Scott Turner (Ben Adelberg/Back of the Range Photo)
Scott Turner shot a final round 69 to win the Gasparilla Invitational by a shot over
Steele Dewald and
Will Davenport.
After 36 holes, Turner was a shot behind the leaders Davenport and Nate Gahman. A 33 on the front nine, with birdies on the third and sixth holes created a two shot swing. Both Davenport and Gahman shot 35 on the front, so Turner headed to the back nine with a one-shot lead.
Turner dropped a shot on the 12th hole and fell into a tie with Davenport who made pars on hole Nos. 10-13. Gahman fell out of contention with bogeys on the 10th, 12th, and 14th holes.
Steele Dewald was also in the hunt. After roller-coaster rounds of 65-74, he opened with birdies on the first two holes to get to 3-under par. However, he could never get to 4-under par. He ripped off seven straight pars on the front nine and then made a bogey on 10 and a birdie 16. He signed for the low score of the day, a 68, which was matched by two players farther down the leaderboard: Matthew Lowe and Ryan Terry.
Over the course of the back nine, Turner simply held on, which seemed to be a theme for the entire field. Nine players shot under par on Saturday including just four of the top 11 finishers. After his bogey on 12, a birdie on 16 got him back to 5-under par, a score no one else reached during the day.
That insurance was pivotal because he made a bogey on 17, and it was enough for a one-shot victory.
Miles McConnell defended his 2024 Senior Division title with scores of 68-70-75. His 3-over-par total was five shots better than Joe Alfieri and Bob Royak.
DAY TWO RECAP
After 36 holes of the Gasparilla Invitational, Nate Gahman and Will Davenport are both 4-under par and will sleep on a one-shot lead with 18 holes left to play at Palma Ceia GC.
Gahman, a two-time Georgia Mid-Amateur champ (2022 and 2023) shot his second straight 68 on Friday in the morning shotgun wave. He’s had an easier time on the back nine at Palma Ceia, playing it in 3-under without a bogey. The front has been rockier for Gahman, he’s made five birdies and four bogies in the two rounds. A good start in the final round will be pivotal if he wants to get his hands on one of the most unique stories in golf.
Davenport shot an opening round 66, and managed to keep his hands on the steering wheel after a tough stretch in the middle of the second round. Starting on the first hole in the afternoon wave, he made bogeys on hole Nos. 8-10 to fall to 2 under for the tournament and 2-over par for the day. Birdies on 11 and 18 helped him claw back into the lead and sign for a 70.
Scott Turner and Blanton Farmer sit one shot behind Gahman after good morning rounds. Turner shot a 69 highlighted by a trio of birdies on hole Nos. 2-4, he made one other birdie on the 15th hole. Farmer shot 66 and made five birdies and his only bogey came on the second hole.
One other player shot 66 on Friday; Ben Reeves is in a group of four players at 2-under par. Reeves had it going on the back nine. He started on the tenth hole, and recorded birdies on hole Nos. 13-15 and 18. He made three more birdies on the front nine, but three bogeys offset that barrage. Chris Wheeler, Davis Womble, and Miles McConnell also sit at 2-under par.
The trio of first-round leaders who all shot 65 - Steele Dewald, Landon Banks, and John Eades - played together on Friday morning. The group struggled as Banks and Dewald both shot 74 and Eades shot 77.
On the senior side, Mile McConnell and Bob Royak have separated themselves from their peers and are actually very much in the hunt for the championship. McConnell is 2-under par and Royak is even par. Joe Alfieri is in third place 3-over par.
DAY ONE RECAP
After the first round of the Gasparilla Invitational at Palma Ceia GC, 19 players finished under par and John Eades, Steele Dewald, and Landon Banks are tied atop the leaderboard after shooting 65. All three players came in the afternoon shotgun wave.
Eades, who won the 2019 North Carolina Amateur, made four birdies on hole Nos. 2-7 in the afternoon shotgun wave. It looked like he would be sleeping on the lead until a bogey on his final hole of the day. Steele Dewald made all of his hay on the opening and closing holes. He made four straight birdies on hole Nos. 2-5 and also recorded three straight birdies on hole Nos. 16-18.
Landon Banks spread out his five birdies throughout his bogey-free round.
William Davenport, fresh off winning the Florida State Golf Association Player and Mid-Amateur Player of the Year awards is one shots behind the leaders. Davenport made an eagle on the par-5 third and made three straight birdies on hole Nos. 16-18.
A group of seven players shot 68. Setting up a great battle the next two days.
In the Senior Division, Miles McConnell shot a two-under-par 68. He tallied five birdies and three bogeys on his trip around Palma Ceia. He holds a one shot lead over a trio of players: RJ Nakashian, Bob Royak, Mike Lohner.
That collection of players are the only ones in the division who shot under par. Joe Alfieri rounds out the top five after a 71.
PREVIEW
Some of the best mid-amateurs will convene at Palma Ceia Golf Course in Tampa Bay, Florida for the Gasparilla Invitational from February 13-15.
Originally, the Gasparilla was a professional event from 1932 to 1935. It drew players like Open Champion Denny Shute, Hall of Famer Paul Runyan, and 11-time major champion Walter Hagan. The event had the highest purse of any professional event of the time. Paul Runyan collected $962 in 1932 for his victory. It was handed to him in golf coins, befitting a pirate’s treasure.
Since 1956, when the Gasparilla was revived as an amateur event, it continued to draw exceptional players. 1960 champion, Downing Gray, was a three-time Walker Cup competitor. Gray also played in six straight Masters and won low amateur twice. The U.S. Amateur Champion Buddy Alexander won the 1976 Gasparilla, and Hal Sutton won the 1981 version before kicking off his heralded professional career.
The name of the event comes from an 18th and 19th-century Spanish-born pirate named Jose Gaspar. Every February, the Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla sponsors a “pirate invasion” and parade for the City of Tampa in honor of “the last buccaneer.”
This city-wide pirate event matches up with the timing of the original professional Gasparilla event. This is also why the winner of the event receives a trophy of a skull with golf clubs that evoke the image of a skull and crossbones. It is one of the most original trophies in golf.
Palma Ceia is a course tucked into just 90 acres of land—a tiny parcel considering modern designs needs at least 250-300 acres. It's highlighted by wickedly fast greens and closely mown green surrounds.
"That short grass can make chips very tough under pressure," said Joe Hodge, Palma Ceia's Director of Golf.
One interesting quirk is that most of the trouble at Palma Ceia is on the left side of the holes. The routing runs clockwise, so houses on the edges of the property are all along the left side of the course. That has meant that playing the ball left to right is the safer way to get the ball around. The term "Palma Ceia Push" was coined to highlight players bailing out to the right in order to avoid the omnipresent out of bounds.
Last year, Canadian Charles Fitzsimmonsbirdied the final hole to force a playoff with Miles McConnell and Park Ulrich. Fitzsimmons shot rounds of 70-72-69 (+1) and then made a birdie on the first playoff hole to continue the playoff with Ulrich. A second birdie, and his third in a row, secured the title for Fitzsimmons.
THE FIELD
Plenty of talented mid-amateurs are slated to tee it up at Palma Ceia. Last year's winner, Fitzsimmons, will try to be the first player to defend the title since Nick Mullhaupt in 2016 and 2017. The two runner-ups will return to Tampa. Also, 2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur semi-finalist and 2023 Crump Cup champion Stephen Behr Jr. will compete for the trophy. NHL referee Garrett Rank is in the field, too. Newly named 2024 FSGA Player of the Year and Mid-Amateur Player of the Year Will Davenport will tee it up in his home state in hopes of starting off his year on the right foot. Nick Maccario has recorded two runner-up finishes in recent years and will return in hopes of making it over the hump.
A few siblings of professionals are also in the field. Sep Straka's brother, Sam Straka, and Brent Snedeker's brother, Haymes Snedeker, will play this week, too.
Other past winners: Brendan Wilson (2023), Logan Blondell (2022) Chip Brooke (2021), Mike Finster (2019) are in the field.
No Laying Up's Chris "Soly" Solomon has been a staple of the event over the last few years. He joined our podcast a few years ago to talk about the experience of playing in the Gasparilla.
On the senior side, Billy Mitchell, Bob Royak, and Jerry Gunthorpe headline the field.
THE COURSE
At 6,300 yards and par 70, the course still provides a challenge with its length; however, the scoring record has been set a few times in recent years.
Joe Hodge doesn't seem too bothered by the low scores, "I don't think we feel like that's a problem. I think we feel we got great players coming in here and it's a tribute to how good the golf course is. Carson Kamps, our superintendent, does a great job and you have to have a course in good condition to score like that as well, even though it's difficult."
Even as scores get lower, players certainly feel the pain if they aren't dialed in during the Gasparilla.
"One of the players came off, and he said he didn't play well," Hodge said. "And he goes, 'I feel like I just got beat up by a six-year-old.'"
Hodge, who grew up a member at Palma Ceia and won the club championship four times, including as a 15-year-old, believes that the 18th hole tends to be an important hole. The first two rounds are shotgun starts, so not everyone finishes their round there.Iit's a scorable par 5. The clubhouse bumps up close to the back of the green. Members hang out and watch the proceedings.
"A birdie can turn into a double bogey really fast," Hodge said of the 18th hole.
The winner of the Gasparilla will have to pick the right times to attack the course and when to take his medicine.
We'll have daily recaps of the Gasparilla starting on Thursday evening once play has finished for the day.