Billy and Brittany Horschel, who have worked on First Coast charities related to food insecurity and mental health, will be the recipients of the 2025 Deane Beman Award, given each year by the Jacksonville Area Golf Association to those who make a difference through golf.
Horschel, a Grant native who has won eight times in 16 professional seasons on the PGA Tour and was the first American to win the DP World Tour’s BMW PGA Championship twice, is currently ranked 17th in the world. He won the FedEx Cup in 2014 when he closed the season by winning the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship.
He was an All-American at the University of Florida, where he met his wife, a Nease graduate who was playing on the Gators women’s golf team.
The Beman Award will be presented to the Horschels as part of the First Coast Celebration of Golf Banquet presented by Circle K on Feb. 20 at the TPC Sawgrass.
The Horschels, parents of three children, launched the Horschel Family Foundation in 2023 with multiple goals of assistant organizations “that inspire hope, provide healing, promote health and honor our soldiers.”
Among the functions is the PAR Program, which addresses substance abuse and mental health.
Horschel also sponsors two American Junior Golf Association tournaments, an Advocates Professional Golf Tour event and has been active with Feeding Northeast Florida, K9s for Warriors and the Brown Family YMCA.
Tickets for the Celebration of Golf Banquet are on sale by visiting jagagolfbanquet.com. Individual tickets and tables for eight are available.
In addition to the Beman Award, JAGA, the Jacksonville Women’s Association, the Northern Chapter PGA and the North Florida Golf Course Superintendents Association will recognize its award winners for the year.
Proceeds from the banquet will go to the JAGA Scholarship Trust, which has awarded around $2 million in grants to more than 400 college students since 1974.
Past winners of the Beman Award, after its namesake in 2015, the former PGA Tour commissoner, are Herb Peyton, John Hayt, Joe Barrow, Anne Nimnicht, John Tucker, Jim and Tabitha Furyk and Tommy Dudley.
The 21st JAGA Scholarship Trust Golf Classic Nov. 25 at the Deerwood Country Club raised $18,000. The Trust currently supports 50 First Coast college students with renewable yearly grants of $2,500.
Four current JAGA scholars participated in the tournament, Morgan Wilkerson (Savannah State), Jenna Wilson (Savannah State), Emma Wells (Daytona State College) and Gavin Salomone (Florida).
The gross scramble tournament was won by Len Schonfeld, Lenny Schonfeld III, Chris Henderson and Casey Katz at 18-under 54. They defeated Cary Helton, Don Poag, Kyle Rogers and Dillon Board by one shot.
Lin Culver of Palm Coast scored 65 points over 36 holes and won the FSGA Women’s Winter Series Stableford at the Slammer & Squire by two points over Tama Caldabaugh of Ponte Vedra Beach.
Maria Nilsson of St. Augustine (63 points) won the net middle flight. Lori Collins of Jacksonville (57) tied for fourth.
In the men’s Winter Series event at the Black Diamond Ranch Quarry Course, Jeff Kaufman of Ponte Vedra Beach shot 7-over 151 to finish in solo third, five shots behind winner Chad Ibotson of Sanford. Brian King of Fernandina Beach (157) tied for fifth.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Billy. Brittany Horschel to be honored with Beman Award for charitable work
