The First Coast “Big Three” junior golfers — Miles Russell, Tyler Mawhinney and Phillip Dunham — are repeat players on the American Junior Golf Association Rolex All-American teams.
They’re just not in the same order as last year.
Mawhinney, of Fleming Island, was named to the first team, Russell, of Jacksonville Beach, is on the second team and Dunham, from Ponte Vedra Beach, was among the honorable mention players.
Russell and Dunham were on the first team last year and Mawhinney was honorable mention.
Mawhinney, 10th on the AJGA Rolex Rankings, had two top-10 finishes and five top-15s in AJGA events this season, along with winning the Canadian Amateur and reaching the second round of match play in the U.S. Amateur.
Russell, last year’s AJGA Player of the Year, had five finishes of 16th or higher in seven starts. He is 12th on the Rolex Ranking.
Dunham had six finishes of 20th or higher, capped by a tie for seventh in the Junior Players Championship.
Also on the first team of Jackson Byrd of St. Simons Island, Ga.
Blades Brown of Nashville, Tenn., is the 2024 boys Player of the Year. He had four top-four finishes, including a second in the Junior Players when he lost to Hamilton Coleman in a playoff, and finished the season first on the Rolex Rankings.
Tyler Mawhinney, Evan Raynor make commitments
Tyler Mawhinney, a junior at Fleming Island High School, and Evan Raynor, a Bishop Kenny senior, have verbally committed to play college golf.
Mawhinney, according to the AJGA web site, will attend Vanderbilt in 2026. Raynor has committed to Jacksonville University and will sign next week.
Mawhinney’s father Joe Mawhinney cited Vanderbilt’s “family atmosphere” that coach Scott Limbaugh has forged in 12 years with the Commodores. Tyler Mawhinney also made visits to Florida and Auburn.
Raynor and Mawhinney are competing in the Class 2A state tournament Nov. 15-16 at the Misson Inn Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills. Mawhinney won the Class 3A individual title last year in helping the Golden Eagles win the state championship, was the Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Golf and the Times-Union First Coast high school Player of the Year.
Miles Russell wins at Marsh Landing
Miles Russell won his first title on the First Coast since his 2023 Junior Players victory when he fired three rounds in the 60s to win The Elite Invitational, a junior tournament at the Marsh Landing Country Club.
Russell shot 68-67-68—203 and at seven-under beat Jessy Huebner of Port St. Lucie by three shots. Lucas Gimenez of Jacksonville finished fifth and Cameron Reed of Ponte Vedra Beach tied for ninth.
Bill Hughes returns to First Coast
Bill Hughes, the former general manager of the TPC Sawgrass, is returning to the area to serve as the general manager at Glen Kernan, according to the Northeast Florida Golf News.
Hughes has been the general manager of the Country Club of the Rockies in Colorado.
First Coast Amateur registration open
Registration for the First Coast Amateur is open. The tournament, sponsored by the Jacksonville Area Golf Association, will be held Jan. 18-20 at Deerwood. Last year, it attracted 96 players from 12 countries, 23 states, and 46 colleges.
The City of Jacksonville’s Sports and Entertainment division supports the event. The top finishers will receive World Amateur Golf Ranking points. Tournament details are available at jaxareagolf.org.
St. Augustine Amateur moves to December
The 19th St. Augustine Amateur will be Dec. 6-8 at the St. Johns Golf Club. Former Bartram Trail player and Florida Gulf Coast sophomore Brody Stevenson is the defending champion.
The field is limited to 84 players. Proceeds will benefit First Tee-North Florida and the event has raised nearly $500,000 for charity since 2004. Information s available at staugusteineamateur.com.
Mark Rutland-Joe Yoo win a tight one
Mark Rutland of Deercreek and Joe Yoo of Eagle Harbor shot 67 at the Plantation at Ponte Vedra to win the JAGA Fall Four Ball, in a scorecard match against Max McKay (San Jose) and Alex Taylor (unattached).
Judy Kotney and Helen Short of the Sawgrass Country Club shot 65 to beat another Sawgrass team, Tom Browne and Scott Hendrickson, by one shot in the net division.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Tyler Mahinney tops list of area players on 2024 AJGA All-American team
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