Overview
On February 7, 2025, the Florida State Golf Association hosted its Annual Dinner at Shingle Creek in Orlando, Florida. The event was attended by around 200 guests, including the 2024 Champions, dedicated volunteers from across the state, board members, staff, and their families, as we celebrated a successful and enjoyable 2024 season. Special guests included Hall of Fame inductees Joe Alfieri and Diane Lang, as well as the late Andy Bean's immediate family, who accepted his Hall of Fame induction on his behalf.
Introduction Movie
To begin the Annual Dinner, guests were shown an introduction video highlighting some of 2024's best moments. During the season, 40 state championships were held throughout the state, requiring the help of hundreds of volunteers. The success of the qualifiers, events, and championships would not have been possible without our incredible players and volunteers.
Welcome - Jeff Magaditsch
Executive Director, Jeff Magaditsch, welcomes guests to the Annual Dinner.
Champions Movie
The champions from the year are each recognized in a video highlighting their accomplishments.
Junior Player of the Year
Sophia Dyer - Girls' Junior Player of the Year
- Junior Amateur Player of the Year - 2024
- 95th Women's Amateur - Champion
- 2024 U.S. Girls' Junior - Round of 64
- 2024 U.S. Women's Amateur - Participant
Clipper Salmon - Boys' Junior Player of the Year
- Junior Amateur Player of the Year - 2024
- FJT Golf Road Junior (16-18) *Major* - Champion
- Junior Amateur Match Play - Runner-Up
- Junior Amateur Match Play - Stroke Play Medalist
- 107th Amateur Championship - 8th Place Finish
Women's Player of the Year
One Kashima - Women's Amateur Player of the Year
- Women's Amateur Stroke Play Champion: 2024
- Women's Amateur Runner-Up: 2024
Terrill Samuel - Women's Senior Player of the Year
- Women's Senior Amateur Champion: 2024
- 2024 US Women's Senior Amateur (Round of 16): 2024
Men's Player of the Year
David Anthony - Men's Super-Senior Player of the Year
- 16-time FSGA champion
- Super-Senior Amateur Champion: 2024
R J Nakashian - Men's Senior Player of the Year
- Senior Amateur Champion: 2024
- Senior Amateur Match Play Champion: 2024
Will Davenport - Amateur & Mid-Amateur Player of the Year
- Mid-Am Four-Ball Champion: 2024
- Amateur Player of the Year: 2024
- Mid-Amateur Player of the Year: 2024
- U.S. Four-Ball Championship - Semifinalist with partner Mike Smith
- U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship - Quarterfinalist
Volunteer Appreciation - Jeff Magaditsch
Thank you, Volunteers!
The Florida State Golf Association has over 500 volunteers around the state. This is a short video highlighting their accomplishments and involvement throughout the year.
Volunteers of the Year
Stuart Draper - Course Rating Volunteer of the Year
Stuart Draper is captain of the Section 14 Course Rating Team in Lee County. He has been dedicating his time as an FSGA Course Rater for 11 years, beginning in 2014. Draper began his journey in course rating while living in Missouri. After relocating to Florida, he was eager to continue his volunteer efforts in course rating, which led to his involvement with the FSGA. As captain, Draper has nine team members who rate six to eight courses a year.
Clint Parsons - Tournament Volunteer of the Year
Clint Parsons joined the FSGA as a tournament volunteer in 2014 and has since proven to be an invaluable asset to the organization. Parsons is deeply passionate about the game and values the opportunity to give back to the community that centers around the sport he cherishes. As a senior rules official with experience in college tournaments, junior tours, NCAA events, and more, Parsons dedication deserves to be recognized and truly demonstrates the essence of the game we all hold close to our hearts.
Hall of Fame
Andy Bean - Hall of Fame Inductee
For nearly thirty years, Andy Bean left a significant mark on the world of golf. The 11-time PGA Tour winner, who passed away on October 13, 2023, will be inducted into the FSGA Hall of Fame, where he will be celebrated as one of the sport's greats—a fitting tribute to his remarkable career.
His passion for golf began at a young age and would last a lifetime. Bean attended the University of Florida, where he played alongside other golf talents like Gary Koch, Woody Blackburn, and Phil Hancock. Together, they led the Gators to victory in the 1973 NCAA Championship. Bean would later achieve 18 professional wins, including 11 on the PGA Tour.
Bean leaves an unforgettable legacy in the world of golf. His induction into the FSGA Hall of Fame serves as a lasting tribute to the profound impact he had on everyone around him. This honor ensures that his contributions to growing the game and nurturing relationships with all who crossed his path will live forever.
Diane Lang - Hall of Fame Inductee
Diane Lang, originally from Jamaica, has a distinctive story that embodies a deep passion for golf. At just 20, she journeyed from Jamaica to Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton on a golf scholarship. After college, Lang pursued mini-tours and tried to qualify for the LPGA, starting her attempts in 1984. Although she took a brief hiatus from the sport when she became pregnant with her first child, her love for golf remained strong, and her departure was only temporary.
Lang made a triumphant return to golf in 2002, confessing that she fell in love with the sport all over again. Just three years after reimmersing herself in the game, she clinched the title at the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship. At 51, she became the seventh golfer to win back-to-back USGA Senior Women’s Amateur titles with her victory in 2006. Not stopping there, Lang went on to secure her third title by winning the 2008 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur.
During this period, Lang was honored as the FSGA Amateur Player of the Year in both 2005 and 2006. Her achievements continued to grow with age, as she won the FSGA Senior Amateur Championship in 2006, 2010, and 2011. These successes earned her the title of Senior Player of the Year in 2008 and 2010.
Joe Alfieri - Hall of Fame Inductee
Joe Alfieri embodies the true essence of an FSGA phenom. His extensive list of achievements with both the FSGA and USGA reads like a scroll. Alfieri claimed the title of FSGA Amateur Player of the Year five times in 1999, 2001, 2015, 2016, and 2021. In 1999, Alfieri, at 30 years old, captured the Mid-Amateur Championship, 22 years later, he would raise the trophy again during the 40th Mid-Amateur Championship. This goes to show not only his true passion for the game but his dedication to the sport year after year.
Alfieri has represented himself at the national level multiple times, notably competing in the U.S. Amateur in 1988, 1999, 2001, 2018, 2021, and 2022. He has also participated in the U.S. Mid-Amateur, with numerous appearances including 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016, reaching the Round of 32 in each of those years.
Despite his abundant accomplishments, Alfieri is still making waves. In August, he was named Captain of the North Team for the 15th Florida Cup, set to take place October 7-8, 2024 at Old Memorial Golf Club. This will be his sixth appearance, holding a record of 8-4-3. He is also trying to qualify for the U.S. Four-Ball Championship with his son, Cade, who is following closely in his father’s footsteps.
