The University of North Florida golf programs are now being run by one, big happy First Coast family.
UNF announced a restructuring of the sport on July 31, with men’s coach Scott Schroeder named director of golf overseeing the men’s and women’s teams, and former UNF player and graduate Courtney Cobb named as the associate women’s head coach.
Another former Osprey player, Michael Mattiace, will be an assistant coach for both teams. Mattiace is married to a former UNF player, Sydney Shrader.
“We’re selling UNF and the First Coast area when we recruit, and now we can tell kids from experience how much we love UNF, the place and the people,” said Schroeder, who has guided the men’s team to seven ASUN titles, 15 NCAA regional appearances and seven NCAA championship berths in 18 years as its coach. “You listen to Courtney and Mike talk to kids and they have the same passion. They’re UNFers through and through.”
Cobb played golf at Providence for seven years (counting her middle school years), then played for Florida State College-Daytona and UNF. She was a member of the Ospreys” team that won back-to-back ASUN titles in 2016 and 2017 and after serving on the staff at FSC-Daytona and Florida Gulf Coast, she became UNF’s assistant to Joanne Berglund in 2021.
Berglund left after the 2024 season to become the first women’s coach at Rice.
“Relationships matter first,” Cobb said when asked about her coaching philosophy. “I care about student-athletes first as persons, then as students and golfers.”
Cobb said she, Schroeder and Mattiace are invested in UNF and the area.
“We’re all UNF graduates and this community will always be near and dear to our hearts,” she said. “We’ve been here for a long time, and we care about the UNF and First Coast. It’s not just another job.”
Mattiace, a Bolles graduate, played for the Ospreys for five years from 2016-2021. He was the ASUN co-Freshman of the year and was on the ASUN Academic Honor Roll all five years.
Junior Players field nearly complete
With a month to go, the field for the 18th Junior Players Championship Aug. 30-Sept. 1 at the TPC Sawgrass Players Stadium Course is nearly finalized.
Leading a contingent of four First Coast players in the field is defending champion Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach, who became the first area resident to win the tournament last year. Also entered are runner-up Phillip Dunham of Ponte Vedra Beach, Tyler Mawhinney of Fleming Island and Ambrose Kinnare of St. Augustine.
Russell, first on the AJGA Polo Rankings, is one of seven top-10 players who are in the field. The list includes U.S. Junior Amateur finalist Tyler Watts of Huntsville, Ala. (No, 3), Jackson Byrd of St. Simons Island, Ga., (No. 5) and Blades Brown of Nashville (No. 6), who made the cut in the PGA Tour’s Myrtle Beach Classic and was the stroke-play medalist at the U.S. Junior Am.
Also in the field is Florida Junior Boys champion Jessy Huebner of Port St. Lucie.
Absteins win state Parent-Child
Barton and Bart Abstein of St. Augustine shot 7-under-par 137 at ChampionsGate National Course to win the Child 17 and under division of the Florida Parent-Child Championship by two shots over Jiheon-Good Oh.
The Absteins shot 67 in the first round, fueled by five birdies in seven holes on the back nine under the modified alternate-shot format. Their second-round 70 was capped by playing the last eight holes at 1-under, with no bogeys.
Michael II-Mike Vallencourt Sr., finish solo sixth in the Child 33 and over division at the ChampionsGate International Course at even-par 144, four shots back. Leonard Schoenfeld II and Len Schoenfeld III tied for seventh at 145.
In the Parent-Child Nine-Hole tournament at the ChampionsGate Country Club, Jeff and Greta Golden tied for third under a points format with 51, two off the lead.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: UNF names Scott Schroeder golf director, Courtney Cobb women’s coach
