Underwood Cup teams set for Deerwood, Northern Chapter PGA team gunning for three-peat

The Underwood Cup teams have been finalized for the 34^th edition of the match-play event between Northern Chapter PGA professionals and First Coast Amateurs Feb. 2-3 at the Deerwood Country Club.

The professional team, captained again by Mike Broderick, will be trying to win its third Cup Matches in a row for the first time since the first three years of the competition from 1992-1994. They’re also trying to win at a third site, after capturing the 2023 matches at San Jose and the 2024 matches at Timuquana, rallying from a five-point deficit after the doubles sessions to win 12.5-11.5.

Broderick will have experience on his side. Six players on this year’s team played on both winning teams the previous two years: Jennifer Borocz, Stephanie Connelly-Eiswerth, Jake Etherton, Hayes Farley, Aaron Russell and Josh Wolfe.

Two more players, Clint Avret and Blanton Tessin, played on the 2023 team.

There are four Cup Match rookies for the professionals, two of them the first married couple to ever play in the event, assistant University of North Florida golf coach Michael Mattiace and former UNF player Sydney Mattiace.

The other two are Bobby Newberry and Mark Tullo de Best.

Michael Del Rocco returns as the amateur captain, with a team loaded with Cup Match experience. Three are Deerwood members, Steve Carter, who holds records for the most matches played, Jordan Batchelor and Chase Baldwin.

Other amateur veterans on the team are Jeff Dennis, Sam Geise, Jeff Golden, Matt Kleinrock, Toby Ragland and Mike Smith.

There are three amateur rookies but two of them won statewide tournaments last summer. Jimmy Ellis won the Florida Amateur and was the medalist in the U.S. Amateur after shooting 71-61—132; and Lance LaCombe won the state Mid-Amateur Stroke Play. The other amateur rookie is Matt Saxton.

The teams will compete in six fourball and six foursomes matches on Feb. 2 and 12 singles matches on Feb. 3. As defending champions, the professional team will retain the Underwood Cup with 12 points and the amateurs, which won six in a row from 2017-2022, need 12.5 points to wrest it back.

Northern Chapter PGA Awards announced

Former University of North Florida golfer Sydney Mattiace of the Sawgrass Country Club is the Northern Chapter professional of the year and her husband Michael Mattiace, also a former UNF player and a member of the Ospreys coaching staff, is the Rolex assistant player of the year to highlight the chapter awards announced last week.

They and other award winners will be honored on Jan. 16 at Sawgrass.

Other award winners:

• Stephanie Connelly-Eiswerth, San Jose Country Club: Rolex Player of the Year, Youth Player Development Award, Player Development Award.

• Andrew Lanahan, TPC Performance Center: Teacher/Coach of the Year.

• Aaron Russell, Sawgrass Country Club: Rolex Senior Player of the Year.

• Wes Tucker, St. Johns Golf Club: Bill Strausbaugh Award (education).

• Stefan Brunt, Sawgrass Country Club: PGA Professional Development Award.

• Matt Hipps, Amelia National: Patriot Award.

• Ronan O’Rourke, Jacksonville Golf and Country Club: Merchandiser of the Year, private course.

• Ryan Koury, Sawgrass Marriott: Merchandiser of the Year, public course.

• Reagan Davis, World Golf Village: Merchandiser of the Year, resort course.

• Bea Mauricio, St. Johns Golf Club: Assistant Professional of the Year.

• Cam Bahler, Textron: Sales Professional of the Year.

• Josh Urbanec, San Jose Country Club: Superintendent of the Year.

The Hayt field is set

The University of North Florida’s Hayt, March 8-10 at the Sawgrass Country Club, will include three SEC teams, led by No. 5-ranked Texas.

Also in the field will be No. 18 South Carolina and No. 25 Alabama.

Other ranked teams (as of the holiday break) are No. 6 North Carolina, No. 8 Virginia, No. 23 South Florida, No. 24 Duke, No. 27 Northwestern and No. 29 Charlotte.

Also in the field in addition to the host Ospreys are Navy, Louisville, Coastal Carolina, Liberty and Texas-San Antonio.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Underwood Cup set for Feb. 2-3 at Deerwood with Pros after third in a row