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Local tee sheet: Who are the professional golfers residing on the First Coast, Golden Isles?

garry smits, jacksonville florida times-union
·17 min read
Billy Horschel of Ponte Vedra Beach won his eighth PGA Tour title on April 21 at the Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic.
Billy Horschel of Ponte Vedra Beach won his eighth PGA Tour title on April 21 at the Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic.

They’re some of the best golfers in the world and they call the First Coast and Georgia’s Golden Isles home.

Nearly six dozen, some natives of both areas, some transplants from other states as far away as California, Washington and New England and others from other nations such as Australia, Sweden, Fiji, Belgium, Colombia, Mexico, Scotland and China.

But they’ve made the same decision — either move to the First Coast of the Golden Isles to take advantage of the world-class golf courses, practice facilities such as the PGA Tour Academy and the Sea Island Resort Performance Center — or stay exactly where they were brought up.

Here’s the comprehensive list, based on the biographical information they have released to their respective tours. We've also included area natives who have moved elsewhere and are still active players.

And if you bump into them at a convenience store or in the grocery aisle, say hi.

PGA Tour

Tyson Alexander, Jacksonville Beach: The former Gator All-American battled until he was 34 years old to get to the PGA Tour and made it in 2022, then retained his card last season by finishing 102nd on the FedEx Cup points list.

Jonas Blixt, Jacksonville Beach: A native of Sweden and a former Florida State player, Blixt has won three times on the PGA Tour, including the Zurich Classic in 2017 when he played with 2022 Players champion Cameron Smith.

Jonathan Byrd, St. Simons Island, Ga.: He was the first four-time All-ACC player at Clemson and has won five times on the PGA Tour, plus the 2017 Korn Ferry Tour Championship at the Atlantic Beach Country Club. Byrd is noted for winning the 2010 Shriners Hospital for Children in Las Vegas with a walkoff hole-in-one in a playoff.

Bud Cauley, Jacksonville native: Now living in the Palm Beach area, Cauley was one of the top junior golfers in First Coast history and got his PGA Tour card in one summer of sponsor invitations, which he turned into top 10 finishes, which led to his card. Had to recover from a serious car accident in Columbus, Ohio, in 2018 in which he was the passenger and is playing on a medical exemption.

Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Ponte Vedra Beach: The native of Belgium played at Illinois, then won his professional debut in 2023 at the Korn Ferry Tour BMW Charity Pro-Am. He added another victory later in the year to ensure his PGA Tour card for 2024.

Nico Echavarria, Ponte Vedra Beach: The younger of the two Echavarria brothers from Colombia reached the PGA Tour last year through the Korn Ferry Tour, then won the Puerto Rico Open to earn a two-year exemption.

Harris English, St. Simons Island, Ga.: The University of Georgia graduate won the Korn Ferry Tour's event at the UGA golf course as an amateur in 2011, added two more Korn Ferry titles, and then four PGA Tour victories. He's finished among the top 10 in three of the last four U.S. Opens and in March tied for 19th at The Players.

Brian Harman joined the major championship club in 2023 when he won the British Open by six shots at Royal Liverpool.
Brian Harman joined the major championship club in 2023 when he won the British Open by six shots at Royal Liverpool.

Matt Every, Jacksonville Beach: A Daytona Beach native and four-time All-American at the University of Florida, Every won the Arnold Palmer Invitational in back-to-back years in 2014-15 before losing his fully exempt Tour status.

Brian Harman, St. Simons Island, Ga.: Another in a long line of University of Georgia players, the Savannah native has won three PGA Tour titles, capped by last year's Open Championship, through sheer work and determination.

Billy Horschel, Ponte Vedra Beach: After a successful college career at Florida, Horschel has carved out a respectable record on the PGA Tour that has been highlighted so far by his FedEx Cup championship in 2014. He won his eighth PGA Tour title on April 21 in the Dominican Republic.

Will Gordon, St. Simons Island, Ga.: The Vanderbilt graduate is struggling this season after finishing 98th in 2022-23 on the FedEx Cup.

Ben Griffin, St. Simons Island, Ga.: A former University of North Carolina star who has a fallback position should he leave pro golf — he has an economics degree and has worked as a loan officer with a mortgage company.

Lanto Griffin, Ponte Vedra Beach: Griffin won the 2020 Houston Open but has struggled since then, finishing 201st on the FedEx Cup last season and is outside the top 125 so far this season.

Zach Johnson, St. Simons Island, Ga.: The pride of Drake University has done more through hard work and doggedness than almost any modern player. Johnson's 2007 Masters title and 2015 Open Championship highlight a career in which he's won 12 PGA Tour titles. He was the Korn Ferry Tour player of the year in 2004.

Zach Johnson celebrates his 2007 Masters victory. He later won the 2015 British Open and has won 12 times on the PGA Tour in all.
Zach Johnson celebrates his 2007 Masters victory. He later won the 2015 British Open and has won 12 times on the PGA Tour in all.

Patton Kizzire, St. Simons Island, Ga.: The Auburn graduate is a past Korn Ferry Tour player of the year and has won twice on the PGA Tour, both times in 2018 at the Sony Open and Mayakoba, Mexico.

Ben Kohles, Ponte Vedra Beach: He's had two two-victory seasons on the Korn Ferry Tour 11 years apart, in 2012 and 2023 and posted his best PGA Tour finish with a solo fifth last fall at the RSM Classic.

David Lingmerth, Ponte Vedra Beach: The native of Sweden and former Arkansas player had a career resurgence last season by posting a finish of 80th on the FedEx Cup, his best since 2016. His season was highlighted by a tie for sixth at The Players, his second top 10 in the tournament. His only PGA Tour title was a big one: the 2015 Memorial.

Ryan McCormick, Jacksonville: He earned Tour status by finishing 27th on the Korn Ferry Tour points list last season. McCormick played college golf at St. Johns.

Tyler McCumber, Jacksonville Beach: A graduate of Nease and Florida, the son of 1988 Players champion Mark McCumber is battling a shoulder injury. With the merging of the PGA Tour's development circuits in Canada and Latin America, McCumber will be the only player in history to earn Korn Ferry Tour status by winning the money titles on each of those tours and a total of six titles.

Keith Mitchell, St. Simons Island, Ga.: The 2019 winner of the Cognizant Classic has been a steady performer, on his way to a seventh season of making the FedEx Cup playoffs. Need to find a good restaurant at a PGA Tour stop? Players know to hit up Mitchell, who prides himself on knowing the best places.

Philip Knowles, Jacksonville: Knowles is the first UNF player to earn his PGA Tour card, off the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour. He's playing on a medical exemption after a freak accident last year in which he cut his hand severely on a can lid. He was tied for the lead through 54 holes at the Korn Ferry Tour's Savannah event and finished in a tie for fourth.

Russell Knox, Ponte Vedra Beach: The former JU star has been a winner at every level — college, the Hooters Tour, the Korn Ferry Tour and twice on the PGA Tour. He has a 59 on the Korn Ferry Tour and is battling his way back through that circuit.

Former Jacksonville University player Russell Knox is a native of Scotland and has won on several professional Tours, including two on the PGA Tour.
Former Jacksonville University player Russell Knox is a native of Scotland and has won on several professional Tours, including two on the PGA Tour.

Andrew Novak, St. Simons Island, Ga.: One of the best players to come out of the Southern Conference, he was won four times at Wofford and was the SoCon player of the year in 2017. Finished 68th on the FedEx Cup points list last season.

Raul Pereda, Jacksonville: The JU graduate finally reaped the fruits of years on international tours when he earned his card at PGA Tour Q School last December at the TPC Sawgrass Dye's Valley Course and the Sawgrass Country Club. He carries two ball markers: one for short putts and one for long putts.

J.T. Poston, St. Simons Island, Ga.: The best PGA Tour player to ever come out of Western Carolina University. He won the 2019 Wyndham Championship and the 2022 John Deere Classic.

Sam Ryder, Atlantic Beach: He's no relation to Samuel Ryder, the English businessman who donated the trophy for the competition that became the Ryder Cup. Ryder is from Winter Park, played at Stetson and didn't enter a junior tournament until he was 16 years old. In March he broke the record for the most birdies in one Players Championship with 27 on his way to a tie for 16th.

Greyson Sigg, St. Simons Island, Ga.: Another former University of Georgia Bulldog who married coach Chris Haack's daughter Katie. Sigg won twice on the 2020 Korn Ferry Tour and has kept his PGA Tour card since.

Jimmy Stanger, Ponte Vedra Beach: A former University of Virginia player who knows how to manage his money -- he interned at the Federal Reserve and Raymond James Financial.

Davis Thompson, St. Simons Island, Ga.: He followed in his father's footsteps in playing for the Georgia Bulldogs and took Jon Rahm to the final few holes before losing the 2023 American Express.

Michael Thompson, St. Simons Island, Ga.: A two-time PGA Tour winner, his nickname at Alabama was "Slick" for his ability to get up and down from almost anywhere.

Carl Yuan, Jacksonville: The former University of Washington player is a native of China and a past Korn Ferry Tour winner. He's flashed as times such as a closing 63 this year at the Sony Open to secure a tie for fourth.

LIV Golf League

Cameron Smith, Ponte Vedra Beach: The native of Australia remains the First Coast's only PGA Tour player to jump to LIV Golf and has won three times, to go with his six PGA Tour titles and three DP World victories. Smith's 2022 season will be hard to beat — he won the Players Championship and the Open Championship, before moving on to LIV Golf.

Cameron Smith studies a putt at the 16th hole of the Players Stadium Course during the 2022 Players Championship. He won the tournament by one shot.
Cameron Smith studies a putt at the 16th hole of the Players Stadium Course during the 2022 Players Championship. He won the tournament by one shot.

Korn Ferry Tour

Dawson Armstrong, Jacksonville: The Lipscomb graduate earned conditional Korn Ferry status at the PGA Tour Q School in Ponte Vedra Beach last December and has made only two of six cuts this season.

Chris Baker, Jacksonville: Baker played college golf at Iowa State and has 17 career top-10 Korn Ferry finishes.

Blayne Barber, Lake City native: Now living in Auburn, Ala. (where he played college golf), Barber has 105 PGA Tour starts and 115 Korn Ferry starts. His closest call to winning on the PGA Tour was a tie for second at the 2016 RSM Classic.

Fred Biondi, Jacksonville: The individual NCAA champion for the Florida Gators last season, the native of Brazil earned his Korn Ferry Tour card through the PGA Tour University rankings. He tied for 23rd at the RSM Classic last season and tied for 10th at the PGA Tour Q School.

Fred Biondi won the 2023 NCAA individual championship for the University of Florida. Later that fall, he was an honorary "Mr. Two Bits" at a Gators home football game.
Fred Biondi won the 2023 NCAA individual championship for the University of Florida. Later that fall, he was an honorary "Mr. Two Bits" at a Gators home football game.

Chandler Blanchet, Atlantic Beach: He led the 2023 PGA Tour Latinoamerica points list to earn his Korn Ferry Tour card and has two top-10 finishes in 57 starts.

Cody Blick, Jacksonville: A native of San Jose, Calif., Blick shot a final-round 63 and tied for 25th in the 2018 Korn Ferry Tour national qualifier after his clubs were stolen before the final round and he had a makeshift set courtesy of Titleist reps and the club's head pro and superintendent.

Dillon Board, Baldwin: The only native of the small Western Duval town to reach the Korn Ferry Tour (from his finish at the 2023 Q School), Board tied for 20th at the Korn Ferry's Colombia event this season.

Ricky Castillo, Jacksonville: After helping the Florida Gators win the 2023 national championship, Castillo made a big splash by winning the Korn Ferry Tour event in Wichita. He made his first six cuts of the 2024 season, all among the top 20, with two top 10 finishes.

Vince Covello, Atlantic Beach: A Cinderella story if there ever was one. After playing on seven mini-tours, the former Nease and UNF player got his PGA Tour card in 2019 thanks to winning on the Korn Ferry Tour. He lost his Tour card after that but he'll always have the moment. Covello currently is on a Korn Ferry Tour medical extension.

Reid Davenport, St. Simons Island, Ga.: A Vanderbilt graduate from Houston, Davenport earned his status at the 2023 PGA Tour Q School.

Taylor Dickson, Jacksonville: He won in Chile earlier this year in his 81st career Korn Ferry Tour start. Dickson is from Gastonia, N.C., and played college golf at Winthrop.

Brett Drewitt, Ponte Vedra Beach: The Australia native has 182 career Korn Ferry Tour starts, with one victory in 2020. He said if he wasn't a golfer he'd be playing cricket.

Taylor Funk, Ponte Vedra Beach: The son of 2005 Players champion Fred Funk and a high school state champion with Ponte Vedra, Funk shot a 60 in a PGA Tour Canada event last year and earned status from the PGA Tour Q School. Funk played on the University of Texas golf team in 2016 with Scottie Scheffler, Beau Hossler and Doug Ghim.

Joey Garber, St. Simons Island, Ga.: Found his way from Petosky, Mich., to the University of Georgia and has 131 career Korn Ferry Tour starts, with a victory in 2018 in Raleigh.

Emilio Gonzalez, St. Simons Island, Ga.: The Mexico native ran off three top-20 finishes in a row earlier this season, with a tie for eighth in Colombia.

Tano Goya, Ponte Vedra Beach: He's a seasoned winner, with seven titles, coming from far-flung places such as his native Argentina, Portugal and Sweden.

Evan Harmeling, Atlantic Beach: The Princeton graduate and native of Boston won the 2013 Massachusetts Open and donated his entire first-place check of $15,000 to a charity that assists victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.

Rick Lamb, St. Simons Island, Ga.: He won the 2016 LECOM Open in Lakewood Ranch and has made 109 Korn Ferry Tour starts. Lamb is a native of South Bend, Ind., who played golf at Tennessee.

Peter Knade, St. Simons Island, Ga.: Knade was a standard bearer for Rory McIlroy's group during the final round of the 2012 Cognizant Classic when McIlroy won to ascend to No. 1 in the world. Knade went on to play golf at the University of Maryland.

Patrick Newcomb, Jacksonville Beach: He and his brother Nick are both in the Murray State Athletics Hall of Fame for their college golf careers.

Paul Peterson, St. Simons Island, Ga.: The Oregon State graduate is comfortable outside the U.S. His three career Korn Ferry Tour top-10s have come in the Bahamas, Panama and Chile.

Spencer Ralston, St. Simons Island, Ga.: Played with Davis Thompson at Georgia for four years. His father, Mitch, played golf at Clemson.

Doc Redman, Jacksonville Beach: Lost his PGA Tour card after the 2022-23 season but tied for seventh at PGA Tour Q-School and posted a tie for sixth in Savannah last month. He beat Doug Ghim to win the 2017 U.S. Amateur.

Julian Suri, Ponte Vedra Beach: A two-time Florida State champion at Bartram Trail High School, he rose as high as No. 62 in the world after winning on the DP World Tour, posting a tie for 19th in the 2018 PGA Championship and tying for eighth at the Houston Open. He's been battling injuries since he played at Duke.

Danny Walker, Jacksonville: A University of Virginia graduate, he considered a career in astrophysics instead of golf. He also worked at a Bahama Breeze in 2021 — a restaurant career that lasted two weeks.

Thomas Walsh, Jacksonville: Another in a steady of stream of former University of Virginia players who are making noise, he's off to a solid start and was 20th on the Korn Ferry points list in mid-April.

Jared Wolfe, Nocatee: He won twice in the 2020 Korn Ferry Tour season and is still slugging it out at the age of 36 after 14 professional seasons. One aspiration is to appear on the Food Network.

PGA Tour Champions

David Duval, Jacksonville native: Now living near Denver, Duval still holds the distinction of having won the most PGA Tour titles (13) of any Florida native. He was the No. 1 player in the world during a stretch in 1999 when he won The Players Championship, two months after becoming the first player to shoot 59 in the final round to win a PGA Tour title at the Bob Hope Classic. Duval won the 2001 Open Championship and had several near-misses in other majors, notably in the 1998 and 2001 Masters.

Fred Funk, Jacksonville: The short-hitting but accurate Maryland native won eight PGA Tour titles, highlighted by the 2005 Players Championship, and nine PGA Tour Champions crowns, including three senior majors.

Fred Funk won eight times on the PGA Tour, including the 2005 Players Championship, and has since added nine PGA Tour Champions titles.
Fred Funk won eight times on the PGA Tour, including the 2005 Players Championship, and has since added nine PGA Tour Champions titles.

Jim Furyk, Jacksonville: Furyk has been among the most productive PGA Tour players of his era, winning 17 times. He won the 2003 U.S. Open at Olympia Fields and the 2010 FedEx Cup and is the only player to ever break 60 twice in Tour events. He holds the record for the lowest 18-hole score with a 58 at the 2016 Travelers. He will be the U.S. Presidents Cup captain at Royal Montreal in September and hosts the Constellation Furyk & Friends at the Timuquana Country Club.

Frank Lickliter II, Ponte Vedra Beach: He won twice on the PGA Tour and posted two top 10 finishes in The Players in 2001 and 2004.

Davis Love III, St. Simons Island, Ga.: Love's 20 PGA Tour victories, two Players Championships and the 1997 PGA title landed him in the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2017. He has hosted the Tour's RSM Classic at the Sea Island Resort since 2010.

Len Mattiace, Jacksonville: Mattiace won the Florida state high school title in 1984 at Nease and played at Wake Forest when he helped the Deacons win the 1986 national championship. He won PGA Tour titles at the Genesis Invitational and St. Jude Classic and lost the 2003 Masters in a playoff to Mike Weir.

Blaine McCallister, Jacksonville: A native of Texas and one of the first PGA Tour players to move to the First Coast, McCallister won five times on the Tour from 1988-1993, led by the 1989 Cognizant Classic when he beat Payne Stewart by four shots. He played at the University of Houston with Fred Couples and Jim Nantz.

Vijay Singh, Ponte Vedra Beach: One of the best rags-to-riches stories in golf history. The native of Fiji was a club professional in Borneo, qualified for the European PGA Tour, then caught fire in America and went on to win 34 PGA Tour titles, three majors (1998 and 2004 PGA, 2000 Masters) and has added five Champions Tour titles. He's still got some gas in tank, making the cut at the Masters last month at the age of 61.

LPGA

Auston Kim, St. Augustine: The Nease graduate and past Times-Union high school player of the year earned her LPGA Tour card off last year's Epson Tour.

Amelia Lewis, Jacksonville: Lewis graduated from Bolles and turned professional in 2010 after a half-season at Florida. She's held dual status on the LPGA and Ladies European Tour and is attempting a comeback on the Epson Tour, where she posted three top-25 finishes in her first three 2024 starts.

Jessica Porvasnik, Jacksonville: An Ohio State graduate, Porvasnik won the PXG Women's Match Play at the Slammer & Squire in 2021 and is now playing on the Epson Tour.

Mel Reid, Atlantic Beach: Reid is a native of England and a veteran of the LET, where he has won six times. She captured her first LPGA Tour title in 2020 at the ShopRite Classic.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Hall of Fame members Vijay Singh, Davis Love III lead list of area pros