Derek Bard of Atlantic Beach, Jared Wolfe of Nocatee, Ivan Camilo-Ramirez of Jacksonville Beach also move on to second-stage qualifiers Dec. 2-5
‘Biarritz’ green will be a feature of Deerwood renovation of No. 12
The Deerwood Country Club will begin a renovation project next year, supervised by architect Erik Larsen.
Bolles and University of Florida graduate A.J. Crouch and University of North Florida graduate Robbie Higgins both finished strong to advance on the number in a PGA Tour First Stage qualifier at the Magnolia Grove Crossing Course on Oct. 24 in Semmes, Ala.
Crouch (69 in the final round) and Higgins (68) both finished at 12-under-par 276 to tie for 14th and claim two of the last five qualifying spots. They will advance to second-stage qualifying Dec. 2-5 at five sites throughout the country.
Crouch, finishing his round on the front nine, birdied Nos. 2, 3 and 4, but doubled the fifth hole. He then made three pars in a row and birdied the ninth to secure his spot in the second stage.
Higgins, who also finished on the front, shot 3-under with no bogeys on his final nine.
Nease graduate Marcus Plunkett finished alone in sixth in the qualifier at 16-under.
Also advancing to second stage:
Derek Bard of Atlantic Beach birdied four of five holes at one point and shot 68 to tied for fifth with Herman Senke of Ponte Vedra Beach (67) at 16-under 272 at the Champions Point Golf Club in Henryville, Ind.
Jared Wolfe of Nocatee made two eagles on the front nine at Bermuda Run in North Carolina, and with three birdies had a six-hole stretch at 7-under. He nearly needed every shot as he was 2-over for his final 10 holes and shot 67 to tie for 13th, qualifying by one shot clear of the bubble at 6-under 278.
Dalton Ward of St. Simons Island, Ga., shot 5-under with no bogeys over his final 14 holes at Bermuda Run to shoot 67 and qualify on the number at 5-under.
Ivan Camilo-Ramirez of Jacksonville Beach tied for medalist with Luis Gagne of Orlando at the Country Club of Ocala at 16-under 272. Joey Garber of St. Simons Island (9-under 279) tied for 11th and Jacob Solomon of Jacksonville (7-under 281) tied for 17th to qualify. Solomon parred his last 11 holes for a 73 to make it on the number at 7-under.
Players who advance from second-stage qualifying will play in the PGA Tour Q-School presented by Korn Ferry Dec. 11-14 at the TPC Sawgrass Dye’s Valley and Sawgrass Country Club.
Miles Russell invited to Walker Cup practice
Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach is one of four high school players who are among 18 amateurs invited to a Walker Cup practice session Dec. 18-20 at the Seminole Golf Club, Jupiter Hills and Club and McArthur Golf Club.
Also invited who are still high-school age are Mason Howell of Thomasville, Ga., Tyler Watts of Huntsville, Ala., and Luke Colton of Frisco, Texas. College invitees include University of Florida junior Jack Turner and Auburn junior Jackson Koivun.
An invitation to the Walker Cup practice session does not guarantee selection to the team. Players not invited will also still be under consideration for the 2026 matches and seven members of the 2025 team will be at the practice sessions.
The next Walker Cup will be Sept. 5-6 at the Lahinch Golf Club in Ireland. The matches will be on an even-numbered year basis starting in 2026 to avoid a conflict with the World Amateur Team Championship. The U.S. beat Great Britain/Ireland 17-9 at Cypress Point in September.
Marsh Creek wins team event
The Marsh Creek team of director of golf Bryce DiPatri and club members John Matulia, Kodi Merrell and Ashley Casey won the 43rd Jacksonville Area Golf Association Club Team Championship on Oct. 27 at the King & Bear, posting an 8-under 208 under a format of one best gross ball and two best net balls of the foursome.
They defeated the Deercreek team of Lee Fields, Chandler Altman, Mark Rutland and Richard Scott by four shots, with the TPC Sawgrass team of Ryan Burke, Brad Rollinson, Jane Rollinson and Tricia Eger another shot behind.
Flagler’s Henriette Stranda wins Fall Slam
Flagler College senior Henriette Stranda captured her fourth college championship at the 23rd annual Flagler Fall Slam, posting a 10-under 206 at Marsh Creek to win by five strokes over Lindsay Lee of Rollins in the Saints’ final event of the fall season.
Flagler was third in the team standings at 16-over, 10 shots behind Rollins and five shots behind Daytona State College.
Stranda posted three rounds in the 60s and closed with a 69. She won two of the team’s final three tournaments and her 54-hole score was Flagler’s low for the fall and her second-round 68 tied her season low.
Addy Vogt of Jacksonville, a Rollins freshman, shot 1-under 215 to finish alone in fourth. Two Fleming Island players for DSC finished among the top 10, Cambree Hodge (1-over, tie for fifth) and Kalia Polete (4-over, tie for 10th).
UNF wraps up in Hawaii
University of North Florida sophomore Danny Erickson of Ponte Vedra Beach and freshman Luke Balaskiewicz of Jacksonville both posted their career-best 54-hole scores of 8-under 205 to tie for 25th in the Ka’anapali Classic Collegiate in Hawaii, the Ospreys’ final fall event.
Both shot 70 in the final round. Balaskiewicz had six birdies. North Florida junior Filippo Serra also posted his career low with a 7-under 206.
UNF tied for ninth as a team at 24-under 828. The scores were low with Oklahoma winning at 63-under.
North captures Florida Cup
Players from the First Coast were part of a 7-0 sweep of fourball matches and the North went on to beat the South in the seventh Florida Cup 15.5-12.5 at the Mountain Lake Club in Lake Wales.
Lori Collins of Jacksonville and Xiaolin Jones of St. Augustine beat Betsy Knight and Peggy Butts 4-2 to highlight the contributions of the area players in the fourball session. North co-captain Therese Quinn of Jacksonville and Kathleen Bordeau defeated Mary Jane Hiestand and Kathy Glennon 4 and 3; Shauna Snyder of Fernandina Beach and Susie Keane beat Gigi Higgins and Suzanne Ricard 4 and 3; Tama Caldabaugh of Ponte Vedra Beach and Lin Culver of Palm Coast topped Susan Cohn and Kim Keyer-Scott 2-1; and Christine Hunt of Ponte Vedra and Ann Pohira-Vieth beat Cheryl Sandlon-Man Zhang 2-1.
Snyder and Caldabaugh also won a foursomes match over Hiestand and Ricard 1-up and Jones and Pohira-Vieth beat Knights and Butts 3-2.
Hunt won her singles match over Man Zhang 2 and 1 and Caldabaugh halved with Hiestand. The North entered singles with a 10-4 lead.
After the South won the first five meetings, the North has won the last two.
Sahana Chokshi heads to Nashville
Episcopal junior Sahana Chokshi announced on her Instagram account that she has verbally committed to play golf at Vanderbilt, the second area product to commit to play for the Commodores.
Fleming Island senior Tyler Mawhinney announced last year that he will play at Vanderbilt. Chokshi will also follow Nease graduate Auston Kim, now on the LPGA Tour, in playing for the Commodores.
Chokshi is currently ranked seventh among high school Class 1A players by the FHSAA and is 12th overall. She was the co-medalist at the District 4-1A tournament earlier this week and will play in the Region 1-1A tournament on Nov. 3 at Eagle Harbor.
Chokshi is also 65th in the nation on the American Junior Golf Association rankings.
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