Amateurs capture Underwood Cup for 20th time

The top amateur golfers from Northeast Florida made it two wins in a row over their Northern Chapter PGA counterparts in the 35th Underwood Cup on Feb. 3, capturing the Cup 15 to 9 at The Plantation at Ponte Vedra Beach.

The win upped the Amateurs’ Underwood Cup record to 20-12-3 in the Presidents Cup/Ryder Cup-styled competition that was first played in 1992.

When the suspended second-session Foursomes matches wrapped up on Tuesday morning, the Amateurs had an 8-4 advantage over the Professionals, with 12 Singles matches yet to be played. The Amateurs led 3 ½ to 2 ½ after the opening session on Monday, which was Four-Balls.

The Professionals collected three early Singles’ points when P.J. Politan, Clint Avret and Bobby Newberry dispatched their opponents. The encouragement was short-lived as Jeff Dennis, Tyler Gulliksen and Matt Saxton countered with Amateur wins of their own.

Then, when Lance Lacombe drained an eight-footer for par on the 17th hole to defeat Rob Lee, the Underwood Cup was decided, with the Amateurs having successfully retained it on the heels of last year’s 14-10 win. The Professionals had won the previous two Cup matches in 2023 and 2024.

Weather was clearly part of the story as the country’s cold winter blast made its way into North Florida and the rest of the Sunshine State. Temperatures ranged from the 30s starting out before reaching the 50s, with frost causing delayed starts both days. Extra layers, gloves, handwarmers and ski caps were the order of the day.

While the Underwood Cup generally experiences some effects of winter, it was generally agreed that the 2026 matches were the coldest in years.

The following players were either on the winning side in all three of their matches or did not lose a match:

Amateurs:

• Lance Lacombe, 3-0-0

• Mike Smith, 3-0-0

• Matt Saxton, 2-0-1

Professionals:

• Clint Avret, 1-0-2

• Stephanie Connelly Eiswerth, 0-0-3

The Cup victory was Amateur captain Steve Carter’s second as the team leader (2022, 2026). He also captained the 2023 team. The former University of North Florida stalwart has played in an Amateur-record 25 Underwood Cups. Plantation host professional Dean Grunewald captained the Professionals for the first time.

“Certainly, the conditions, especially on Monday, were pretty miserable,” said Carter. “The golf course was in fantastic condition, super-firm, super-fast and it was great golf on both sides. We came up strong, got a little momentum and that made all the difference.”

“We got some good results from the middle of the lineup,” said Grunewald. “We had things right where we wanted for a bit. Then momentum turned and we couldn’t stop it.”

The teams were comprised of the following captains and players:

Professional Team:

• Dean Grunewald, Captain, The Plantation at Ponte Vedra Beach

• Matt Hipps, Assistant Captain, World Golf Village

• Clint Avret, Southeastern Turf Supply

• Jarrod Barsamian, Ponte Vedra Inn & Club

• Stephanie Connelly Eiswerth, San Jose CC

• Hayes Farley, San Jose CC

• Austin Hill, Timuquana CC

• Andrew Lanahan, PGA TOUR’s Performance Center

• Rob Lee, Westside Golf Center

• Sydney Mattiace, Sawgrass CC

• Bobby Newberry, Timuquana CC

• P.J. Politan, GreatLIFE Golf

• Aaron Russell, Sawgrass CC

• Josh Wolfe, Ponte Vedra Inn & Club

Amateur Team:

• Steve Carter, Captain, Deerwood CC

• Michael Delrocco, Assistant Captain, San Jose CC

• Chase Baldwin, Deerwood CC

• Jordan Batchelor, Deerwood CC

• Ty Capps, Hammock Dunes Club

• Jeff Dennis, TPC Sawgrass

• Sam Giese, Timuquana CC

• Jeff Golden, Jax Beach GC

• Tyler Gulliksen, Amelia National GC

• Lance LaCombe, Fleming Island GC

• Andrew Morris, St. Johns G&CC

• Graham Nichols, Timuquana CC

• Matt Saxton, San Jose CC

• Mike Smith, NA

Alternates:

• Amateurs – Chuck Kirk (Eagle Harbor GC)

• Professionals – Will Rehberg (Deerwood CC)

Day 1 Match Results (Monday, Feb. 2)

6 FOUR-BALLS (a.m.)

Professional Wins:

• Rob Lee & Aaron Russell (P) def. Andrew Morris & Chase Baldwin (A), 1 up

• Austin Hill & Andrew Lanahan (P) def. Sam Geise & Graham Nichols (A), 1 up

Amateur Wins:

• Matt Saxton & Jeff Golden (A) def. Sydney Mattiace & Bobby Newberry (P), 5&4

• Mike Smith & Lance Lacombe (A) def. Josh Wolfe & Hayes Farley (P), 2&1

• Ty Capps & Tyler Gulliksen (A) def. P.J. Politan & Jarrod Barsamian (P), 1 up

Ties:

• Clint Avret & Stephanie Connelly Eiswerth (P) tied Jordan Batchelor & Jeff Dennis (A)

Summary:

• Amateurs win 3 Four-Ball matches; Professionals win 2 Four-Ball matches; 1 Four-Ball match is tied.

• Amateurs lead Professionals 3 ½ to 2 ½ after Four-Ball matches.

• Professional Jarrod Barsamian made a hole-in-one at No. 7, using a 7-iron from 167 yards out.

6 FOURSOMES (p.m.)

Professional Wins:

• Hayes Farley & Josh Wolfe (P) def. Ty Capps & Tyler Gulliksen (A), 1 up

Amateur Wins:

• Lance Lacombe & Andrew Morris (A) def. Aaron Russell & Rob Lee (P), 3&1

• Jeff Dennis & Jordan Batchelor (A) def. P.J. Politan & Bobby Newberry (P), 5&4

• Mike Smith & Chase Baldwin (A) def. Austin Hill & Sydney Mattiace (P), 3&2

• Graham Nichols & Sam Giese (A) def. Andrew Lanahan & Jarrod Barsamian (P), 3&1

Ties:

• Clint Avret & Stephanie Connelly Eiswerth (P) tied Matt Saxton & Jeff Golden (A)

Summary:

• Amateurs win 4 Foursome matches, Professionals win 1 Foursomes match, and 1 Foursomes match is tied.

• Amateurs lead Professionals 8 to 4 after Four-Ball and Foursomes matches.

Day 2 Match Results (Tuesday, Feb. 3)

12 SINGLES (a.m.)

Professional Wins:

• P.J. Politan (P) def. Jeff Golden (A), 5&3

• Clint Avret (P) def. Andrew Morris (A), 2&1

• Bobby Newberry (P) def. Jordan Batchelor (A), 4&3

• Jarrod Barsamian (P) def. Chase Baldwin (A), 5&3

Amateur Wins:

• Jeff Dennis (A) def. Hayes Farley (P), 3&2

• Tyler Gulliksen (A) def. Josh Wolfe (P), 2 up

• Lance Lacombe (A) def. Rob Lee (P), 2&1

• Matt Saxton (A) def. Aaron Russell (P), 6&4

• Sam Geise (A) def. Austin Hill (P), 3&1

• Mike Smith (A) def. Andrew Lanahan (P), 1 up

Ties:

• Stephanie Connelly Eiswerth (P) tied Ty Capps (A)

• Sydney Mattiace (P) tied Graham Nichols (A)

Summary:

• Amateurs win 6 Singles matches; Professionals win 4 Singles matches; 2 Singles matches are tied.

• Amateurs earn 7 Singles points and Professionals earn 5 Singles points.

• Amateurs win the 35th Underwood Cup by a score of 15 points to 9 points.

The matches are conducted by the Northern Chapter of the North Florida PGA and supported by the Jacksonville Area Golf Association (JAGA), Florida State Golf Association (FSGA) and Cutter & Buck.