August: Team FL SE Challenge Watchlist

August Southeastern Challenge Watchlist

The Southeastern Challenge Match occurs in every "odd" calendar year. The FSGA selects a twelve player team to represent Florida in this biennial competition against Alabama and Georgia consisting of seven Mid-Amateurs (25 and older), two Senior Amateurs (55 and older), two players 50 and older and one player 21 years and older.

Full information about "What is the Southeastern Challenge?"

Victorious 2015 Florida Southeastern Challenge Match Team

SE Challenge History

Mid-Amateur & Amateur Watch List (8 Selections)

• (5) Mid-Amateur players with the highest point totals from the Two Year Points List as of September 20th
• (2) Mid-Amateur players selected by the FSGA Championship Committee
• (1) Amateur player 21 and older selected by the FSGA Championship Committee

Full SE Challenge Points LIst

The Summer majors are now complete and the 13 players listed below have positioned themselves to make a run on automatic selection based on the points they have earned already, with the limited summer schedule remaining!

Remaining Events:

• Mid-Senior Championship
• Mid-Senior Four-Ball Championships (North & South)
• US Amateur Championship
• US Mid-Amateur Qualifying & Championship

1. 

   Marc Dull (pictured right) - The defending Mid-Amateur Player of the Year leads the race, adding more points as him and partner Chip Brooke advanced to the Round of 32 at the US Four-Ball Championship. Dull posted top 15 finishes at both the State Amateur and Amatuer Public Links. He was the 36 hole leader at the Amateur Championship for the second consecutive year. Him and Brooke would finish solo 4th at the Four-Ball Championship.

2. Joe Alfieri (50 & Over Eligible) - Joe continued his steady play in June posting top 10's at both the Amateur (8th) and Public Links (t10th). Joe & his son Cade, posted at T29 finish at the Four-Ball Championship, and Joe advanced to the Round of 32 at the Amateur Match Play Championship.

3. Chip Brooke - The 2016 Mid-Amateur Champion amassed more points, finishing T17th at the Amateur Championship and 4th at the Four-Ball Championship along with Marc Dull.

4. Jordan Batchelor (21 & Over Eligible) - The former University of North Florida standout captured the 2018 Four-Ball Championship in 2018, along with Michael Mattiace, and after his Senior year at UNF has put together a solid summer campaign. Batchelor advanced to US Open Sectional Qualifying and qualified for the US Amatuer, and captured the Jacksonville City Amateur outside of FSGA Competition. In the two FSGA Championships he's competed in, Batchelor was runner-up at both the Amateur Championship (play-off loss to Ben Reichert), and Amatuer Match Play (falling to Andrew Kozan in the final). He will have an opportunity to move even higher on the list next week at the US Amateur at Pinehurst.

5. T J Shuart - Shuart has been on fire in May, accumulating 7500 points between a win at the Mid-Amateur Championship, qualifying with Kasey Denesevich for the US Four-Ball Championship, and capturing the Mid-Amateur Four-Ball South alongside Scott Turner.

6. Miles McConnell (50 & Over Eligible) -The defending Mid-Senior Champion advanced to match play at May's Mid-Amateur Championship and made the cut at the Florida Senior Open.

7. Devon Hopkins - Devon joins the watch list after advancing to match play at the Mid-Amateur Championship, and then the following week at the US Four-Ball Championship - alongside Matt Kleinrock - advancing to the quarterfinals. Hopkins stumbled at the Amatuer, missing the cut, but had a strong July that saw him finish T14 at the Florida Open, T16 at the Four-Ball Championship, advancing to the Round of 16 at the Amateur Match Play Championship, and qualifying for the US Amateur.

8. Scott Turner - The defending Mid-Amatuer Stroke Play Champion will look to win his 2nd Amateur Public Links crown. Turner captured the Mid-Amateur Four-Ball South Championship along with T J Shuart and advanced to match play at the Mid-Amateur.

9. Derek Hurwitch - Derek moved up the Points List very quickly, gaining almost all of his points in the spring and summer of 2019. Hurwitch captured the Two-Man Shoot-Out alongside Doug Schneider. The pair then finished T3 at the Mid-Amateur Four-Ball South, and T32 at the Four-Ball Championship. Individually, Hurwitch finished T26 at the Amateur Championship, was co-medalist at the Amateur Match Play where he advanced to the semifinals, and advanced to the Round of 16 at the Mid-Amatuer Championship in May.

10. Mike Finster (50 & Over Eligible) - Finster has seen much success this year, making the cut at the Florida Senior Open and a T13 at the Mid-Amateur Four-Ball North. Finster was the 2nd low amateur and posted a top 15 at the Florida Open for the 2nd consecutive season.

11. Marc France -  A match play qualifier for the 2018 US Mid-Amateur, France has had a steady 2019, capturing the Senior / Mid-Amateur Four-Ball Championship with Tom Kleppe, advancing to match play at the Mid-Amateur Championship, and posting a 5th place finish with Carl Santos-Ocampo at the Mid-Amateur Four-Ball South. Again in July, along with Carl Santos-Ocampo, the team posted a runner-up finish at the Four-Ball Championship, their second consecutive top 3 finish.

12. Steve Carter - The two-time Mid-Amateur Champion advanced to the Quarterfinals at the Mid-Amateur Championship, and posted a top 10 at the Mid-Amateur Four-Ball North alongside Robert Bechtol, and a runner-up finish at the Two-Man Shoot-Out with Bob Campione. Steve made the cut in the 102nd Amateur Championship, and posted a T16 at the Four-Ball Championship.

13. Joey Latowski - In his second consecutive year of advancing to match play at the Mid-Amateur Championship, he reached the finals, before falling to T J Shuart in 21 holes. Latowski and Ben Finley posted at T6 at the Mid-Amateur Four-Ball South. Latowski then posted a top 10 at the Amateur Championship 

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Senior Watch List (4 Selections)

• (1) Senior player with the highest point totals from the Senior Two Year Points List as of September 20th
• (1) Senior player selected by the FSGA Championship Committee
• (2) Players 50 and older selected by the FSGA Championship Committee (50 & Over Eligible Players may come from either points list)

Remaining Events:

• Mid-Senior Championship
• Mid-Senior Four-Ball Championships (North & South)
• US Senior Amateur Championship
• US Mid-Amateur Qualifying & Championship

Full Senior SE Challenge Points List

1. Pete Williams (pictured right) - Williams is the defending Senior Player of the Year and Senior Match Play Champion, posted a top 10 at the Senior Amatuer in April, and made the cut at the Florida Senior Open. Williams is exempt to the US Senior Amateur Championship at the end of August.
2. Don Whittemore (pictured right) - Whittemore has seen much success in Four-Balls winning the Mid-Senior Four-Ball North (Dan Debra) and Senior Four-Ball (Pete Williams) in 2018, and a top 25 at the Senior Amateur.
3. Jimmy Jones - Jones has been the bridesmaid twice in 2019, first at the Senior / Mid-Amateur Four-Ball with Chip Brooke, and then at the Senior Amateur Championship.
4. Owen Joyner - Joyner rose to 4th on the points list after capturing the Senior Amateur Match Play Championship for the 2nd time in 3 years. Over the last 3 seasons, he has posted a 14-1 match play record at the Senior Match Play, with his only defeat coming to Pete Williams in the 2018 finals.
5. Matthew Avril - Riding momentum from qualifying for the 2018 US Mid-Amateur, Avril was the low amateur at the Florida Senior Open, also advanced to Match Play at the Mid-Amateur Championship and the Round of 32 at the Amatuer Match Play Championship. He will compete next at the Mid-Senior Championship