TOPICS NEWSLETTER - South Florida PGA Golf

challenge cup - north v. south
Wes Smith Selected as Honorary Captain of the
2010 SFPGA Challenge Cup Team
A prestigious rivalry between the South Florida and North Florida PGA Sections, the annual
Challenge Cup Matches pits the top ten regular division players and top two senior
division players from each respective North and South Florida PGA Player of the year
Point Races against one another over the course of 2 days and 3 different formats for coveted
Section bragging rights.
The Challenge Cup Matches began in 1981 at Grenelefe Golf & Tennis Resort in Haines
City, FL, where the North Florida PGA team claimed the first Cup victory over the South
Florida PGA team by a slim margin of 9 ½ to 8 ½ points. Since then, the South Florida
PGA Challenge Cup team has dominated the matches, winning 19 out of 29 competitions
(2 matches halved, 8 won by the North Florida Section), and have managed to keep the Cup in the South Florida
PGA Section for the past 10 consecutive years.
Captaining last year’s squad was PGA Professional Gary Baker, who joined an impressive list of honorary captains
including Ed Ficker, Burl Dale, Mickie Gallagher, Dub Pagan, Sandy Robertson, Mike Krak, Chuck Woodward,
Buddy Cook, Jack Carney, Dale Brady, Marion Heck, Fred Harkness, Roger Kennedy, Sr., and most recently, Johnny
LaPonzina. Gary’s been a part of the South Florida Section since 1971, and enjoyed the Challenge Cup every year.
“I played in the very first Challenge Cup we ever held, and being captain was something I looked forward to for a
long time.”
Gary helped lead the 2009 South Florida Challenge Cup team to it’s tenth victory in a row. “It’s easy to captain
when you have a lot of great players,” Gary said.
Close friend of Gary’s, Wes Smith of Grey Oaks Country Club, was selected as this year’s Challenge Captain.
Wes says, “I’ve played several times in our Challenge Cup and am looking forward to leading the South Florida Section
to complete and total victory! We have the best section.”
The 30th Annual Challenge Cup
Matches will be held in the South
Florida Section at the Bay Colony
Golf Club October 12-13, 2010.
The South Florida PGA Challenge
Cup team roster will be announced
after the SFPGA Section Championship
and will be supported and
outfitted by Jack Nicklaus Sportswear.
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