David Mecca, a Glen Oak Country Club member, is one of eight amateurs who will compete in the 2023 NEXT Golf Tour season finale now through April 2.
| NEXT Golf Tour |
Mecca, 30, of Clarks Summit, Pa., finished at 4 under in Round 5 — the best score of the season by an amateur — and ranked No. 20 on the Tour’s Order of Merit. As a result, he would have secured $6,137 in prize money, but amateur rules limited Mecca’s earnings to $1,000.
The winner of the NEXT Golf Tour season finale, which will be contested at Innisbrook Golf Resort (Copperhead Course), will receive a $20,000 check. The Top 10 individuals on the Tour’s Order of Merit will split a $50,000 bonus pool.
Mecca is coming off a tournament season in which he finished as runner-up in the 2023 GAP/AGA Player of the Year standings. He also gained the Round of 16 in the BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship and advanced to U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying.
Among the 101 finalists, only 14 competed in all five rounds of the NEXT Golf Tour season. The U.S. has the most individuals in the field (23), followed by Denmark and Sweden (20), Canada (10), U.K. (8), Norway (4), Australia (3), Iceland, Italy and Finland (2) and one each from Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Mexico, Switzerland and Venezuela.
The NEXT Golf Tour powered by TrackMan, open to men and women worldwide, featured six 18-hole stroke play tournaments contested virtually. Courses included PGA WEST Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course (Jan. 4-15), Marco Simone Golf & Country Club (Jan. 18-29), Medinah Country Club (Feb. 1-12), The Concession Golf Club (Feb. 15-26), Adare Manor (March 8-19) and Innisbrook. The NEXT Golf Tour was created to give elite players an opportunity to earn income and to develop their brands as professional golfers.
Connect with @NEXTGolfTour on social media to see the full leaderboard.
GAP
Celebrating Amateur Golf since 1897, GAP, also known as the Golf Association of Philadelphia, is the oldest regional or state golf association in the United States. It serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. The organization’s 340 Member Clubs and 100,000 individual members are spread across Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland. The GAP’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.
