2015 champion Richard Donegan
(Photo by Florida State G.A.)
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Richard Donegan of Okeechobee started day one of the Florida Amateur Public Links Championship with a bang by posting the course record, ten-under par 62 at Celebration Golf Club in Kissimmee.
Donegan led the field by five strokes after round one with Drew Cooke in second place. TJ Shuart, the 2014 Public Links Champion, lingered close by tied for third place with Devin Suri, Kevin Reilly, and Jessel Mohammed who all shot 68.
Donegan held onto the lead during round two after shooting a two-under par 70. Joe Alfieri, 2015 Mid-Amateur Stroke Play Champion, moved up the leaderboard to third place with a five-under par, 67. Devin Suri, of Saint Augustine finished the second round two strokes behind Donegan, in second place, with a two-day tournament total 134. Shuart fell to fourth place after a round two score of 71.
Sunday’s final round was a fight between Alfieri, of Lutz and Donegan. After the front-nine Alfieri was only two strokes behind Donegan who still remained in the lead. Alfieri opened with a three-under par, 33 while Donegan posted an even par 36. Playing hard, Donegan posted two birdies on holes 10 and 12 to finish his final round one-under par, 71. Alfieri fired three birdies on the back-nine and stood on 18 tee box one stroke behind Donegan.
Alfieri missed his birdie putt on 18 to force a playoff and Donegan was crowned champion. With rounds of 62-70-71—203, Donegan seized a victory and an exemption into the State Amateur. Alfieri finished one stroke behind in second place (70-67-67—204) and Devin Suri moved down to third place after a round three score of 73, tournament total 207.
Donegan, who plays golf for the University of Florida, earned his first FSGA win at the Amateur Public Links Championship.
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ABOUT THE Florida Amateur Public Links
For public course players, the Public Links
Championship is 36 holes of stroke play
and
flighted after 18 holes. Competitors must
be
bona fide public course players who have
not
held privileges at any course that does
not
extend playing privileges to the general
public,
or privileges at any private club
maintaining its
own course. A bona fide public course
player
may hold incidental privileges at a course
not
open to the public when such privileges
are
provided by (1) an educational institution
at
which he/she attends, or (2) a federal
armed
service at which he/she is a member, or
(3) an
industry by which he/she is employed.
Players
must be a member of the FSGA.
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