May 19, 2026
ORLANDO, Fla. – The Florida Hickory Open was back for another year, May 18-19, at the historic Dubsdread Golf Course. Over the two days of the championship, players enjoyed perfect weather, and the course proved to be a terrific challenge.
Men’s Open
After winning in his first appearance in last year’s event, James Witteck took control of the leaderboard after a strong first round. Despite a double-bogey on his first hole, James parred the next six holes to finish with a four-over par 74. Matthew Lopez, in his first Florida Hickory Open appearance, was just six back after day one with a round of 10-over 80. Four players were tied for third at 18-over par, including Tyler Hacker, Michael Stevens, Don Hacker, and Kipp Brandt.
Lopez started round two hot, birdieing two holes early on and shrinking Witteck’s lead to four after three holes. The two traded blows the remainder of the round, but Witteck was able to extend his lead and hold off the early charge by Lopez. Witteck successfully defended his title with rounds of 74-72—146, tying the record low score in the Championship’s history.
Men’s Net Stableford
The point system for the Stableford portion was as follows: Net Eagle (4 points), Net Birdie (3 points), Net Par (2 points), Net Bogey (1 point). Richard Grula, the net Champion in the inaugural Florida Hickory Open, was looking to return to the winner’s circle. After his first round, which included four net birdies and a net eagle, Grula led the way with 33 Stableford points. Following him in second place was Lee Wilson, who finished the day with 25 points. Two-time defending Champion Richard Boggs was in third place after a first round of 22 points.
During round two, Grula found similar success. With three net birdies on his first eight holes, he extended his lead to pull away from the field. With 34 Stableford points on day two, he improved on his first round and claimed the Net Division by 13 points. Wilson and Boggs maintained their leaderboard positions after the final round, finishing second and third respectively.
Women’s Open Division
Day one ended in a tight race in the Women’s Open Division. Familiar face Alice Brown, looking for her fourth straight victory, led the way by two shots after a first-round score of 87. Nancy Keating sat just two shots behind after shooting an 89. Rounding out the top three following the first round was BJ Hayden, who opened with a 92.
On Tuesday, Brown and Keating fought back and forth all morning in a tight race that lasted down the home stretch. Keating finished strong with two pars in her last few holes, which allowed her to claim her first victory in the Florida Hickory Open.
Congratulations to all the competitors.
