Brent Dietz birdies final hole to assure JAGA Senior Amateur victory

• Dietz finished at 3-over-par 219, two strokes ahead of two-time winner David Anthony.
• The University of North Florida women’s golf team finished seventh in the ASUN Tournament.
• Joe Alfieri won the 64th Florida Senior Amateur at Ponte Vedra Inn and Club.

A Connecticut transplant to the First Coast is the newest Jacksonville Area Golf Association Senior champion. 

Brent Dietz, who plays out of Windy Harbor, birdied the 18th hole at Marsh Landing on April 12 to assure his victory in the 68th JAGA Senior Amateur, the oldest championship put on by the association. 

Dietz, a past Connecticut Mid-Amateur and Public Links champion, defeated two-time JAGA Senior winner David Anthony of Jacksonville by two shots at 3-over-par 219. He posted a 72 in the final round and was 2-under on the back nine to hold off Anthony (76), who led by two shots through 36 holes. 

Dietz made a 12-foot birdie putt at the last, after Anthony missed from 20 feet. 

Ken Moody of Ponte Vedra Beach (71) and Tim Cobb of St. Augustine (77) tied for third at 10-over. Steve Horner (73) of Ponte Vedra and Jim Loftin (76) of St. Augustin tied for fifth at 11-over. 

John Felice of Ponte Vedra Beach won the Super Senior division by one shot over Jeff Kaufmann of Ponte Vedra at 5-over 149. Bruce Moskovciak of Jacksonville won the Grand Senior division at 9-over 153, three shots ahead of Joe Monahan of Ponte Vedra.  

North Florida women finish seventh 

The University of North Florida women’s golf team finished seventh in the ASUN Tournament April 14-16 at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Hampton Cove Course in Alabama, their lowest position since 2013. UNF shot 66-over. 

The Ospreys had won three conference titles and finished among the top three in eight of the previous nine seasons. 

Sophomore Kaitlyn Schroeder posted the low score among UNF players with a 9-over 225, tied for sixth. It was her sixth top-10 finish of the season. 

Florida Gulf Coast defeated Stetson in a playoff after both teams finished 41-over. Lousiane Gauthier of FGCU won the individual title by four shots over Stetson’s Filippa Janssen at even-par 216.  

Bob Dickson drains a long one 

Bob Dickson would likely have to search deep into his memory banks to find a putt longer than the one he sank to open the second annual John Tucker Memorial Tournament at San Jose. 

Dickson, a two-time PGA Tour winner who later worked on the PGA Tour staff before retiring, was the guest speaker before the tournament, which honors Tucker, the San Jose member and former Florida Times-Union publisher who was instrumental in bringing the PGA Tour to the First Coast with the Greater Jacksonville Open. Tucker was the first chairman of the Greater Jacksonville Open in 1965 and was a member of the Honourable Company of past Players Championship chairmen. 

As part of the pre-tournament festivities, Dickson was asked to hit a ceremonial opening shot: a putt of 87 feet at the huge putting green at San Jose. Dickson took aim and made it. 

“There was an Augusta-like roar,” said Duke Butler III, a fellow Tour employee with Dickson. 

The tournament winners, under a scramble format, were Andy Carroll, Tyler Oldenburg, Max McKay and Brooks McCormick with a gross 56; and Tommy Fletcher, Dan Curran, Bill Dahlenburg and Jeff Kinney with a net 52.   

Florida State Golf Association results 

Joe Alfieri of Lutz opened with rounds of 69-69 at the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club Ocean Course and went on to win the 64th Florida Senior Amateur April 15-17 at 2-under-par 213, two shots ahead of Brad Stevens of Fort Myers. Chuck Kirk of Middleburg as the low First Coast player in the field in a tie for 11th (222), with Cobb (223) in solo 14th and Moody (224) tied for 15th. … Cooper Franklin of Ponte Vedra Beach shot 1-under 143 at the PGA National Fazio Course in Palm Beach Gardens to tie for third in the Florida Junior Tour PGA National Open. Franklin was four shots behind winner Clark Mason of St. Petersburg. Charlie Woods, the son of Tiger Woods was even-par 144 to tie for fifth.