‘Diamonds in the rough:’ San Jose Country Club celebrates its 60th Ladies Invitational

The San Jose Country Club will observe First Coast golf history next week with the 60th playing of its Ladies Invitational.

Named this year “Diamonds in the Rough,” the tournament will be Sept. 20-21 at the historic Donald Ross-designed course. The SJCCLI is the longest-running women’s invitational on the First Coast, beginning in 1962 when Mary Cole won the first of her two titles.

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It has been held annually except in 2006 when the course was being renovated.

Tama Caldabaugh is the defending champion and already holds the tournament record with seven titles. Therese Quinn and Susie Fonde have won five each.

Caldabaugh and Quinn have combined to win five of the last six tournaments, Quinn winning three times and Caldabaugh twice. Caldabaugh won five in a row from 2008-2012.

The field of 101 players will compete in gross and net flights.

Youth served for Beachside

Beachside High School served up a stunning victory in the St. Johns County boys golf championship, led by two freshmen in signaling that the balance of power in St. Johns County golf might have changed.

Freshmen Samuel Ha (69) and Jaspreet Kondal (72) led the Barracudas to a team score of even-par 288, four shots ahead of eight-time state champion Ponte Vedra. Ha finished third behind medalist Bryson Hughes of Creekside (67) and Charlie Hipp of Creekside (68) and Kondal and teammate Nolan Harper, a senior, tied for seventh with Cash Winch of Menendez.

Joey Hage and Cameron Reed of Ponte Vedra, and Ryan Nicholson of Nease tied for fourth at 71.

Beachside sophomore Jonah Nacional added a 75 and junior Barton Abstein shot 76.

At the Fleming Island Golf Club, Fleming Island nipped Episcopal by one shot at 3-under 281 to win the Randy Warren Invitational. Ponte Vedra was another eight shots back in third.

There was a four-way tie for first at 4-under 67 among Cam Goldknopf of Episcopal, Harper, Tyler Mawhinney of Fleming Island and Carson Baez of Windermere. Baez was eliminated on the first playoff hole but play was suspended after that due to lightning in the area and tournament officials decided to award co-medalist honors.

JWGA opens 95th season

The Jacksonville Women’s Golf Association began their 2023-24 season at Marsh Landing last week.

The association, which formed in 1927 during a meeting at the old YMCA on Laura Street, will hold 23 tournaments at 27 venues in Duval, St. Johns, Clay and Nassau Counties, with a total of 29 tournament rounds.

The JWGA will hold three multi-round tournaments, the handicap tournament in October, the Sarah Shelly in November and the championship tournament in March and April.

For information and the complete schedule, visit myjwga.com.

Fast start

Paul Tesori of St. Augustine and Chad James of St. Augustine jumped off to a fast start with a 62 in the first round of the Florida State Golf Association Mid-Amateur North Four-Ball.

It wasn’t fast enough. Eventual champions Brendon Ehlers and Matthew Giovannelli of Ocala shot 59 in the first round and went on to a runaway victory at 25-under-par 119 at the Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club in Dade City.

Tesori and James shot 67 in the second round and finished tied for third, 10 shots back. They combined to birdie four of their first five holes in the first round but hit a rough streak and played their next four holes at 1-over.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: San Jose Country Club will commemorate its 60th Ladies Invitational