Florida Azalea: Lance LaCombe prevails in the Sunshine state

March 17, 2024 | by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com

Lance LaCombe (Palatka Golf Club Photo)

LaCombe took the 54-hole lead and a final round 2-under 70 helped him hold off a talented field and win by two shots

Lance LaCombe of Jacksonville, Fla., shot a final round even par 70 to win the 2024 Florida Azalea Amateur at Palatka Golf Club in Palatka, Fla.

LaCombe finished 7-under, two shots better than Giuseppe Puebla of West Palm Beach, Fla., who finished in solo second place at 5-under.

LaCombe secured 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 in the second round. 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.

Troy Vannucci of Marlton, N.J., finished in solo third place at 4-under. Vannucci is ranked No. 260 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com U.S. Rankings.

Vannucci has had some close calls in this tournament, finishing in solo second place at this tournament in 2023 and in 2022. He also finished T6 at the 2023 New Jersey State Amateur and made the match play portion of the 2023 U.S. Mid Amateur.

Justin Burroughs of Pensacola, Fla., and Ty Capps of Palm Coast, Fla., finished T4 at 2-under, and Camden Goldknopf of Ponte Vedra, Fla., a William and Mary commit, and Jack VanderSchuur of Tampa, Fla., finished T6 at even par.

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.

Alejandro Ramos of Jacksonville, Fla., Justin Sui of Lake Orion, Mich., and Henry Robards of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., rounded out the top ten, finishing T8 at 2-over.

2022 champion Cody Carroll of Jacksonville, Fla., finished T11 at 3-over.

Results: Florida Azalea

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Lance Lacombe	Jacksonville, FL	300	67-66-70=203
2	Giuseppe Puebla	W. Palm Beach, FL	200	68-68-69=205
3	Troy Vannucci	Marlton, NJ	100	71-65-70=206
T4	Justin Burroughs	Pensacola, FL	100	68-69-71=208
T4	Ty Capps	Palm Coast, FL	100	66-69-73=208

View full results for Florida Azalea

About the Florida Azalea

Florida Azalea: Lance LaCombe prevails in the Sunshine state

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, w...