National Championship Weekend: The Work Behind the Win

By Rex Grayner, SVP of Business Development, Hurricane Junior Golf Tour

December in Orlando always feels different.

Nearly 1,000 junior golfers arrive from every corner of the country. Eight championship tournaments. Elite golf courses. One week that represents the highest level of competition on the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour calendar.

But National Championship Weekend is not about one week.

It is the payoff for an entire year that most people never see. The airport alarms at 4:30 a.m. The missed birthdays. The late-night homework in hotel rooms. The wet range sessions in the rain. The quiet car rides home after tough finishes. The early mornings after long drives. This weekend is not something players sign up for. It is something they earn.

Every player here has already won. Every family here has already invested. What unfolds this week is the final chapter of a long season that began months ago.

The Road That Leads to Orlando

By the time December arrives, the standings have taken care of themselves. Players have traveled through different regions. Different weather. Different course conditions. Different levels of pressure. Qualification is not handed out. In many divisions, it requires winning. It requires consistency. It requires showing up when it matters.

There is no shortcut to this field. Every spot represents weekends stacked on top of one another. Families rearranging life around a tournament schedule. Players learning how to manage school, training, rest, and competition. And somewhere along the way, learning how to handle disappointment just as well as success.

This is why National Championship Weekend carries weight. It represents far more than trophies.

Preston Tolnar Is Back to Defend

Preston Tolnar arrives in Orlando this year with familiarity and history. He is 11 years old. He is from Canfield, Ohio. He already has 14 wins on the Hurricane Tour. Last year, he captured the Boys 10U title at the Tournament of Champions. This week, he returns to ChampionsGate Golf Resort to defend that title in the Boys 10–11 division.

When asked what it feels like to return as the defending champion, Preston did not speak about pressure.

“It’s pretty exciting to return back to ChampionsGate Resort to defend,” he said. “The course is challenging and it’s one of the most elite fields in the country with all the players needing to win to make it there. The hospitality is off the charts and the weather is always great especially when you’re coming from Ohio in December.”

For a young player, that perspective matters. At this level, even excitement comes with respect for the stage.

The Shot That Still Lives With Him

Championships are not decided by averages. They are decided by moments. For Preston, one moment from last year still stands above the rest.

“There were a number to choose from as I felt I chipped and putted it well all week and my iron game was really dialed in,” he said. “But if I had to pick one shot it would have been the putt I was able to make in the darkness on Saturday’s round. I putted on the 18th green with the help of a few flashlights and a couple golf cart lights from about 10 feet or so and I was able to make the putt to reserve a spot in the final group. It was something straight out of a movie. I remember it like yesterday.”

Those are the moments that define National Championship Weekend. Late light. Quiet greens. Everything riding on one swing. One read. One stroke.

For a 10-year-old at the time, that moment was not just about a scorecard. It was about learning how to perform when the margin disappears.

Growth Between Championships

Winning once does not pause development. It accelerates it. Over the past year, Preston has continued to grow both physically and as a competitor.

“Probably the area that has developed most to my game is ability to gain more strength and distance in my tee shots,” he said. “Being able to grow and get stronger has been a huge help. At the end of the day it all comes down to chipping and putting. My focus will be on chipping and putting leading into the 2025 championship.”

He also noted that winning last year did not change his mindset. It simply refined his preparation.

“It hasn’t really changed my mindset, however having the opportunity to have played there in the past has allowed me practice on certain areas of my game,” he said. “Short game and practicing my wedge game will be an area I work on prior to this year’s event.”

This is what development looks like. Honest evaluation. Clear priorities. No shortcuts.

What Motivation Really Looks Like

Junior golf carries both the joy of winning and the weight of expectation. Even for top performers, the game still pushes back. Preston’s response to that pressure is rooted in competition itself.

“The will to win is my biggest motivator when it comes to my junior golf career,” he said. “To always be able to be around the top of the leaderboard with a chance to win on the final day is important to me. Consistency and the ability to always be around the top is a great motivator. I just love the game of golf and the competition. Wins or losses it’s all fun to compete, however winning is much more fun.”

That blend of honesty and joy is what makes this level special. The fire to compete pairs with a genuine love for the game.

Jordan Levitt 2024 HJGT National Champion

Jordan Levitt: The Road Beyond Junior Golf

For some players, National Championship Weekend represents the final chapter of junior golf. For others, it becomes a bridge to everything that comes next.

Jordan Levitt is a clear example of that progression.

She won the HJGT Girls 14–18 Tournament of Champions last December with rounds of 73 and 70. Today, she is a freshman at the University of Notre Dame and ranked inside the Top 30 in the NCAA.

Her resume stretches far beyond junior golf. She is a 2024 New York State Girls Amateur Champion. She has competed in the U.S. Girls Junior and the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 2025. She attended Dwight Global Online School and was the recipient of the Stephen H. Spahn Leadership Award, the school’s highest honor for graduating seniors.

But for Jordan, the story is not just about where she is now. It is about understanding the narrow window junior golf quietly gives you.

“Getting started in golf and playing at a high level, you can’t get that time back,” she said. “It was a goal of mine to play in the U.S. Girls Junior before college. I also qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur. We had a window, we had a goal, and that goal was achieved.

“But when you’re talking about playing in your first tournaments, you also have to talk about school. And you can’t get that time back either. So, if you’re thinking about playing in a Hurricane event, do it. You can’t get that time back.

“For me at Dwight Global, having that window and having that time frame to play golf and get a fantastic education is never something you can get back. Especially with how tight the college recruiting window is. You need a plan. You need a window. Going to Dwight Global really helped me do that.”

Her path reflects what this weekend can become when development, discipline, and opportunity work together.

Her story reinforces an important truth. What begins on junior tees does not end in December.

Carson Lowe: Competing With a Broader Purpose

Every player arrives at National Championship Weekend with a different story. Carson Lowe is 15 years old and from West Palm Beach, Florida. He is a sophomore at The Oxbridge Academy and finished 17th at last year’s Tournament of Champions in the Boys 14–15 division. This year, he returns with a different lens and a deeper sense of purpose beyond his own scorecard.

Carson is one of the co-founders of the Fore All Junior Golf Foundation. Along with close friend Nicholas Zaccagnino, he launched the nonprofit in 2022 at the age of 12 and 13. What began as a junior golf journey has quietly grown into a mission centered on service, access, and creating opportunities for other young players.

“Returning to the Hurricane National Championships this year is exciting,” Carson said. “This will be my 12th HJGT tournament this season. I’m looking forward to competing versus some of the best players in the world at a championship venue. It will be great to see a lot of other kids who play with us in the Fore All events, too.”

There is confidence in his preparation and pride in the community he is helping build. Both now travel with him to the first tee.

Some players measure growth in yards and strokes. Others measure it in the impact they create along the way.

The Parents Who Carry More Than Bags

Behind every player in this field is a family that has rearranged life around junior golf.

Parents managing travel calendars alongside school schedules. Flights booked months in advance. Hotel confirmations. Practice ranges. Nutrition plans. Weather forecasts. Recovery days. Budget spreadsheets. Siblings doing homework in the back seat. Parents working from hotel lobbies. These sacrifices are rarely visible on leaderboards, but they are woven into every tee shot this weekend.

National Championship Weekend is as much a family achievement as it is an individual one.

The Staff No One Sees

Long before the first players arrived in Orlando, the work was already underway. Courses contracted. Yardages set. Rules officials assigned. Volunteers scheduled. Pairings reviewed. Scoring systems tested. Contingency plans written for weather and logistics.

The staff behind this week works months in advance to ensure that when the first tee shot is struck, the stage is ready. Their longest days begin before sunrise and end well after the final scorecard is signed.

This week does not exist without them.

The Partners Who Make This Weekend Possible

National Championship Weekend does not come together on entry fees alone. It is built through the commitment of partners who believe in the experience, not just the exposure.

For the third straight year, Foresight Sports returns as the Title Sponsor of National Championship Weekend, continuing a partnership that has helped raise the standard for competitive performance across our tour.

The championship kickoff begins with the support of GEICO as the title sponsor of the National Championship Kickoff Party, with Island H2O Water Park serving as the host venue and City Food Hall sponsoring the food.

And to ensure these players and families feel the full weight of the occasion, a long list of partners step in to deliver key support, including Srixon, IMG Academy, Heritage Hills Resort, Cirkul, OT Sports, Dryvebox, Full Metal Markers, Dwight Global Online School, and JumboMax Golf Grips.

Some contribute financially. Others through tee gifts, player services, and on-site activations. All of it matters. Every detail adds up. And for the players walking to the first tee this week, that support is felt in ways most spectators will never fully see.

These partners are not just attached to an event. They are investing in kids, in families, and in the kind of junior golf experience that leaves a lasting mark.

Why This Weekend Matters

The trophies will be lifted. The photos will be taken. Names will be added to record boards.

But what lasts far beyond this week is what these players are learning right now. How to handle pressure. How to respond to mistakes. How to prepare when nobody is watching. How to compete with respect. How to win with perspective. How to lose with honesty.

These lessons do not stay on the course.

Championship Morning

On championship morning, the sun rises early on Orlando fairways. Golf bags line cart paths. Parents walk beside their kids. The same nerves return. The same quiet hope travels with every group to the first tee.

Preston steps back onto the grass at ChampionsGate. Jordan now competes on college fairways across the country. Carson returns with a broader purpose than he had a year ago.

One weekend. Eight championships. Nearly 1,000 players. And countless stories still waiting to be written.

National Championship Weekend does not begin in December.

It is built all year.

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2025 HJGT National Championships presented by Foresight Sports

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Friday, Dec 5, 2025

GEICO National Championship Kickoff Party at Island H2O Water Park (6-9pm ET)

Adult/Child National Championship Tournaments at ChampionsGate and Orange Lake

Saturday, December 6, 2025

Round 1

National Championship Girls 14-18 / Girls U13) at Orange Lake Resort & CC – The Reserve – West Village

National Championship Boys 12-13 at Orange Lake Resort & CC – The Legends – East Village

National Championship Boys 14-15 at MetroWest CC

National Championship Boys 16-18 (2nd-5th Places) at ChampionsGate Golf Resort – International

National Championship Boys 16-18 (6th-10th Places) at Mission Resort + Club – El Campeon

Tournament of Champions Boys 14-15 at Providence GC

Tournament of Champions Boys 16-18 at Rio Pinar CC

Tournament of Champions Girls 14-18 / Boys 10-11 at ChampionsGate Golf Resort – National

Sunday, Dec 7, 2025

Round 2