Vols assistant golf coach Payne Denman battles cold, shatters records in First Coast Amateur

Posted by author January 24, 2025 Golf

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Some good cold-weather players have won the First Coast Amateur.

Then there’s Payne Denman, who set a standard for the tournament that may hold up for a long time, regardless of the temperature.

Denman, a former player for the Florida Gators and Middle Tennessee, and now an assistant coach at Tennessee, opened with a 63 at the Deerwood Country Club on Jan. 18, then posted rounds of 69-66 to shatter the 54-hole tournament record at 18-under-par 198, a nine-shot victory over University of North Florida sophomore Filippo Serra (72) and Ball State player Ali Khan (71), who finished 9-under 207.

The previous 54-hole record was Brandon Mancheno at 13-under in the inaugural First Coast Amateur at Amelia National in 2017. Denman also broke Mancheno’s victory margin record of six shots.

Denman fired his 63, with four birdies among his last six holes, when the temperature peaked at 63 degrees. It got colder as the week went on (the high was 55 degrees for the second round and 52 in the third round) but Denman scarcely noticed and made only one bogey in the second round and a double-bogey in the third round.

Had it not been for the par-3 12th hole, Denman would have won by more. His only blemishes on the card were at that hole but he followed his double there in the third round with birdies on four of his next five holes.

When the final group teed off on Jan. 20, the temperatures were in the low 40s. Denman, who started the day with a three-shot lead over Serra, birdied four of his first seven holes to leave no doubt.

Denman continued a remarkable run of good play in amateur golf. He won the Tennessee Amateur last year, finished second in the Tennessee Four-Ball and reached the quarter-finals of the U.S. Four-Ball with Brett Patterson, who played for Denman when he was an assistant at Middle Tennessee.

“This [amateur golf] is fun,” Denman told a Jacksonville Area Golf Association communications official. “There were times in my life when golf was not fun. At times, when you didn’t play well, it felt like the end of the world. Now I just try to play the best I can and see what happens … to win feels awesome. “

Denman, 33, gave pro golf a shot and played on PGA Tour Latinoamerica. But he got his amateur status back after not playing tournament golf for three years.

Players donates to Boys & Girls Clubs

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida will get a new teen center in St. Augustine with the help of a $600,000 donation from The Players Championship.

The donation, which will fund half the estimated $1.2 million project, was announced on Jan. 21 at the Boys and Girls Clubs in St. Augustine. Club members, staff and community members gathered for a pizza party, interactive golf games, a bounce house and music to celebrate the donation.

Combined with an anonymous donation of $200,000, the project is funded by two-thirds. The planned teen center will enable the club to serve 75 teens after school, an increase from the previous capacity of 20.

“The $600,000 donation from The Players Championship represents a remarkable investment in our youth and our community,” said Paul Martinez, President/CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida, in a statement. “This new Teen Center will allow us to create a larger, more modern space for teens to learn, grow, and prepare for bright futures. With this facility, we’ll be able to triple the number of teens we serve daily, providing them with critical resources and a safe environment to thrive.”

The new teen center, which will be on the location of the current center on King Street, will feature expanded areas for academic support, leadership development, and recreational activities.

Ryan Nicholson rides the wave to win

Nease graduate Ryan Nicholson made it interesting on Jan. 11-12 in the Florida Junior Tour’s Deerwood Open for 16-18 year-old juniors.

Nicholson had seven birdies, five pars and six bogeys in stitching together a 71 in the second round to beat Shayaan Kim of Rockledge by one shot at even-par 144.

The difference was a birdie at the 18th hole. Nicholson forged ahead with five birdies in a row from Nos. 10-14, then rallied from bogeys at Nos. 15 and 16.

Easton Oliva of Ponte Vedra Beach, Luke Splane of St. Augustine and Danny Gimbel of Ponte Vedra tied for sixth at 6-over 150. Lucas Gimenez of Jacksonville Beach and Dylan Frein of Fleming Island (151) tied for ninth.

Addy Vogt of Jacksonville lost the girls division on the first playoff hole to Grace Carter of Jupiter after they finished regulation tied at 7-over 151. Sofia Rivera of St. Augustine (157) finished eighth and Alyssa Hardy of Jacksonville (159) was 10th.

Ambrose Kinnare comes close at FSU

Ambrose Kinnare of St. Augustine shot 69 in the third round of an FJT 54-hole major at Florida State’s Seminole Legacy Course on Jan. 20 but it wasn’t enough to catch winner Kaden Puranik of Kissimmee. Puranik finished 6-under 210, two shots clear of Kinnare.

Jake Mason of Ponte Vedra and Charlie Hipps of St. Johns (225) tied for ninth.

Rivera (226) tied for third in the girls division, seven shots behind winner Leonie Tavares of Alberta, Canada. Chloe McGrath of Jacksonville (234) tied for eighth.

Chuck Kirk wins at Conservatory

Chuck Kirk of Middleburg won the Senior Division of the FSGA Winter Series event at the Conservatory in Palm Coast, posting an even-par 144 to cruise past Chuck Siebert of West Palm Beach by six shots.

Kirk had company at the top from the First Coast. Steve Horner of Ponte Vedra and Billy Lodise of St. Augustine (152) tied for third, Tim Cobb of St. Augustine (153) was fifth and Keith Bratton of Ponte Vedra (158) was sixth.

Bill Hardaker of Jacksonville (151) tied for fourth in the Super-Senior division. Bruce Moskovciak of Jacksonville (155) was seventh and Harry Black of St. Augustine and Lee Fields of Fleming Island (157) tied for eighth.

Sam Hogan of St. Augustine (144) was third in the Mid-Amateur division, one shot behind winner Thad Hudgens of Longwood. Brandon Gray of Jacksonville (153) was seventh.