Florida Azalea: Lance LaCombe takes a one shot lead with 18 holes left
Lance LaCombe of Jacksonville, Fla., finds himself holding the solo lead with one round of golf remaining at the 2024 Florida Azalea Amateur at Palatka Golf Club in Palatka, Fla.
LaCombe holds a two-shot lead at 7-under after a first-round 3-under 67 and a second-round 4-under 66. He recorded four birdies, two bogeys, and an eagle on the par-5 No. 10. He started his round with three birdies on the first five holes but cooled off after that.
The Jacksonville native finished T9 in the 2023 Florida Azalea Amateur.
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Ty Capps of Palm Coast, Fla., is in solo second place at 5-under after a second-round 1-under 69. Capps held a share of the first-round lead with Camden Goldknopf of Ponte Vedra, Fla., an 18-year-old William and Mary commit.
Goldknopf, Troy Vannucci of Marlton, N.J., and Giuseppe Puebla of West Palm Beach, Fla., are T3 at 4-under. Alejandro Ramos of Jacksonville, Fla., Justin Burroughs of Pensacola, Fla., and Justin Sui of Lake Orion, Mich., are T6 at 3-under.
Vannucci is a golfer to watch, as he finished in solo second place at this tournament last year and in 2022, so he will be looking to get the job done this time around.
He also finished T6 at the 2023 New Jersey State Amateur and made the match play portion of the 2023 U.S. Mid Amateur.
Capps, who played his college golf at the University of Nebraska, played in the 2006 U.S. Amateur Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn. The U.S. Amateur returns to Hazeltine in 2024.
ABOUT THE Florida Azalea
The Florida Azalea was started in 1958 as a two-man
team tourney. The field has, over the years,
boasted players who have gone on to greatness at
the professional level. Tommy Aaron, who teamed
with Dan Sykes for the 1960 Florida Azalea team
title, went on to win the 1973 Masters. And Bob
Murphy, winner of back-to-back Florida Azalea titles
while playing for the University of Florida golf team
in 1965-66, was an 11-time winner on the PGA
Tour.
The 220-man Azalea field competes in one of six
flights. The first flight is Championship, with a cut
after 36-holes. The next five flights are Net.
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