Furuya bests field by seven strokes
Gros dominates field and cruises to victory
Kissimmee, FL (May 21, 2013): The beautiful Falcon’s Fire Golf Club hosted the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour’s 54 Hole Challenge at Falcon’s Fire on June 8-10. The weather tried its best to wreck the event, but after scrambling the schedule, all 54 holes were completed on Monday. After weather rained out Saturday, many golfers were forced to play 27 holes on both Sunday and Monday. If that wasn’t enough, darkness suspended play on Sunday evening so golfers had to finish those holes on Monday before completing their final 27 holes. There was a great deal at stake at Falcon’s Fire as winners of the boys and girls 15-18 divisions will receive AJGA Performance Stars as well as exemptions to the Florida Junior Tour, The State of Florida Big I Qualifier, while winners in all divisions (Boys 15-18, Girls 15-18, Boys 11-14, Girls 11-14) will receive invitations to the HJGT’s 2013 Tour Championship. The event will be ranked by the National Junior Golf Scoreboard and Golfweek. In addition, winners will receive a $50 gift card from Kikkor Golf. Lastly, top 15 finishers receive points towards All-HJGT teams, state teams, and the Hurricane Cup.
The boys 15-18 division was dominated by Ryoto Furuya of Wesley Chapel, FL as he cruised to a seven stroke victory fueled by a 65 on Saturday. Furuya continued his stellar play with a 69 in round two and a 71 in the final round. Furuya led in birdies with 15 and also led in par four and par five performance. Furuya also had a par or better on 90.7% of the holes. Second place was captured by Steven Chervony of Boca Raton, FL. Chervony shot a total of 212 (-4) over the three days. Chervony was under par each day as he shot 71-70-71. Michael Saccente of New Smyrna Beach, FL took third place with a total of 214 (-2). Saccente led the field with two eagles and also led in pars with 42. Ryoto Furuya took home the EFX Birdie Challenge Bracelet and Hayden Campbell won the Golf Pride Comeback Player of the Week after improving Saturday’s round of 90 into a 79 on Sunday.
The girls 15-18 division was dominated by Lauren Gros of Windermere, FL. The Georgetown University commit shot an impressive three day total of 202 (-14) to win the tournament by 18 strokes. Gros led the field in nearly every statistical category including most birdies with 16, par three performance with 2.92, and par five performance with a 4.17 average. Gros play consistently firing 68-67-67 over the three days. Second place was won by Maho Hayakawa from Mexico City. Maho’s 220 (+4) total was fueled by two 72’s in the second and third rounds. Hayakawa had the most pars in her division with 37. Radi Sauro of Lake Worth, FL took home third place with a total of 222 (+6). Radi was also consistent all weekend wqith her three scores being 73-74-75. Sauro carded six birdies over the three day event. Lauren Gros took home the EFX Birdie Challenge Bracelet, while Isabella Wang won the Golf Pride Comeback Player of the Week with a nine shot improvement.
Daniel Core of Sorrento, FL won the boys 11-14 division with a three day total of 221 (+5). Core’s rounds of 71-78-72 were enough to earn him a one stroke victory. Core was tied for the most birdies in the division with ten. Core also led in par four performance with a 4.07 average on those holes which was nearly a quarter of a stroke better than the next competitor. Core used a solid par - par finish on the last two holes to seal the victory. One shot behind Core were Alberto Martinez of Weston, FL and Manuel Girona of Windermere, FL at 222 (+6). Martinez led the field in par five performance with a 4.58 average while Girona led in par three performance with a 2.83 average. Daniel Core and Ryder Sutcliffe each won the EFX Birdie Challenge Bracelet. Evan White and William Levinson won the Golf Pride Comeback Player of the Week with nine shot improvements.
The girls 11-14 division was won by Lara Van Staden of Winter Springs, FL. Van Staden’s three day total of 233 (+17) was good enough for a three shot victory. Lara had a par average on par threes and led in pars with 35. Second place was won by Bradenton, FL’s Gabrielle Tomeo, who shot a 236 (+20) over the three days. Tomeo tied for most birdies with four and led in par four and par five performance with 4.37 and 5.17 averages respectively. Third place went to Erika Smith of Orlando who finished with a 243 (+27). Smith also had four birdies as well as 21 pars. Tomeo and Smith both won the EFX Birdie Challenge Bracelet while Tomeo also won the Golf Pride Comeback Player of the Week. Maria Pullen also took home Golf Pride honors. Weather: Saturday: High 80s-low 90s. Partly cloudy and windy with thunderstorms. Sunday: High 80s-low90s. Partly cloudy with a slight breeze and isolated thunderstorms. Monday: High 80s-low90’s. Partly cloudy with isolated thunderstorms. Tournament Yardages: Boys 15-18: 6,733 yards Girls 15-18: 6,164 yards Boys 11-14: 5,850 yards Girls 15-18: 5,246 yards Tournament Awards:EFX Birdie Challenge:
Boys 15-18: Ryoto Furuya Girls 15-18: Lauren Gros Boys 11-14: Daniel Core and Ryder Sutcliffe Girls 11-14: Gabrielle Tomeo and Erika Smith Golf Pride Comeback Player of the Week: Boys 15-18: Hayden Campbell Girls 15-18: Isabella Wang Boys 11-14: Evan White and William Levinson Girls 11-14: Gabrielle Tomeo and Maria Pullen 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 four age divisions: Boys 15-18, Boys 11-14, Girls 11-14 and Girls 15-18. Based out of Jacksonville, FL, the HJGT administers events all across the nation, with stops in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, and Ohio.