• Complimentary players' lunch

Tuesday, May 25th

• 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM - Round two tee times off of #1 and #10
• Awards ceremony immediately following the completion of play 

Approximate Yardages

Men's Open Division - 5,500 - 5,800 yards
Men's Net Division - 5,200 - 5,500 yards

Women's Open Division - 4,900 - 5,100 yards
Women's Net Division - 4,900 - 5,100 yards

Estimated Purse 

Estimated - based off a full field of 96 players with at least 25% being professionals.

$8,000 prize pool of professional payout and amateur gift certificates.

1st Place - $2,500 (approximately - Open Division)

The final purse with estimated payouts will be posted after the field has been determined.

Cart and Caddie Policy

Players must ride in a cart and their clubs must be transported on the cart. Caddies are permitted.

Rules of Golf

The current Rules of Golf govern play with one exception:  Rule 4.1b(1) - Limit of 14 Clubs is waived. Players may start a round with more than 14 clubs and add clubs during the round.

Permitted Clubs and Balls

The permitted golf clubs and golf balls mirror the Equipment Guidelines for the Society of Hickory Golfers.

Golf Clubs:  Pre-1935 clubs or pre-1935 replicas. See more here

Golf Balls:  Balls on the USGA List of Conforming Golf Balls or USGA approved balls that have been re-molded to replicate pre-1935 balls. See more here

Click here for more information on companies that produce replica equipment.

Championship Information

Play-Off

If necessary, there will be a hole-by-hole "sudden death" play-off to determine the overall Champions. It is the player’s responsibility to be present for any playoff.

Practice Round & Player Dinner

1:00 shotgun on Sunday, May 23rd (included in entry fee).

The Player Dinner and Club Swap begins after the practice round at approximately 6:00 PM at Sara Bay Country Club.

Dress Code

Golf attire of the era is encouraged, but not required. Golf attire from today's age is acceptable.

Exemption Earned from this Tournament

The overall Open Champion will have a spot held into the 2021 U.S. Hickory Open being held at Gearhart Golf Links in Gearhart, Oregon on September 12-14. The player will be responsible for the entry fee and travel expenses if they accept the spot.

Other Policies

• Spectators and spectator cart policy - Click here
• Caddies - Caddies are allowed in all FSGA Championships except Junior events. The caddie MUST walk and the player's clubs must remain on the golf cart. - Click here
• Championship Pace of Play Policy - Click here.
• Local Rules and Terms of the Competition - Click here.
• Championship Policies - Click here to read the withdrawal, dress code, and other policies.
• Procedures for Alternates - Click here for information on how alternates may gain entry into this Championship.
• Conditions/ Schedule - The FSGA Championships Committee/on-site Rules Committee reserves the right to alter any of the conditions, provisions and/or schedules. The decision of the Championships Committee/on-site Rules Committee in any matter will be final.

Host Hotel and Accommodations

Home2Suites by Hilton Sarasota Bradenton Airport

Click here for more

Publicity and Promotion; Broadcasting

By participating in FSGA Events you grant the FSGA and those acting with the FSGA, permission, authority and the permanent rights to use your name or likeness for publicity and promotional purposes. Participants understand that all Media, including film, photographic prints, audio or digital files are the exclusive property of the FSGA. Participants in FSGA events waive their rights to inspect or approve all media produced by the FSGA and those acting on the FSGA's behalf. Participants waive their permanent rights to compensation for use of their name and likeness by the FSGA.

Payment 

Sara Bay accepts cash, Visa, MasterCard, and American Express for payment.

Directions

Sara Bay Country Club
7011 Willow Street
Sarasota, FL  34243
941-355-6544

Click here for directions to Sara Bay