Chicago Kickoff Presented by SuperSpeed Golf – April 18-19, 2015
Chicago, IL: (April 19, 2015)The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour traveled to Chicago, IL on April 18-19 for the Chicago Kickoff Present by SuperSpeed Golf. Players faced cold temperatures with strong winds all day on Saturday, but were met by great weather on Sunday morning that would hold throughout the day. Trophy winners in all five divisions received an invitation to the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational and winners additionally received an invitation to the 2015 HJGT National Championship. The Junior Golf Scoreboard also ranked the Boys 15-18, and Boys 13-14 divisions. Finally, the top ten finishers in each division received points towards year-end honors, which include state teams, ALL HJGT teams and the Hurricane Cup.
The title in the Boys 15-18 division was a battle to the finish. Luke Armbrust of Wheaton, IL would grab the lead on Saturday after posting a 73 (+1). Armbrust had a small lead entering the final round on Sunday, with two players tied in second place at +3. On Sunday Armbrust struggled and posted six bogeys, and two double bogeys. This allowed the rest of the field to make a run at him on day two with much better weather conditions. While Armbrust struggled on day two a host of other players posted much better scores. Grant Gosden of West Chicago, IL posted an even round of 72, and the best round of the tournament to finish in third place. Gary King of St. Charles, IL finished round two with a 73(+1) to take home second place. Finally Connor Hansen of Winnetka, IL finished with a 74(+2) on Sunday to win the tournament with an overall score of 149(+5). Hansen played a solid round two after finishing round one with a 75(+3), good enough to be tied for second place and in the final pairing coming into Sunday. Hansen finished Sunday with four birdies, and stayed steady all day as Armbrust struggled. As far as weekend statistics go, it’s no surprise that Hansen ended with the most birdies (6), while King finished with the most pars (23). In addition to finishing the weekend with the most birdies, Hansen also finished with the best par 5 scoring average at 4.6. Andrew Abel of Geneva, IL led the par 3 scoring average at 3.0, while Gosden lead the weekend with a par 4 scoring average at 4.2. Hansen’s win earned him a spot into the 2015 HJGT National Championship as well as the 2015 Mid-Season invitational. Additionally, King and Gosden also earned spots into the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational.
In the Girls 15-18 division, twin sisters Allison and Erica Olberding were in the final paring Sunday to see who would take the first place title back to West Des Moines, IA. After round one on Saturday, Allison was 11 strokes ahead of her sister going into round two on Sunday. They would battle all day Sunday and both would post better scores then they did on Saturday. Allison had two birdies on Sunday, while Erica was never able to close the gap on her sister with 11 bogeys. Allison finished the day with a score of 81(+9) while sister Erica finished with a score of 91(+19). While the twins battled it out all day Hailey Farmer secured the third place spot and posted a final round score of 102(+30). Allison Olberding would finish the weekend with the most birdies (3) as well as the best statistics across the board. She finished with the most pars with 15. She also finished with the best par three, four, and five scoring averages at 3.2, 4.8, and 5.1 respectively. While her sister Erica finished the weekend in second place in the stat line as well. Allison Olberding’s win earned her a spot into the 2015 HJGT National Championship as well as the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational. Additionally, Erica Olberding and Hailey Farmer also earned spots into the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational.
Garrett Tighe of Algonquin, IL earned his first win of the season after taking the lead on day one and never giving it up. Tighe finished round one with a score of 72 (E), and never gave up the lead while posting a round two score of 74(+2). Tighe additionally finished the weekend with the most birdies (8) as well as the lowest par 3, par 4, and par 5 scoring average. Tyler Isenhart of Geneva, IL would finish in second place with a 36 round total of 160 (+16), which was 14 strokes off Tighe’s final. Isenhart would also led with the most birdies (20). Nick Armbrust out of Wheaton, IL took home the third place title this weekend after posting a 36 hole total of 177(+33). Tighe’s win earned him a spot into the 2015 HJGT National Championship as well as the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational. Additionally, Isenhart and Armbrust also earned spots into the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational.
In the Girls 11-14 division, Darby Lillibridge would take a 26 shot lead over Margaret Harmon heading into the final round after posting a 91(+19) on Saturday. Lillibridge would play steady golf all day Sunday to hold her lead on Harmon. Lillibridge would lead in every category as far as statistics go with the most pars (11), the best par 3 scoring average (3.9) the best par 4 scoring average (5.2) and the best par 5 scoring average (5.9). Lillibridge’s win earned her a spot into the 2015 HJGT National Championship as well as the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational. Additionally, Harmon also earned a spot into the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational.
In the Boys 11-12 division, the Chicago, IL native Miles Patterson would finish the weekend with an 82(+10) to take home his second title of the year, after winning the Ohio Kickoff at Delaware on April 4-5. Patterson played a solid second round with one double bogey, and six bogeys to edge out Adam Klimala of Glen Ellyn, IL. After round one Klimala was 22 strokes back of Patterson and was never able to close the gap. Klimala finished the weekend with an overall score of 221(+77) while Patterson finished at 170(+26). Patterson led the weekend with the most pars (16) the best par 3 scoring average (3.6) the best par 4 scoring average (4.7) and the best par 5 scoring average (6.0). Klimala finished the weekend with four pars. Patterson’s win earned him a spot into the 2015 HJGT National Championship as well as the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational. Additionally, Klimala also earned a spot into the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational. Weather: Day 1- Low 50, high 66. Sunny. Winds 15-25 mph Day 2- Low 52, high 72. Partly cloudy. Winds 5-10 mph Tournament Yardages: Boys 15-18- 6,717 yards Boys 13-14- 6,168 yards Girls 15-18/Girls 11-14/Boys 11-12- 5,609 yards About us: The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour (HJGT) was founded in 2007 with the intention of providing junior golfers between the ages of 11-18 an opportunity to play exceptional courses in a competitive environment. The tour’s vision is to provide superb hospitality and make every event a memorable one. With play open to both males and females, nearly every junior golfer is eligible to participate on the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour. Currently the HJGT is the largest junior golf tour in the United States hosting more 2-day nationally ranked events than another other tour. The HJGT has been able to achieve this goal by running the most professional events and providing an exceptional value to all of our players and families over the last 8 years. There are several factors that set us apart from the competition which we call #TheHurricaneDifference. Based out of Jacksonville, FL, the HJGT administers events all across the country. In 2015 the HJGT will conduct events in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Louisiana, Mississippi, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Juniors will compete in 1 of 5 divisions which are: Boys 15-18, Boys 13-14, Boys 11-12, Girls 15-18, and Girls 11-14. Memberships for the 2015 season start at $139 and tournament fees range from $189-$229 for 36 hole events. The HJGT season is based on a calendar year and players earn points throughout the season towards year end honors beginning January 1. 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