@ World Golf Village 

Home of the PGA Hall of Fame

Saturday & Sunday, May 16th-17th 

100-Player Maximum Field

$ Prize Pool

Must be a paid member to play!

(No refunds after April 19th) 

 

 

Slammer & Squire Course	King & Bear Course

This past weekend the North Florida Senior Tour had the honor to host the 2026 Hall of Fame Seniors Regional. Without a doubt fingers were crossed leading up to the event that we would have nice weather conditions and some nice courses to compete on. Well I am proud to announce the first two on the wish list came true while the third the 100 plus members made sure we got to experience and that was some great golf!! Before I go into the full recap I would like to Thank Jonathan and Ashley Luca for sponsoring this event for the second year in a row. Their generosity allows us to put on a very welcoming event for not only our members but for those who traveled from other tours to join us. Plus Ashley always helps out by handing out the memento of the event. 

     Now on to what transpired on the course over the two days. It was filled with plenty of great golf complimented by plenty of laughs especially on day one when pairing requests were honored and friends got to play together. Yet that didn't end some of the fireworks as Brad Swanson (NF) got things started with our first "North Florida Hole in One for 2026". Locked in a tight battle with John Smiley (NF) and Bruce Ford (NF) Brad approached the Par 3 15th hole needing to keep pace with John and Bruce. Pulling out a Pitching Wedge he prepared for the 145 yd shot and sure enough he dunked it in the hole!!! You could hear the excitement throughout the course. That shot allowed Brad to go on to secure the top spot and collect the trophy and Visa Gift Card. Brad also has a check on the way to him for 500 dollars as the tour sets the pot each and every year during the registration period for our tours. We still have a 500 dollar prize waiting for a Coastal member to knock one home and with plenty of events left I am pretty sure there will be one carded!!

      Back to Champ Flight we once again needed a playoff to determine the final outcome. Robin Gomez ( Orl) and John Lundgren (NF) both ended with two day totals of 149. While Robin was able to take a comfortable lead overnight from Day One the King and The Bear reared its claws and played somewhat tougher. Out they went tied and in the end Robin was able to take home the trophy. John nonetheless mentioned how he enjoyed the grind and felt great to be in that position. Congrats to both he and Robin who continues to shine for the Orlando Tour.

      "B" Flight which had the most participants (31) saw Rick James (NF) get the monkey off his back with his first victory of 2026. It didn't come easy as he had to battle the "Red Hot" Keith Padgett (NF) along with Mike Knox( NF) and Shamley Pulmano ( NF. Norm Picker (Augusta) also finished above the cutline and trust me there was a host of players who could have been right there if one or two putts fell for them. Rick though was not to be denied as he saved his best round (76) for day two on what was a tough tract.

      "C" Flight was one flight that wasn't decided till the last three holes. Christer Unnermark (NF) remained steady over those holes to secure a three stroke victory. He had no room for a mishap as Bruce Campell (ORL) , Rich Davies ( Coastal) and Keith Vetter ( NF) kept the pressure on just waiting for an opening. Christer kept steady on his way to victory and deserved a round of applause for his consistent play over the two days.

      "D" Flight was a tale of two stories. Day one saw Darrel Sturch card a solid round of 86 to take the overnight lead. Problem was day two saw Hank Brinegear ( Charleston) card a 87 for a two day total of 181. Darrel battled but his two day total of 184 came up a little short. Robert Kowalski (ORL), Steve Ozgowicz (NF) , James Porter (NF) and our ELDER STATESMEN Bill Hutchinson (NF) battled over the two days carding some nice scores. I got to do some research on Bill and Neil Bleau (NF) to see who has played in the most events over their long careers with Golfweek and the Senior Tour!! I will report back on that at a later date. 

       But at our events the winning continues on as players collect their winnings for skins, super skins, deuces and on this day "The Hole in One Pot". While John Smiley and Bruce Ford came up a little short after watching Brad Swanson's hole in one they will enjoy the 50/50 winnings as both had their names drawn. 

       Robin, Mike and myself would like to "Thank" those who joined us over the weekend for not only some golf but also for the camaraderie shared with old and new buddies. It is always great to watch as new friendships evolve from these events. We will be back there in 2027 so plan to join us again!!! 

       Now North Florida and Coastal are off to Jekyll Island on May 30th and 31st. Two days on two different courses both offering a different set of challenges. Registration is open for these two one day combo events so don't wait and sign up soon!!! 

Lodging Information

The following hotels are offering special rates during the tournament. Please support these businesses as they are supporting us! All special rates require guests to identify themselves as Senior Amateur Golf Tour participants!     World Golf Village Renaissance  Reservations 904-940-8000 500 S. Legacy Trail, St. Augustine, FL 32092 Standard rates apply    Book almost any hotel with the Senior Tour Discount thru hotelplanner: