Goldasich Dominates at Birmingham Jr. Open
Fassnacht Outlasts Three Second Place Finishers
The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour made its first trip of the season to Alabama for the Birmingham Junior Open on July 1-2 at Limestone Springs Golf Club in Oneonta, Alabama. The weather was nice and cool both days providing excellent conditions for the players. The field was very competitive as they battled for more than the title of HJGT Champions. The event was also ranked by Junior Golf Scoreboard. Winners of each of the four age divisions (Boys 11-14, 15-18 & Girls 11-14, 15-18) will receive an automatic bid into the 2013 Tour Championship and the top 10 finishers receive points towards year end honors.
The Boys 15-18 Division was won by Samuel Goldasich of Birmingham, Alabama. Goldasich was ahead on day one by 4 strokes after firing an even par 72. Goldasich played consistently on Sunday and held on to win with a 76 and a two day total of 148. His win can be attributed to his shot-making abilities and his ability to capitalize on opportunities as evidenced by his 9 birdies which led the field. Second place finishers Lane Smith and Connor Hogan did their best to put pressure on the leader, both finishing with two day totals of 153. Connor, from Monroeville, Alabama, shot the best round of the day on Tuesday with a 3 over 75. Lane, from Florence, Alabama, finished one back of this mark with a 76. Connor and Lane both had 5 birdies for the tournament. Samuel Goldasich took home EFX Birdie Challenge honors as he led the field with nine birdies. Bill Perry of Birmingham, Alabama won the Golf Pride Comeback Player of the Week with a 19 stroke improvement from Monday to Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Girls 15-18 Division was extremely competitive as Anna Fassnacht of Killen, Alabama was able to outlast her opponents and win by one stroke over 3 other players. Anna shot a two day total of 162 with an 8 over 80 on the final round. Hannah Mccracken of Trussville, AL, Madison Sanders, of Clanton, AL and Kara Lankford of Oneonta, AL all shot a two day total of 163 making for a very exciting finish. Anna’s performance on par 5’s led the field with a 5.38 stroke average. She also had the beat percentage for most pars or better with 58.3 percent. Kelsie Belan led the division with 18 total pars for the tournament. Katelyn Gilmore of Muscle Shoals, Alabama had the most birdies with 4, making her the EFX Birdie Challenge honors winner. Emma Klimala of Glen Ellyn, IL GA won the Golf Pride Comeback Player of the Week award after a 13 shot improvement on Tuesday.
The Boys 11-14 Division was won by John Catanzaro of Gadsden, Alabama who shot 77 and 74 to finish with a 151 (+7) total. After only leading by two strokes on Monday, Catanzaro fired a 74 and pulled away from the field to win by 6 shots over Ike Alexander of Florence, Alabama. John had the most pars with 23 and the best par 4 performance with a stroke average of 4.20. Alexander did his best to challenge Catanzaro with a 76 on Tuesday, but was ultimately held back by an 81 on Monday. In third place was Jake Lackey of Huntsville, Alabama who shot 81 and 78 for a two day total of 159 (+15). Both Lackey and Cody Maddox took home the EFX Birdie Challenge Bracelet tying for the most birdies with 5. Will Patrick and Dawson Garret both improved by 10 strokes each, and won the Golf Pride Comeback Player of the week.
Some of the best golf of the tournament was played by Carson McKie and Julie Baker, both from Hoover, Alabama, who filled out the Girls 11-14 year old division. Carson Mckie took home the first place trophy with an impressive two day total of 157. Baker finished as the runner up with a two day total of 163. Both players had 5 birdies for the tournament but Carson proved to be more consistent posting 16 pars over Julie’s 12. Julie did her best to beat Carson, dominating the par 5’s with a stroke average of 4.88. Weather: Saturday: Mostly Sunny, mid 80’s, wind 10-20 mph Sunday: Mostly Sunny, mid 80’s, wind 5-10 mph Tournament Yardages: Boys 15-18: 6,855 yards Girls 15-18: 5,857 yards Boys 11-14: 6,227 yards Girls 15-18: 5,225 yards Tournament Awards:EFX Birdie Challenge:
Boys 15-18: Samuel Goldasich Girls 15-18: Katelyn Gilmore Boys 11-14: Jake Lackey and Cody Maddox Girls 11-14: Julie Baker and Carson McKie Golf Pride Comeback Player of the Week: Boys 15-18: Bill Perry Girls 15-18: Emma Klimala Boys 11-14: Will Patrick and Dawson Garret 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.