St. Johns Golf Club director of golf Wes Tucker was named the North Florida PGA Section Professional of the Year at the section’s recent awards banquet at the Evermore Orlando Resort.
Tucker, who has guided the golf operations at the municipal course in Elkton since 1989, was named the Northern Chapter Pro of the Year earlier this year. Tucker was also elected the section secretary, which puts him in line to be the president of the nation’s third-largest PGA section.
Also cited at the banquet:
J.J. Nelson called his shot
J.J. Nelson was running hot under the collar after a three-putt from 3 feet at the ninth hole of The Yards during a recent Saturday game with a group called “The Hacks.”
The former filmmaker from New York who is now on the staff at Lauden Golf, stood on the tee of the par-3 10th hole, the first of the six-hole par-3 loop at The Yards, and mentally did the math: he was 4-over and needed three birdies in a row to give his team a chance to win the competition.
Then he remarked to no one in particular, “Forget that … I need a hole-in-one to get back in the hunt.”
Nelson then did exactly that. Using a Hogan Apex 9-iron, he hit a high fade that hit the green and spun back into the side door for his first ace in more than 20 years of playing golf.
One of the players in his group was Nelson’s father John.
“That made it more special,” Nelson said.
He then parred the last two of the 12 holes the group played to finish at 2-over. His skin for acing No. 10 was worth $245.
After the congratulations and high fives were over, Nelson’s father summed it up: “There’s only one time for a first time.”
Florida Amateur fields loaded with area players
The First Coast could have as many as 25 players in the field for the 109th Florida Amateur June 11-14, at the Dye Preserve and the Club at Admiral’s Cove in Jupiter.
Fifteen players are exempt, including Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach, the No. 1-ranked player on the American Junior Golf Association, and past Florida Times-Union high school players of the year Tyler Mawhinney of Fleming Island, Andrew Riley of Palm Coast and Brock Blais of Ponte Vedra Beach.
Also exempt into the tournament are Luke Balaskiewicz and Jordan Batchelor of Jacksonville; Carson Brewer, Jeff Dennis, Camden Smith and Mike Smith of Ponte Vedra Beach; Colton Swartz and Emmet Kuhlenkamp of Fleming Island; Nolan Harper of St. Augustine; 2024 Florida Amateur champion Jimmy Ellis of Atlantic Beach; and Andrew McLauchlan of Neptune Beach.
The tournament field will be finalized on June 8. Some exempt players could choose to opt out of the tournament.
Leading the 10 area qualifiers is Noah Ochob of Ponte Vedra, who won a qualifier at the Slammer & Squire with a 4-under 68. Other qualifiers are Michael Luc and Jacob Hitt of Jacksonville; Landon Durham and Cam Goldknopf of Ponte Vedra; Ambrose Kinnare, Christopher Grota and Gavin Daino of St. Augustine; Ryan Houck of Fleming Island and Barton Abstein of St. Johns.
Nancy Cox of Ponte Vedra Beach and Kaitlyn Schroeder of Jacksonville are the area’s exempt players in the Florida Women’s Amateur June 11-14 at the Royal Poinciana Golf Club Cypress Course in Naples. Two area players won or shared qualifiers. Maddie Rathjen of St. Augustine shot 69 to win at the Vanderbilt Country Club and Stella Moritz of Ponte Vedra Beach finished among four players tied for first at 1-under 71 at the Lake Jovita Golf Club.
FSGA tournament results
Christopher Grota of St. Augustine shot 2-over 217 to win the boys division of the Florida Junior Tour’s Innisbrook 13-15 Major. Jack Cole of Jacksonville Beach (223) was fourth and Benny Ossi and Atharva Rajeshkumar of Ponte Vedra tied for seventh (227). … Ambrose Kinnare of St. Augustine finished two shots out of a playoff in the FJT 16-18 major at Old Corkscrew at even-par 216. Gatlin Albright of Stuart birdied the second playoff hole to beat Reed Weekley of Davie. … Christine Hunt of Ponte Vedra and Shan Giordano of St. Augustine shot 150 to finish second in the middle division flight of the Florida Women’s Four-Ball at Black Diamond on May 30-31. Liz Boudreaux of Atlantic Beach and Paula Holmes of Jacksonville (154) tied for third gross and Fran Clinkscales of Amelia Island and Lou Tenarvitz of Fernandina Beach (157) tied for sixth in the gross division and were second in the net division (134).
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: St. Johns Golf Club director of golf Wes Tucker earns Section’s top honor
Reporting by Garry Smits, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Garry Smits, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union | USA TODAY Network
