The wind finally settled at Ponte Vedra Inn & Club for the final round of the 64th Senior Amateur Championship, but it hardly mattered to Joe Alfieri. The 2024 FSGA Hall of Fame inductee had already done the heavy lifting. After two windy days on the Ocean Course, Alfieri stood alone as the only player in the 144-man field to post back-to-back rounds under-par.

Opening with matching rounds of 69, he built a six-shot lead heading into the final round, a margin that proved to be more than enough. This was Alfieri's first Senior Amateur Championship, and just his second start as a senior player, following a strong debut earlier this year at the Senior/Mid-Amateur Four-Ball Championship where he and partner Daniel DeBra finished in second place.

As the final round started, Alfieri held a sizable lead, but the field wasn’t ready to concede just yet. Trailing him were David Czech and Alan Pope, both sitting at 2-over for the Championship. The 2023 Senior Amateur Champion and past Walker Cup Captain, Mike McCoy, made an early charge, birdieing holes two and three to climb into a share of third, hoping to apply some pressure from ahead.

Meanwhile, Alfieri found trouble early when his second shot on the par-4 second hole landed in a greenside bunker, leading to a double-bogey that dropped him to 2-under for the championship. 

But, no one was able to take advantage. As the players made the turn, Alfieri still held a comfortable four-shot lead. The closest pursuer was Czech, who turned in even-par on the front-nine.

Alfieri quickly erased any doubt on the back-nine, carding birdies on the 10th, 12th, and 14th holes to stretch his lead to eight strokes with just three holes to play. A double-bogey at the 17th added a bit of late drama, perhaps in homage to the most recent Masters Champion, with two double-bogeys on the scorecard during the final round, but by then, the outcome was no longer in question.

When play was complete and the scores were tallied, it was finally appropriate to say, it was Joe’s all along. Firing off rounds of 69-69-73 -- 211, he can now add a senior championship to his list of illustrious titles. 

Brad Steven secured solo second with a strong final-round 68, while two past champions, Miles McConnell and Dave Bunker, shared third place.

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