Florida Azalea Senior: Rich Buckner leads by three heading into the final round

March 9, 2024 | by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com

The historic Donald Ross designed Palatka Golf Club

Some of the top senior golfers in the country are chasing Buckner in what will be a thrilling final round Sunday

Rich Buckner of Hobe Sound, Fla., leads a talented field by three shots heading into the final round of the 2024 Florida Azalea Senior Amateur Championship at Palatka Golf Club in Palatka, Fla.

Buckner is 2-under after rounds of 67-71. He was the first-round leader with 2023 champion Matthew Avril of Vero Beach, Fla., and took the solo lead heading into the final round. John Bearrie of Marana, Ariz., is in solo second place at 1-over and is three shots back of Buckner.

Kevin VandenBerg of Naples, Fla., is in solo third place at 2-over after rounds of 69-73 and is four shots back of Buckner. VandenBerg is currently ranked No. 4 in the AmateurGolf.com Senior Rankings.

Robert Bechtol of Tallahassee, Fla., is in solo fourth place at 3-over, and Avril and Rick Stimmel of Pittsburgh, Pa., are T5 at 4-over.

Buckner recently finished T7 at the Gateway Senior Invitational and 77th in Jones Cup Senior. He finished T7 in this event last year.

In the Super Senior Division, James Starnes of Fort Meyers, Fla., and David Anthony of Jacksonville, Fla., are tied for the lead at 2-over. They lead the field by two shots. In the Legends Division, Gregory Osborne of Lititz, Pa., leads by one shot a 1-under over Bobby Lundquist of Sanford, Fla.

In the Super Legends Division, Jim Carley of Ormond Beach, Fla., leads by five shots over the field at 2-over. In the Grand Master Division, Brian Sachs of Newberry, Fla., leads by three shots at 1-over. Nick Kirkland of Snellville, Ga., is in solo second place at 4-over.

Palatka Golf Club was designed by Donald Ross in 1925 and borders the beautiful Ravine State Gardens. The course is only 6000 yards long from the tips, but the small Ross greens and well-placed bunkers will give your game a test. The greens are firm and fast for the tournament.

Results: Florida Azalea Senior

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Rich Buckner	Gainesville, VA	700	67-71-72=210
2	Kevin VandenBerg	Pulaski, NY	400	69-73-69=211
3	John Bearrie	Marana, AZ	300	72-69-72=213
T4	Matthew Avril	Vero Beach, FL	300	67-77-71=215
T4	Robert Bechtol	Tallahassee, FL	300	72-71-72=215

View full results for Florida Azalea Senior

About the Florida Azalea Senior

Florida Azalea Senior: Rich Buckner leads by three heading into the final round

54 hole stroke play championship with Senior (ages 55+), Super Senior (ages 64-69), Legends (ages 70- 74) and Super Legends (ages 75+) divisions. Players will be grouped into six flights by handicap. After 36 holes the Championship flight will be cut...