The Jones Cup Senior Invitational is back at Sea Island Golf Club, the Seaside Course, in St. Simons Island, Ga., from March 5 to March 7. The coveted invite brings the top senior players in the country to Georgia as they compete for the title.
Entry into the Jones Cup Senior is by invitation only, and to be considered for an invitation, you must apply via registration.
The 54-hole stroke play with no cut senior invitational event started in 2012 and follows in the footsteps of the Jones Cup, an event that unofficially kicks off the amateur circuit each year.
The last two Jones Cup Senior invitationals have been decided in a playoff, and a crowded leaderboard can be expected with the elite golfers in the field.
LAST YEAR
Bob Royak won the Jones Cup Senior last year. Royak, the No. 2 ranked golfer in the AmateurGolf.com Senior Rankings, defeated Jeff Knox in a sudden-death playoff.
“This is easily one of the top one or two tournaments for the strength of the field,” Royak said after the win. “If you can win this, it’s a good feeling.” In 2022, the Jones Cup Senior ranked behind only the U.S. Senior Amateur for having the strongest field in senior amateur competition.
Royak had a stellar 2023, making the semifinals of the U.S. Senior Amateur and winning the North & South Senior and The Lupton Senior Invitational on top of the Jones Cup Senior and finishing runner-up at the Crump Cup in the Senior Division. He was also named the 2023 AGC Senior Player of the Year. Royak recently finished in solo second place in the Senior Division at the Gasparilla Invitational.
Related:Twice is nice: Bob Royak captures Jones Cup Senior
HISTORY
The Jones Cup was born from the A.W. Jones family and its commitment to amateur golf. The Jones family has owned and operated the Cloister Hotel and Sea Island Golf Club since 1928. The Sea Island Golf Club has hosted six USGA championships and was the site of the 2004 U.S. Mid-Amateur. The Jones Cup Senior Invitational is yet another extension of the family’s strong involvement in amateur golf.
PAST CHAMPIONS
2012 – Doug Hanzel
2013 – Mike Bodney
2014 – Doug Hanzel
2015 – Jack Hall
2016 – Mark Weston
2017 – Walter Todd
2018 – Gene Elliott
2019 – Doug Hanzel
2020 – Bob Royak
2021 – Doug Hanzel
2022 – Matthew Sughrue
2023 – Bob Royak
EXEMPTIONS
- Top 15 Players and ties from the 2023 Jones Cup Senior
- All Past Champions