Cayden Pope (Rox Riles Photo)

The Auburn Sophomore came into the final round tied with Chase Haygood of UCF, but a final round 5-under 67 from Pope saw him pull away from the field. Haygood shot a final round 5-over 77 and finished T10 and 3-under.

"A lot of it was off the tee," Pope said about his consistency. "Keeping the ball in play. It was pretty windy, so it was easy to get the ball a bit crooked at times. That, and I putted well all week."

"Two of them are reachable par-5s, so that makes them easier," Pope said. "The wind was up, and I was able to hit some good shots and have some looks at Eagle."

"It gives me a lot of confidence heading into the spring season, which is a big time of the year," Pope said. "We have a great team, so we have a great chance if we put our heads down and work and see what happens." 

In the Mid-Am Division, Troy Vannucci carded rounds of 68-75-73 to finish at even par and win by three shots.

"I didn't really know what to expect because I have been in New Jersey, and this was my first competitive run in a while, but my distance control in my irons was great," Vannucci said.

The 2022 Golf Association of Philadelphia Mid-Amateur winner finished T2 at the 2023 New Year's Invitational and T6 at the 2024 New Jersey State Amateur.

In the Senior Division, Adam Creighton carded rounds of 72-73-75 to finish 4-over and win by four shots.

"That's just the way I play," Creighton said. "I never get upset over making a par and then when things get ugly, I try not to compound mistakes. Take a bogey and move on."

Creighton started the day tied for the lead at 1-over with Richard Barkley and Jay Lindner, but they both shot rounds of 7-over 79 to finish T2 at 8-over.

"It's great competition that I enjoy," Creighton said. Win or lose, if I play well and get beat, then there is nothing I can do other than practice."

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LECOM Suncoast Classic offers an opportunity to 2025 New Year invite winner
The historic New Years Invitational is getting a makeover

St. Petersburg Country Club recently underwent a major renovation to prepare for the 99th and 100th year of the tournament, and the LECOM Suncoast Classic, a tournament on the Korn Ferry Tour, has awarded a highly sought-after exemption to the winner of the 2025 iteration of the event.

"It's an incredible opportunity," Pope said. "It's great that more tournaments are starting to give exemptions to the winners. It gives us a great chance to prove ourselves and see how we stack up against some of the best players in the world."

The New Year's Invitational, played at St. Petersburg Country Club in Florida, has been held every year since 1927. It is the oldest continuously running invitational tournament in the Southeast and one of the oldest in the country. Originally, it was one of a number of tournaments held in the winter months at clubs around the area. The other events, in fact, several of the other clubs, have long departed.

From its inception until 1956, the tournament was a match-play event. The first winner was Clearwater resident A.T. Cooper. The 1928 winner, Johnny Revolta, was a combination course ranger and locker room attendant at Lakewood Country Club at the time he won.

Later, Revolta became a very successful professional, winning the PGA Championship in 1935 and establishing quite a reputation as a short-game instructor. In 1938, he celebrated his return to St. Petersburg and Lakewood with a win at the St. Pete Open, a regular stop on the fledgling PGA tour.

Bob Goalby was the first winner after the change to stroke play. He went on to a lengthy PGA career, which included a 1968 Masters green jacket. Between 1972 and 1991, Buddy Alexander, son of our longtime pro Skip Alexander, won six titles, the most wins for any player since the World War II era.

During the past two decades, the championship has been dominated by collegiate players, including winner Ryuji Imada in 1996, Jeff Klauk in 2000 (with a tournament record 21-under par 267), J.B. Holmes in 2003, Brandt Snedeker in 2004, and Jeff Overton in 2005.