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On top of the list: Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach leads Junior Presidents Cup ranking

Garry Smits, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union
·4 min read
Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach was the Junior Players champion and AJGA Player of the Year in 2023.
Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach was the Junior Players champion and AJGA Player of the Year in 2023.

Three First Coast junior golfers are among the top seven on the first Junior Presidents Cup U.S. standings released this week by the American Junior Golf Association.

Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach, the 2023 AJGA Player of the Year and the defending Junior Players champion, is first on the list. Philip Dunham of Ponte Vedra Beach, who was the runner-up in the Junior Players, is third and 2023 Times-Union High School Player of the Year Tyler Mawhinney is seventh.

Jackson Byrd of St. Simons Island, Ga, is 10th. Byrd and Russell played for the U.S. in the 2023 Junior Ryder Cup.

The Junior Presidents Cup will be held at Royal Montreal Sept. 22-24, the week before the Presidents Cup played between the U.S. and the International team.

Jim Furyk of Jacksonville is the U.S. captain and Mike Weir is the international captain.

The top-10 on the U.S. and International points lists as of Aug. 8 will be automatic qualifiers. U.S. captain Charley Hoffman will have one wild card pick and the 12th player will be the top available player on the Rolex AJGA Junior rankings as of Sept. 5. International captain Graham DeLaet has one wild card pick and the 12th player will come off the World Amateur Rankings.

Nine countries were represented on the first International rankings. Canada, as the host team, will be guaranteed one player.

Francisco Aleman honored in Argentina

Francisco "Paco" Aleman, a Nocatee resident who has one of the most storied amateur golf careers in Argentina, was honored by his country's national association for his contributions to the game during last week's Korn Ferry Tour 117th VISA Argentina Open.

Aleman received the Argentina Golf Association Award, which in the past has gone to players such as World Golf Hall of Fame members Roberto de Vicenzo and Annika Sorenstam, Masters champion Angel Cabrera and former Royal & Ancient chief executive Peter Dawson.

Aleman is a two-time winner of the Argentina Amateur Stroke Play Championship, the 1989 winner of the Argentina Amateur and a two-time member of the Argentina team that played in the World Amateur Team Championship.

He played on 10 teams that represented Argentina in the South American Team Championship, with six of them winning the competition.

His contributions have come in the media in recent years. He began as a golf commentator on Radio FM Horizonte in 1992, and has been the leading golf analyst for ESPN International, covering more than 100 major championships, Ryder Cups, Presidents Cups and LPGA events, eventually working at more than 700 tournaments.

Aleman became the lead analyst for Golf Channel Latin America in 2021.

UNF's Christin Eisenbeiss wins home event

A University of North Florida women's golfer finally won the Ospreys' Invitational.

Senior Christin Eisenbeiss shot a team-record 12-under-par 204 last week at the Jacksonville Golf and Country Club to tie Emma Bunch of New Mexico State for medalist honors and become the first Ospreys' player to win or share the individual title in the Momentum Transportation UNF Collegiate.

University of North Florida senior Christin Eisenbeiss became the first Ospreys' player to win the invitational the team hosts at the Jacksonville Golf and Country Club.
University of North Florida senior Christin Eisenbeiss became the first Ospreys' player to win the invitational the team hosts at the Jacksonville Golf and Country Club.

Eisenbeiss opened with a school-record 8-under 64, shot 69 in the second round and then played her last eight holes at 1-under, with no bogeys, for a 71 in the second round for her third college victory. UNF was third overall at 5-under, behind Sam Houston State (16-under) and Texas-San Antonio (11-under).

Sawgrass Country Club changes

Sawgrass Country Club director of golf Stefan Brunt has been named the club's general manager to replace C.W. Cook. The new director of golf will be Nate Marozzi and Sydney Mattiace has been named the head golf professional. ... Registration remains open for the Jacksonville Area Golf Association's first two events of the 2024 calendar, the Spring Four-Ball March 25 at Marsh Landing and the 67th Senior Amateur April 7-9 at Deerwood. Visit jaxareagolf.org. for information and to register. ... A U.S. Open 18-hole local qualifier has been scheduled for May 6 at the Plantation at Ponte Vedra. For additional information or to enter, visit fsga.org or usga.org.

Florida State Golf Association results

Maxwell Morgan of Ponte Vedra Beach posted an opening-round 67 at the Country Club of Lake City and went on to win the Florida Junior Tour 13-15 Lake City Open by five shots over Jack Palmer of Donalsonville, Ga. Morgan finished at 3-under-par 141. Luke Splane of St. Augustine tied for fourth (148) and James Nagle of Ponte Vedra Beach was seventh (149). Sofia Rivera of St. Augustine (154) was fifth in the girls division. ... Ryan Houck of Fleming Island (152) tie for eighth in the FJT 16-18 Bay Point Open at the Bay Point Golf Club in Panama City. Lilia Weaver of St. Johnson (168) was sixth in the girls division. ... Steve Pitts of Ponte Vedra Beach finished second by a shot to Kevin Janiga of Dunedin in the senior division of the final FSGA Winter Series tournament at the Tampa Palms Golf and Country Club. Bruce Moskovciak of Jacksonville (152) was fourth and Bill Hardaker of Atlantic Beach (154) was seventh in the super-senior division.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Miles Russell, Philip Dunham, Tyler Mawhinney on Junior Presidents Cup list