{{ubiquityData.prevArticle.description}}
{{ubiquityData.nextArticle.description}}
Since the Florida State Golf Association started its Amateur Player of the Year award in 1991, Joe Alfieri has been the recipient four times.
“Joe is one of the toughest competitors we’ve seen during the last 25-plus years,” said Jim Demick, who recently retired after a distinguished career as executive director of the FSGA and who has had an intimate view of Alfieri’s career. “He just loves to compete. If you wanted to win a major men’s golf championship in Florida, you had to beat Joe Alfieri. He’s a great gentleman, has a super family and just exemplifies amateur golf.”
Alfieri, who has won every major Florida State Golf Association title except the State Amateur, relishes the times when the scorecard and the Rules of Golf are strictly applied on difficult courses. He credits his long history of success to his inner drive.
“The biggest reason is I love to compete,” he said of his ability to win so often. “I take the game and time I invest, although not near what it used to be, seriously. I just try to get better at my craft regardless of age or physicality.”
While describing the defining factors in his most recent victory – the state’s Mid-Amateur Championship two weekends ago at Admiral’s Cove in Jupiter, 22 years since he won his first Mid-Am – Alfieri, 51, points to the balance in his life with family, work and competitive golf.
“I’m in consumer package goods,” said the reinstated amateur, who played eight years as a professional, including 2005-07 on what then was called the Nationwide Tour. “I’ve been in food, except for those eight years, for almost 30 years. My father was in the industry.”
“I take the game and time I invest, although not near what it used to be, seriously. I just try to get better at my craft regardless of age or physicality.”
Joe Alfieri
Alfieri played college golf at the University of South Florida. He and his wife of 25 years, Laura, have two college-age children and live in Lutz, near Tampa. Their son, Cade, is a golfer at St. Leo College and their daughter, Kierstan, also attends college.
“I would like to think my friends would say I’m a good guy where family is important,” he said.
In a competitive golf career that spans 30-odd years, Alfieri has found exactly where golf fits into his equation of balance.
On Tuesday in Fort Myers, he will attempt to qualify for the U.S. Senior Open at Crown Colony Golf and Country Club. But he has no aspirations of playing on the PGA Tour Champions.
“It’s not something I think about,” Alfieri said. “I am content with where I am in life. I have a nice balance of home, competitive golf and work at this stage. It’s not something I need. To be honest, I did think about it, but I just enjoy competing. I am not interested in playing every week. I’m content where I am.”
A total of 83 players will tackle Crown Colony in pursuit of a yet-to-be-determined number of berths in the 41st U.S. Senior Open, which will be played July 8-11 at Omaha Country Club in Nebraska. Alfieri’s tee time in the 18-hole qualifier is 8:09 a.m.
“The U.S. Senior Open has been a target since last year,” said Alfieri, who has played at USGA championships in the past, including round-of-32 appearances at four U.S. Mid-Amateurs. “It goes without saying that I like to compete in USGA events because conditions will be firm and fast.”
He estimates he has tried to qualify for the U.S. Open 30-plus times with several advancements to sectional qualifying, now known as final qualifying, but without a berth to the main event.
In the 2021 season, Alfieri will play in Florida’s 104th Amateur Championship, at Streamsong, as well as the state’s Open Championship and Amateur Match Play Championship. He has finished in second place four times at the Amateur, the FSGA’s flagship event.
“I haven’t played Streamsong,” said Alfieri, who was born and raised in the Tampa area, which is 60 miles from the highly praised golf complex. “I hear from tee to green it is open, but the green complexes are tricky. We’ll see how that goes but my game is trending well. But I have a strong short game and I’m a good manager of the game. Experience creates that.”
He also noted: “I like to compete with the kids, but I can’t hit it with them. There are 14 clubs in the bag for a reason.”
Alfieri said the recent Mid-Am, where all four players who reached the semifinals were in their 40s, is his proudest win.
“I’d have to say (two weekends ago) at Admiral’s Cove,” he said. “Partly because of where I am in my golf career at 51 years old. It speaks to my longevity and my competitive drive. I still want to win.”
Alfieri also will attempt to qualify for the U.S. Amateur at historic Oakmont Country Club near Pittsburgh and the U.S. Mid-Amateur at Sankaty Head in Siasconset, Massachusetts.
Son Cade competed in the 2020 U.S. Amateur, which was played at Bandon Dunes in Oregon, and he will try to qualify again this year.
“We will be at different sites though,” the elder Alfieri said with a chuckle.
E-Mail Pete