PHOTO COURTESY XANDER DOBREFF Jesse Florkowski signals he's back in the top position following his win at the North American One-Armed Golf Association championships in Florida last week.
srooney@medicinehatnews.com@MHNRooney
Jesse Florkowski is back atop the one-armed golf world.
The 29-year-old from Medicine Hat won his fifth North American One-Armed Golf Association championship last Thursday, beating long-time rival Vince Biser 6-and-5 in the final match at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Bay, Florida.
“I didn’t give him much opportunity, that’s for sure. I won the first hole, didn’t look back after that,” said Florkowski, whose run of four titles in a row was derailed by Biser’s sixth championship last year. “After winning four years it’s definitely different (to wait a year for the fifth), but it was huge.”
The left-hander had a great week at the site of the PGA’s Valspar Championship, posting the lowest qualifying scores and winning his unassisted division quarter-final 4-and-3 and his semifinal 8-and-7.
After losing the title on an extra hole in 2018 to Biser, Florkowski was admittedly motivated by revenge this time around.
“It was definitely revenge,” he said. “As soon as I lost last year to him, I said just remember, I’m coming after you next year harder than ever.”
The week was also an opportunity to reconnect with one-armed golfers again, including some up-and-comers. He met Tommy Morrissey, an 8-year-old who’s made multiple television appearances and might one day challenge Florkowski and Biser. The association also ran a clinic for one-armed juniors which bodes well for the future of the organization.
As for the rest of his summer, Florkowski only has a couple more big events on his schedule, including the Medicine Hat Golf and Country Club’s championship as well as the Canadian Amputee Golf Association’s finals in Okotoks.
