Bluffton Jr. Shootout – January 17-18, 2015
Lippoldt finishes strong to close out victory
Lemons wins on first playoff hole
(January 18,2015) The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour (HJGT) traveled to Bluffton, South Carolina on January 17-18 for the Bluffton Jr. Shootout. Players battled extremely windy conditions during both rounds until all players finished 36 holes. Winners in all four divisions received an invitation to the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational and Tour Championship. All divisions were ranked by the Junior Golf Scoreboard. Additionally, the top ten finishers in each division received points towards year end honors which include state teams, ALL HJGT teams, the Hurricane Cup, South Carolina Junior Golf Association Heritage Points (SCJGA) and Tarheel Youth Golf Association Points (TYGA).
Scores were close in the Boys 15-18 division on Saturday with many players in the mid 70’s and tied for first through 18 holes. Taylor Kay-Green of Needham, MA and Jan Schneider of Hilton Head Island, SC respectively were the first round leaders with 73, which left nine players within three strokes of the lead. Things would remain close throughout the weekend, especially between Kay-Green and Schneider. However, JD Moore of Columbus, NJ came from two strokes behind on Saturday to win with a 72 on Sunday. On Sunday alone, he dropped in four birdies to card the final round. Jae Jin Lee also finished with a 72 on Sunday and made an eagle and birdie on consecutive holes. Kay-Green shot a 76 on Sunday to finish tied with Jin Lee for second place over the whole weekend. Moore finished the weekend with the most birdies in the division at six and Jin Lee scored the only eagle of the weekend in the division. Jin Lee also shared a lead for the most pars made with Walker Campbell of Hilton Head, SC. Fantastic golf from all players led to an intriguing finish here at Old South in Bluffton.
In the Girls 15-18 division, Ji Hyeon Ma shot an impressive 69 in the final round on Sunday to comeback from a three stroke deficit the previous day. Ma finished the weekend with six birdies all coming on Sunday. Isidora Nilsson of Santiago, Chile who is committed to play golf at the University of South Carolina, came in second over the weekend and finished with 72 on Sunday after tying in the first round with Ma for the lead. Anita Uwadia of Hilton Head Island, SC was the first round favorite heading into Sunday but was unable to find the edge on Sunday finishing with a 78 to secure third place. Nilsson had the most pars of the weekend at 26 followed by Ma at 24 and Uwadia at 22. Another exciting finish here at Old South.
The Boys 11-14 division also presented many surprises. At the end of the first round, Jonathan Griz of Hilton Head Island, SC was the favorite going in to Sunday. However, Ty Hutson of Metter, GA came from two strokes behind to pull ahead of the field shooting a 75. Jason Jin of Windermere, FL struggled on Saturday as well shooing an 82 in the first round but came back to form finishing one stroke off of Hutson in the final round to finish in second for the weekend. Griz finished third for the weekend after struggling heavily through the middle of the course. Despite the frosty mornings and windy conditions throughout the weekend Hutson managed four birdies, the most of any player in the field, and tied with Jason Jin for the most pars throughout the weekend. Overall, it was another successful and surprising shootout for the junior boys division here in Bluffton.
The Girls 11-14 division encountered a lot more of the adverse weather conditions throughout the weekend. However, Madison Branum of Lexington, SC managed to break through the wind and frost to come out on top of the field. She dominated throughout the weekend ending with an 81 and 79 on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Branum led the field with three birdies and 17 pars on the weekend. Caroline Wrigley of Wexford, PA was only one par shy of tying Branum for the lead and finished second on the weekend. We hope to see more of both these players in tournaments to come. Weather: Day 1- Low of 40 to high of 60, Partly Cloudy, winds 5-8 MPH Day 2- Low of 50 to high of 61, Partly Cloudy, winds 10-20 MPH Tournament Yardages: Boys 15-18: 6,737 yards Boys 11-14: 6,211 yards Girls 15-18: 5,713 yards Girls 11-14: 5,051 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, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Connecticut. 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