Earsley Wins Florida Senior Amateur

April 17, 2009 | by Florida State Golf Association

Steve Earsley and Brian Sachs

Steve Earsley, of Hobe Sound, captures his first FSGA Championship at Black Diamond Ranch

LECANTO, Fla. (April 16, 2009)--Steve Earsley held onto his second round lead during the final round of the Senior Amateur Championship at Black Diamond Ranch in Lecanto to capture the victory. In the Super Senior Division, Brian Sachs had a come-from-behind victory.

Steve Earsley, of Hobe Sound, captured his first Florida State Golf Association Championship by stringing together rounds of 72-72-75 for a 219 tournament total and a three stroke victory. Earsley, the 2003 and 2004 Golfweek #1 ranked player-of-the year and 2007 FSGA Senior Amateur runner-up, started with a birdie at the first hole in his final round. Adding another birdie to get to two under, he gave away strokes at holes seven and eight after shortsiding himself on his approach and leaving difficult up-and-downs that resulted in bogies. The bad luck continued on the back nine, with a string of four bogies in the first four holes. He again shortsided himself on the tenth hole, three-putted both the eleventh and twelfth holes, and missed a three-footer on the thirteenth. Battling with a trio of contenders, Earsley found himself with only a one stroke lead with five holes to play. Bolstered by a par on the fourteenth hole, Steve stuck his approach shot to a foot on the fifteenth to give him a tap-in birdie. “The panic had started to set-in. After I parred fourteen and hit it to one-foot on fifteen I felt a whole lot better,” Earsley remarked. A birdie on the eighteenth hole sealed the victory. Jim Carley, of Ormond Beach, shot the only under-par round of the day in the Senior Division to leap into a tie for second place after shooting rounds of 78-73-71 for a 222 tournament total. John Darr, of Gainesville, also finished second with rounds of 75-74-73.

Brian Sachs, of Newberry, overcame a six-stroke deficit to have an impressive come-from-behind victory in the Super Senior Division. Tied for fourth place heading into the final round, Sachs scorched the course, returning the only under-par round in the Super Senior Division. He followed his rounds of 78 and 76 with a one-under par 71 to win by three strokes. Edward Craig, of Orlando, finished in second place with rounds of 76-78-74 for a 228 total. Ed Duffy, of West Palm Beach, shot rounds of 72-76-81 for a 229 total and claimed third place honors.

About the Florida Senior Amateur

The Florida Senior Championship is for those individuals over the age of 55. 54 holes of stroke play, with a cut to the low 60 and ties after 36 holes. Must be a Florida State Golf Assocation member member.

Most Popular Articles

GOLF'S LONGEST DAY: 2026 U.S. Open Final Qualifying Monday June 8

Jun 5, 2026Follow along from 10 locations - our team is on the ground looking for the best stories

2026 U.S. Open Final Qualifying: Live Tracker for Golf's Longest Day

Jun 8, 2026Every 2026 U.S. Open Final Qualifying leaderboard in one place. Live scoring for all 10 Golf's Longest Day sites

How to Watch the 2026 NCAA Golf Championships

May 20, 2026Everything you need to tune into the men's and women's NCAA Division I golf championships at Omni La Costa

2026 NCAA Men's Golf Championship: Live Coverage, Field & Daily Updates from La Costa

Jun 3, 2026Auburn defeats UCLA at La Costa to capture its second NCAA men’s golf championship in three years.

Stanford Wins 4th NCAA Women's Golf Title, Tops USC

May 26, 2026The Cardinals closed a dominant week at La Costa with another match-play crown — their fourth national title

Filters

Related Tournament

Florida Senior Amateur

View Details

Loading latest news...

Loading article...