If he plays this summer as well as he did for one week in February, Raphael Floriani could become the second player to compete for both sides in the annual South Florida PGA-North Florida PGA Challenge Cup matches in the fall.
Floriani, 41, moved from the Madonna Golf Academy in Orlando to the PGA Learning Center in Port St. Lucie in October. Last month he won five straight matches before losing in the finals of the PGA Match Play Championship on the Dye course at the PGA Golf Club (see story on page 18).
While that effort won’t count in the point standings to choose the SFPGA Challenge Cup team, Floriani said he plans to compete in both SFPGA and Southeast Chapter tournaments this summer and should be a frequent contender.
“The Challenge Cup matches are great fun and you meet a great bunch of guys from all around the state,” Floriani says. “It was just tough to get beat every year.”
The SFPGA holds a 19-8-2 edge and hasn’t lost since 1999.
The first player to represent both teams over the years was Frank Reynolds. He played for the South while working at clubs in Lake Placid and Naples, and for the North as a senior after he moved to Odessa, near Tampa.
In 2007 at The Conservatory at Hammock Beach, Floriani won a four-ball stroke play match with Shawn Gordon of Tampa but lost in modified alternate shots with Gordon and in singles he was beaten by Peter Baxter of Fort Myers. Last fall at the Reunion Resort in Orlando, Floriani paired with Sean Gordon of Orlando and won both team events but lost his singles match to Chris Kaufman of Boca Raton..

Bad weather can’t stop Milk Jug
Inclement weather forced cancellation of play but the Milk Jug tournament at McArthur Golf Club in Hobe Sound still raised more than $155,000 for local charities.
The tournament is hosted by co-designer Nick Price, a local resident, his business manager, David Abell of Jupiter, a prominent local amateur, and club president Peter Lund. Other top sportsmen participating were the PGA Tour’s Brett Quigley, U.S. Senior Amateur champion Vinny Giles and former major league pitcher Jim Kaat.
Begun in 2004, the Milk Jug has distributed some $493,000 to such charities as Adopt-a-Family of the Palm Beaches, Boys & Girls Club of Martin County, Broken Star Fund, Dan Marino Foundation, Hands Together of the Palm Beaches, Happy Camper Foundation, Hearts & Hope of West Palm Beach, Holding Hands Foundation, Hope Rural School, Junior League of the Palm Beaches, the Palm Beach County GA Scholarship Fund, Partners International Women, Pediatric Oncology Support Team with the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation and Place of Hope.

Remember her?
Where are they now? Julie Peluso was a teaching professional for the past decade at several clubs in the area and even made her mark as a player. She currently lives in Huntingdon Station, N.Y., with her husband, Todd, a former local-mini tour player who is out of golf and working in private business.
This year she’ll be a TP at Sunningdale CC in Scarsdale, N.Y., after spending the 2009 season at Old Westbury, N.Y., CC.
She worked at Hammock Creek, Tesoro and Jupiter Hills. In 2008, she qualified to represent the South Florida PGA Section in the national PGA Assistants’ Championship and teamed with Jerry Impellittiere to win the Southeast Chapter Pro-Pro Championship. She was the Met PGA Section women’s player of the year in ’09 and in January won the PGA Women’s Stroke Play Championship.

Rinker leads Quarter Century parade
Former PGA Tour player Larry Rinker, a member of a prominent Martin County golfing family, has achieved 25 years of membership in the PGA of America. While still holding an A-3 membership classification as a Tour player, Rinker is a Life Member of the Association, lives in Winter Park and has a real estate license.
Rinker played on the PGA Tour throughout the 1980s and 1990s and teamed with sister Laurie Rinker Graham to win the J.C. Penney Mixed Team Classic in 1985 at Bardmoor CC in Largo.
Laurie won twice during the 1980s and still plays occasionally on the LPGA tour. Brother Lee is the head professional at Emerald Dunes in West Palm Beach. All three graduated from Martin County High School.
Others recently added to the PGA’s Quarter Century Club roster include Life Member Jeff Foxx and John P. Henry, PGA Education Center, both of Port St. Lucie.

Oakley looking good in Europe
Pete Oakley of Palm City has returned to the European Senior Tour and expects to be able to play a full schedule for the next few months.
“There were six qualifiers and three of them won’t turn 50 until at least May,” said Oakley, the surprise winner of the 2004 British Senior Open.
His exemption expired, Oakley had to re-qualify last November and finished eighth, or second alternate, after a final round of 67.
A former PGA club professional from Delaware, Oakley was a frequent contender in PGA Tournament Series and Winter Tournament Program events in years past.
Burton tackling SFPGA challenge
Brett Burton of Stuart, who had success in both Palm Beach County GA and Minor League Golf Tour events in recent years, has entered the PGA apprentice program and will compete in SFPGA events this summer.
Currently working in the pro shop at The Florida Club near his home, Brett won the PBCGA Dodge Four-Ball with Daryl Fathauer in 2003 and has three MLGT victories, one as an amateur.
He is the son of bowling Hall of Famer Nelson (Bo) Burton Jr.

Larry Bush has covered South Florida golf for four decades. If you have an item for the Treasure Coast notebook, write to him at
larrynbush@aol.com.

Author: By Larry Bush

Received: 2010-03-05 [y/m/d]

Item #738


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