Women's Senior Amateur Match Play Championship

Championship Format

• Individual match play with consolation flights for all divisions
• Championship Division will play gross match play
• Super-Senior Championship Division will play gross match play
• Middle and Forward Divisions will play net match play
• The Championship Division and the Super-Senior Championship Division will be seeded by an 18-hole stroke play seeding round
  • Defending champion receives the #1 seed if electing to play in the same division
• Middle and Forward Divisions will be pre-flighted and seeded by handicap index
• In the event of a tied match, the stipulated round extends to as many holes as are required for a match to be won

Eligibility

• Female amateur golfer
  
• Florida residency required
• At least 50 years of age as of the first day of the Championship
• At least 65 years of age as of the first day of the Championship to select to play in the Super-Senior Division at time of entry
• A valid Florida GHIN Handicap Index not exceeding 34.0
• Entrant is required to be a member of the FSGA

Entry Fee

• Championship Divisions - $250
• Middle & Forward Divisions - $210
• Entry fee includes all competitive rounds of golf, tee gift, lunch voucher for round 2, and gift certificate prizes
• Late entries will be accepted subject to a $10 late entry fee should the entrant gain acceptance into the field

Schedule of Events

• Monday, June 24th
  
  • 7:15 AM - 9:45 AM - Tournament Registration
  • 8:00 AM -10:00 AM - Round 1 stroke play seeding (Championship Divisions) and matches (Middle & Forward) off #1 & #10 tees
• Tuesday, June 25th
  
  • 8:00 AM - 9:39 AM - First round matches (Championship Divisions) and second round matches and consolations matches (Middle & Forward) off #1 & #10 tees
  • 11:30 PM - Player lunch available
  • 12:30 PM (approx.) - Championship Division second round matches and consolation matches
  • 1:15 PM (approx.) - Super-Senior Championship Division semifinal and consolation matches
• Wednesday, June 26th
  • 8:00 - 8:49 AM Championship Division semifinal and consolation matches off #1 tee
  • 8:56 - 9:17 AM Super-Senior Championship Division championship round and consolation matches off #1 tee
  • 9:24 - 10:09 AM Middle and Forward Division championship round and consolation matches off #1 tee
  • 12:30 PM approx. - Championship Divisions championship round and consolation matches off #1 tee

Fine For Withdrawing

• Due to the nature of this match play event, and to ensure that all players have a match to compete in, a player who withdraws during the competition (including the stroke play seeding round) will be assessed a $250 fine and will not be eligible for next year's championship. It is unfair to your fellow players who spend their own time and money to travel to the Championship, and are subsequently left to sit in their hotel room because another player has chosen to withdraw out of frustration or an undesired seeding position or first round loss. When entering the Championship, please take this into consideration. 
• If you believe you cannot fulfill the tournament schedule, please leave the spot open for another player.

Exempt Criteria

• The previous year's Champion and Runner-Up will be held a spot until June 3, 2024. 

Entry Priority

• The following players have entry priority provided they submit an entry prior to the entry priority deadline of June 3, 2024. The FSGA will hold 32 spots for the Championship and 16 spots for the Super-Senior Championship Divisions until June 3rd, after which, entries will be accepted based upon order of receipt. 
  • Quarterfinalists from last year's Women's Senior Amateur Match Play Championship
  • Last 5 Women's Senior Amateur Champions
  • The low senior amateur from the current year's Florida Women's Senior Open
  • Top 10 players and tied from the current year's Women's Senior Player of the Year Points List
  • Any player qualifying for the current year's U.S. Senior Women's Open Championship
  • Any player qualifying for the current year's U.S. Senior Women's Amateur Championship
  • Committee Exemptions
• After the Entry Priority Deadline
  • Entries received after the entry priority deadline of June 3, 2024, will be accepted based upon order of receipt. 
• After the Close of Entries
  • Entries received after the competitive field is full or after the close of entries, will be placed on an alternates list. Alternates will be contacted in the order of receipt of entry, if and when, a spot becomes available. 
  • The FSGA may hold an undisclosed number of spots for exceptional circumstances.

Alternate Lists

• Once a division has reached maximum capacity, subsequent entries for that division will be placed on a list of alternates for that division based upon order of receipt
• There will be a list of alternates for each division - alternates are then used to replace any players who withdraw from that division prior to the competition

Seeding and Flighting

• Players will be flighted and seeded based on the following criteria:
• The Championship Division will be seeded based on their round one stroke play seeding round score.
  • Defending Champion receives the #1 seed if electing to play in the same division
  • There will be a hole-by-hole play-off to determine the 16th seed in the Championship flight.
  • All other seeding ties will be broken by lot
• The Super-Senior Championship Division will be seeded based on their round one stroke play seeding score.
  • Defending Champion receives the #1 seed if electing to play in the same division
  • There will be a hole-by-hole play-off to determine the eighth seed in the Championship flight. 
  • All other seeding ties will be broken by lot
• The Middle and Forward Divisions will be flighted and seeded by their respective handicap index
  • In the case of a handicap tie, the Committee will decide by lot
  • For example, a player in the Middle First Flight has the lowest handicap of her flight of eight. She will earn the number one (1) seed for the Championship
  • Once pairings are posted, if there is a withdrawal, flights will NOT be reseeded. Rather, the alternate will assume the position and seed of the withdrawn player

Handicap Requirements

• Handicap indexes will be updated on Monday, June 17, 2024 (7 days prior to the championship start date).
• Each player must have a valid Florida GHIN Handicap Index no higher than 34.0. In accordance with the WHS, players are expected to post all acceptable scores to their GHIN scoring record following the completion of each round. If there are any gaps in a players scoring record from the past twelve months, please be sure to have those posted by June 16, 2024.
• Players in the Middle and Forward Divisions will play to 95% of their lowest index (LI) starting on January 1, 2024.
• Players must have a minimum of (3) scores posted during the calendar year to be eligible

It is the responsibility of any player that maintains a Handicap Index lower than her current Florida GHIN Handicap Index to inform the FSGA for resolution. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.

Handicap Requirements

The following should be considered when selecting divisions:

• Championship Division - 10.0 and Under
• Super-Senior Championship Division - 14.0 and Under
• Middle Division - 7.0 -14.0
• Forward Division - 15.0 and Over

Committee Discretion: The Championship Committee reserves the right to move any player out of the Forward Division if their handicap is significantly lower than the majority of the competitors in that division, and their scoring history does not reflect the need to play from the Forward Division yardage.

Championship Practice Rounds

• Practice rounds are available one week prior to the event, limited to after 12:00PM on weekends on a space available basis. The practice round rate for this event is $40 + tax. Please contact Sugar Mill Country Club directly to schedule a practice round at (386) 426-5210. 
• The proper place to practice your golf swing is on the driving range, hitting multiple shots on the course is unacceptable.