Tennessee Spring Challenge – March 28- 29, 2015
The Volunteer State played host to the most recent Hurricane Junior Golf Tournament (HJGT) event as the end of March is drawing near. The Tri-Cities metro area was the site of the 2015 Tennessee Spring Challenge as competitors battled one another in Kingsport, Tennessee at Cattails at Meadowview Golf Club. Fast greens, a dampened course and chilly weather engulfed the final weekend of the month, but participants rallied through the conditions to post brilliant scores all over. Winners in each division will receive an exemption into the 2015 National Championship December 5-6, 2015. The top three in each division will receive an exemption into the 2015 Mid Season Invitational at Chateau Elan June 20-22, 2015. Additionally, the top ten finishers in each division received points towards year end honors which include state teams, ALL HJGT teams and the Hurricane Cup.
Jonesborough, Tennessee’s Alex Bradford soared above the field of seven in the Boys’ 15-18 division. Posting a remarkable -3, 68 on Sunday, Bradford took home the trophy by a margin of four strokes over Zachary Riddle of Chattanooga. The Jonesborough native followed up a 78 in round one on Saturday with his 68 on Sunday, netting himself six birdies on the afternoon. The win is the first for Bradford this season. Rounding out the podium was Riddle and Chad Couch of Bristol, Tennessee who finished in third place. Riddle leapt up to the podium after finishing just shy of it at the Knoxville Junior Open two weeks ago. He led through the first day but because of Bradford’s scintillating Sunday performance, he fell by just four strokes, finishing with a two-day total of 150. Riddle collected three birdies through the tournament. Couch, who finished with a 165, +23, grabbed one birdie on the seventh hole on Saturday. It’s the first time he’s been on the podium in the 2015 HJGT season.
In the Boys’ 13-14 division, each player worked hard to be handed some hardware by the end of the weekend. Jackson Skeen, Sean Anderson and Chad Homan duked it out on the leaderboard. In the end, it was Skeen of Jonesborough who emerged victorious with a 27-stroke victory. Skeen finished with a 79 and 71 in the opening and final rounds, coupled with five total birdies in the tournament. Skeen’s efforts were enough for him to have a comfortable margin of victory. Sean Anderson finished second in the division with a two-day total of 177 with an 88 and 89 in the opening and final rounds. Chad Homan of Knoxville, Tennessee rounded out the podium with a two-day total of 186 with one birdie on the fifteenth hole in the final round of the event.
Finally, much like the Boys’ 13-14 division, the Girls’ 15-18 division called for some impressive play by these junior golfers. Ashlee Richardson of Simpsonville, South Carolina propelled above her other two adversaries to win her first event of the 2015 HJGT season. With the win, it marks the third time she has placed this year, with two third place finishes coming in the Knoxville Junior Open as well as the College Prep Series event at Duke in late January. Richardson amassed a 169 over her stay in the tournament, winning by a margin of six strokes over Hinckley, Ohio’s Madison Butler who finished with a 175. Lastly, Kara Carter shot a 195 with an 89 on Sunday, along with one birdie to finish third in the division. Weather: Day 1- Low of to high of, Sunny, winds 10-20 MPH Day 2- Low of to high of, Sunny, winds 0-5 MPH Tournament Yardages: Boys 15-18 -6370 yards Boys 13-14 -5975 yards Girls 15-18 -5409 yards About us: The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour (HJGT) was founded in 2008 with the intention of providing junior golfers between the ages of 11-18 an opportunity to play exceptional courses in a competitive environment. Golfers who participate on the tour will compete in one of five age divisions: Boys 15-18, Boys 13-14, Boys 11-12, Girls 15-18, and Girls 11-14. Based out of Jacksonville, FL, the HJGT administers events all across the nation, with stops in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Louisiana, Connecticut and Massachusetts. For more information regarding the HJGT, please visit our website at www.hjgt.org, call the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour headquarters at (904) 379-2697, or email info@hjgt.org Experience #TheHurricaneDifference