- April 6, 2026
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The golf gods seemed to look down upon the LECOM Suncoast Classic, trying to use their divine powers to will a playoff into existence.
It would have been fitting. Each of the last three tournaments at Lakewood National Golf Club were decided in extra play.
Mitchell Meissner had his chance to take a one-stroke lead on the 18th hole, but missed his putt. Jay Card III's own attempt stopped six inches shy of the cup.
Jeremy Gandon, though, didn't let his opportunity pass. He took it.
The 29-year-old Frenchman sank a 12-foot birdie putt to win the Korn Ferry Tour event April 5 at 22 under par. He birdied each of the course's last three holes to complete a six-under-par fourth round, enough to claim the title.
"I heard the crowd when Jay had an opportunity to make birdie and (it sounded) like he missed it," Gandon said. "Just wanted to have a putt for it on 18, and that worked out."
Following the third round, Gandon was tied with 23-year-old American Ian Gilligan for the tournament lead at 16 under par. He kept himself in the running April 5 with four birdies against zero bogeys through his first 10 holes.
The 15th, though, presented problems on the green. Gandon missed a four-foot putt by just two inches, which would've been good for par.
He settled for bogey and thus fell two strokes behind then-leader Meissner with three holes remaining on Lakewood National's Commander Course.
"This course, it's a really good course because you've got a few easy holes and a few hard holes where just par is a good score," Gandon said. "I did a good job playing good on the par 5s, the short par 4s and that put me in good position down the stretch at the end."
The former Kansas State golfer climbed his way back by notching birdies on the 16th and 17th holes. He then trusted his nine-iron on the final hole's right fairway, putting the ball 12 feet away from the cup.
Another two strokes would send him to a three-person playoff alongside Meissner and Card — a would-be fifth in the Suncoast Classic's eight-year history.
One stroke would earn him $180,000 and 500 points, thrusting him into third place on the Korn Ferry Tour's points list.
He chose the latter.
"I told him he was my new favorite player for not making us go to the playoff for the fourth year in a row," said tournament director Justin Kristich. "Fans love playoffs, but a walk-off birdie on 18 is a pretty good finish, too."
It marks the second professional win of Gandon's career after the 2025 Club Car Championship. Since 2019, the sport has been his full-time job.
Now, he's one step closer to earning his PGA Tour card at season's end.
"The first is hard to beat, but this one's pretty special," Gandon said. "My wife (Jordan Gandon) was here. I don't know how many more (I'll win) or how long I'm probably going to play golf, so I'm going to just enjoy it and celebrate it with my family."
The Frenchman opted for a fist pump instead of a victory cry or celebratory dance. He shared an embrace and kiss with his wife before putting his lips on the crystalline trophy.
He enjoyed his moment before a crowd that surrounded the 18th green on all sides, since the rope had been moved to allow fans onto the fairway. They all chose to spend at least part of their Easter Sundays at Lakewood National.
Some stuck it out since the 8:45 a.m. round-opening tee time, while others trickled in as the leaders reached the back nine.
"You expect people are going to go to church, spend time with family, go to brunch, whatever it might be," Kristich said. "But (with) those final groups walking down 18, it got pretty slammed out there."
This year's tournament was spared from the chaos of 2025's five-hole playoff, but was also thrown a curveball it had never seen before — a weather delay.
Play was suspended during the first round due to thunderstorms. Several players weren't even halfway through their 18 holes at the time, and didn't resume play until the morning afterward.
As a result, the second round wasn't completed by the end of day two, either. But Kristich and Co. were able to get back on track for the third and fourth days.
"I guess all the years that we were fortunate to not have a delay finally caught up to us there," Kristich said. "It is what it is. You can't control the weather."
With 2026 in the books, the Suncoast Classic isn't going anywhere.
The tournament announced April 2 it reached an agreement with LECOM and Lakewood National to remain its title sponsor and host, respectively, through 2029.
For its 10th anniversary and beyond, the Korn Ferry Tour event will stay in Lakewood Ranch.
"It didn't even take much, honestly, to get both deals done and across the finish line," Kristich said. "We all want to see this thing succeed."
