The St. Augustine Amateur, which began in 2004, will celebrate its 20th playing Dec. 5-7 at the St. Johns Golf Club in southern St. Johns County, tournament officials announced.
For tournament information, registration details and live scoring (beginning on the first day of competition), go to staugustineamateur.com. Registration is open now.
The 54-hole competition resumed in 2023 after a two-year hiatus due to course reconstruction. Last year, Michigan’s Justin Sui, age 20, shot a final-round 66 on Dec. 8 to finish at 10-under par and outduel local favorite Jason Duff by one stroke. That success continued into summer 2025 when Sui, a University of Florida student, won the 104th Golf Association of Michigan Championship in August in Ann Arbor by 12 strokes after opening with a course-record 60.
Brody Stevenson, a former Bartram Trail High School golfer and current Florida Gulf Coast University golfer, shot a final-round 65 on Dec. 3, 2023, to finish at 11-under par and win the title by two strokes en route to Atlantic Sun Conference all-freshman honors in 2024.
The St. Johns Golf Club has drawn praise from participants after work was undertaken using “traditional throwback” architectural features instituted by golf course architect Erik Larsen and Director of Golf/General Manager Wes Tucker to develop a unique par-71, 7,009-yard layout. The course reopened in late November 2022, just more than one year before the tournament’s resumption.
The new course also offered later dates for the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) event, thereby drawing a higher-ranked field. Prior to 2023, the tournament was played in October. The December dates going forward move away from fall college golf schedules and are situated in between fall and spring slates to attract more college players.
Net proceeds, generated through sponsorships, will continue to directly benefit First Tee–North Florida, a local youth development organization. In collaboration with this year’s dedicated sponsors, still to be finalized, the 2025 St. Augustine Amateur is expected to generate another $25,000 plus, increasing the total support to First Tee-North Florida to approximately $500,000 since 2004.
The maximum 84-player field is expected to include current NCAA Division I college golfers, nationally ranked junior golfers who have committed to play for NCAA Division I programs, elite mid-amateurs and international representation. The age range in 2024 was from 15 to 39. Previous winners have hailed from a variety of locations: the United States, Malaysia, Italy, South Korea, England, Norway and Thailand; Florida, Wisconsin, Indiana, Alabama, Massachusetts and Michigan; and five players who called the Jacksonville and St. Augustine areas home. There are 19 past champions (no repeat champions) since the event started in 2004, led by future PGA Tour players Peter Uihlein (2006), Zach Sucher (2008) and Blayne Barber (2009), Korn Ferry Tour players A.J. Crouch (2011), Jack Maguire (2012) and Sam Anderson (2020), now a local resident and ambassador for the event.
Spectators are welcome to attend the 54-hole tournament Friday, Dec. 5, through Sunday, Dec. 7. The winner will receive the Conquistador Helmet Trophy, symbolic of St. Augustine’s long history. Morning tee times off both nines (approximately 8:30-10:30 a.m.) will be used during each competitive round, preceded by a Thursday practice round.
