Florida Azalea: under extreme precautions, Terry prevails by one

Former Lipscomb University golfer Ryan Terry (Nashville, Tenn.) shot a final-round 69 to win the Florida Azalea Amateur by one shot at Palatka (Fla.) Golf Club. The 27-year-old Terry rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt on he final hole that proved to be the winner. Terry, a financial consultant and former Tennessee Mid-Amateur champion, was the only player in the field to break par all three rounds, with rounds of 69-66-69 for a 6-under-par 204 total. Related: Terry wins Tennessee Mid-Am; Jackson second Another mid-amateur, Steve Albright (Ocala, Fla.), made a big charge on the final day with a 7-under 63, which was the low rounds of the tournament by three shots. Albright was the co-leader after a 66 on Friday, but fell back with a 76 in round two. Florida Gulf Coast commit Austin Cherichella (Orlando, Fla.) and mid-amateur Philip Lee (Nashville, Tenn.) tied for third at 2-under 208. Cherichella closed with a 71 and Lee had a 67. Another pair of mid-amateurs, Garrett Morrison (St. Cloud, Fla.) and Troy Vannucci (Marlton, N.J.) were the only other players under par. The Florida Azalea was one of the few amateur golf tournaments being played during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. But players flocked to the tournament, with a full field of 108 players in the championship division, and 58 more in the five B flights. The tournament took a number of precautions to ensure player safety, including forgoing a registration table, public scoreboard, limited clubhouse access, and constant sanitizing of public areas. There was even a local rule change for bunkers, since all rakes were removed from the course. Players were asked to rake bunkers with their feet, and if a ball came to rest in a footprint or foot-raked area, the player was allowed to place the ball at the nearest point of relief. DAY ONE REPORT Former Lipscomb University golfer Ryan Terry (Nashville, Tenn.) will take a two-shot lead into the final round of the Florida Azalea Amateur at Palatka Golf Club. The 27-year-old Terry shot rounds of 69-66 to reach 5 under par through two rounds. He leads another mid-amateur, 46-year-old Garrett Morrison of St. Cloud, Fla., who shot rounds of 70-67. Morrison finished 6th in last year's Florida Azalea. Also at 3 under is Florida Gulf Coast commit Austin Cherichella (Orlando, Fla.), who followed a 67 with a 70 on Saturday. Jeremy Sisson (Skaneateles, N.Y.) and Troy Vannucci (Marlton, N.J.) are both 2 under par after matching rounds of 69-69. Philip Lee (Nashville, Tenn.), winner of last year's Carlton Woods Invitational, started strong with a 4-under 66 but fell back to one over par with a 75. Five members of the Slayden family are in the field: Kevin Sr. and his four sons, Kevin Jr., Stewart, Spenser, and Lucas. The five are from Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. and Spenser tops the Slayden leaderboard with rounds of 74-71. Kevin Jr. got some notoriety last summer when he had two holes-in-one in the same tournament. The cut fell at 153, with Adam Wagner (Jacksonville, Fla.) making an epic rebound to qualify for Sunday's final round. Wagner shot a 70 after opening with an 83. The tournament concludes with the final round on Sunday morning.