Winter Garden’s Eddie Fernandes wins third World Long Drive title

One of the toughest decisions professional athletes make in their careers is deciding on when to retire. They often battle with the idea of not wanting to end their career too early or too late. And many don’t even get the chance to make that choice — the sport does it for them when the phone stops ringing. 

But for a select few — such as Michael Jordan, Joe DiMaggio and Peyton Manning — leaving the game they love only felt right if they left while they were on top of the proverbial throne. 

On Tuesday, July 19, at the Fort Jackson Golf Club in Columbia, South Carolina, following a 362-yard drive that claimed him the World Long Drive Senior Division Championship, Eddie Fernandes went out on top and announced his retirement from the sport he picked up more than a decade ago.

“It feels great (to win); this was my last event,” Fernandes said in an interview following his win. “I’m retiring after today, and I knew I just had to come out and bring it. (There’s) a lot of phenomenal hitters in the senior division, and it’s a hell of a way to go out. I’m grateful for my family, my friends (and) my sponsors. … I’m really at a loss for words; it’s been (more than) 10 years competing ... Jeff Gavin has been the guy (who) really drove me over the last several years, and I love competing against him.” 

Fernandes, a Winter Garden resident and golf pro, claimed the WLD senior division (45 and over) championship — a golf competition that pits the world’s best drivers of the ball against each other to see who can hit it the farthest — over World No. 2, Jeff Gavin. 

This is Fernandes’ third title in the past seven years (2018, 2022 and 2024), which ties him with Michael Hooper (1996-98) for the most senior division WLD titles in the sport’s young history. 

“It’s special to win three, because there’s only a few guys (who) have only won three or more, and I’m in that category now,” he said. “I’m just blessed that I’m healthy, I’ve got a great family and friends and people (who) support me. … I’ve worked (hard) for (this), so it’s been good.”

The win is not only special to the 53-year-old because of where it puts him in the pantheon of the sport’s great or the fact that it’s the cherry on top of his career, but also because of how he bounced back from a season-ending injury in 2023. 

“I love competing against the best and … unfortunately, I was hurt last year,” he said. “I had a phenomenal year last year, (and) I just didn’t finish it off the way I wanted to. But I finished it off this year.”

Nicknamed “Fast” Eddie — after a character from the 1961 movie “The Hustler” — Fernandes won his third WLD championship belt in dramatic fashion, saving his best drive (362 yards) for last. No sweat, though, he’s used to the heat.

“I’ve been here before; I love the pressure,” Fernandes said. “I love having to hit my best ball when it gets late, and normally in my career, even playing golf or long drive, I’ve always seemed to always hit it when I needed it the most.”