With a move to The Conservatory at Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast, participant response to the fourth edition of the JAGA First Coast Amateur has been overwhelming, the host Jacksonville Area Golf Association announced recently.
Registration for the Jan. 18-20 (Martin Luther King holiday weekend) championship opened on Oct. 25 and the field of 96 was full within 30 days. In the four weeks that followed an additional 34 players signed up to have their names placed on the waiting list should there be any player withdrawals.
The 96 contestants represent 23 states, 29 colleges and six countries, including the U.S., with ages ranging from 16 to 56.
Among the entries is recently announced Florida Times-Union boys golf player of the year Jason Duff of Elkton, a Menendez High School senior and University of North Florida commit.
“We were pleasantly surprised at the increased player interest the upcoming event has enjoyed but not totally surprised,” said co-chairmen Joel Lamp and Jeff Adams. “The First Coast Amateur gained a great deal of notoriety and momentum in its first three years. With its solid national reputation, The Tom Watson-designed Conservatory golf course at Hammock Beach Resort has clearly enhanced the field.”
The First Coast Amateur is the only JAGA-run event that is promoted nationally and features multi-state and multi-national participation. The 54-hole stroke-play championship has once again attracted some of the nation’s top amateur, collegiate and junior talent, along with many of the best golfers from North Florida and the rest of the host state.
The top finishers will receive World Amateur Golf Ranking points.
Hammock Beach Resort is the tournament host, with the Palm Coast and the Flagler Beaches, Flagler Counties Tourism Office a supporting partner of the First Coast Amateur.
Details on the JAGA First Coast Amateur may be found at: www.jaxareagolf.org.
