Lehigh wins on first playoff hole Neumeister goes wire to wire for win
The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour traveled to Paynesville, Ohio on April 19-20 for the Cleveland Junior Open. Playing 36 holes over two days through sunny, yet chilly conditions on Saturday, a champion was crowned in each of our four age divisions on Sunday: Boys and Girls 15-18 and Boys and Girls 11-14. Winners in all four divisions received an invitation to the 2014 Mid-Season Invitational and 2014 Tour Championship. Four AJGA Performance Stars were awarded to the winner of the Boys 15-18 division and the top five finishers in that division each received one performance star. The top ten finishers received points towards year end honors which include state teams, ALL HJGT teams, and the Hurricane Cup. Additionally, all divisions were ranked by the Junior Golf Scoreboard.
In the Boy’s 15-18 division, Mitchell Lehigh of Gnadenhutten, Ohio and Brian Terlesky of Youngstown, Ohio were knotted atop the leaderboard with first round 73’s. It took an extra hole on Sunday to finally declare a winner after both competitors posted 74 on Sunday for a total weekend score of 147. Lehigh and Terlesky played the par five first hole for the second time. Lehigh came out victorious with a par on the hole to Terlesky’s bogey. Terlesky figured to have the advantage as, he had led the field in par five and front nine scoring for the weekend. However, it was Lehigh’s consistency that earned him the victory. Lehigh led the field in pars made as well as par four and back nine scoring. Finishing in third place with a weekend total of 154 was Harrison Vonderau of Columbia Station, Ohio. He posted rounds of 79 and 75. Vonderau’s four stroke enhancement from Saturday to Sunday was most noticeably due to his improvement on the courses par three’s from four over par on Saturday to even par on Sunday. Harrison finished third in birdies made in the field with five. Most of these birdies came on Sunday which allowed him to jump a few spots on the leaderboard.
Kaylee Neumeister of Cortland, Ohio took a three stroke lead into the second day of competition after a first round 80. She followed up on Sunday with an 83 that extended her lead to six strokes. Neumeister held the lead in most statistical categories of the field including pars made, par four, par five, and front nine scoring. Neumeister stumbled slightly down the stretch but had a big enough cushion to still bring home the first place trophy with her weekend total of 163. Finishing in second place was Lauren Kase of North Tonawanda, New York. She had a legitimate shot at the champion’s trophy but could not capitalize on the final four holes. When Neumeister stumbled so did Kase, finishing with a double, triple, and then double bogey. However, Kase led the field in par three scoring. She posted rounds of 83 and 86 for a weekend total of 169. Nicole Gerome of North Ridgeville, Ohio and Hannah Lemons of Canton, Ohio finished in a tie for third place with weekend totals of 171. Gerome played solidly, finishing in the top three in every statistical category in the field. Her downfall came in not being able to stay away from some big numbers, as she was second in pars made in the field. Overall, Lemons played very well, leading the field in birdies made and back nine scoring. Lemons actually played the back nine better despite it being the much harder side statistically.
Tejas Sinha of Pickerington, Ohio easily took home first place honors in the Boys 11-14 division at Little Mountain by firing a weekend score of 149. Sinha battled on Saturday for a round of 76 and grinded out a lot of pars, which he was the leader in for the field. On Sunday, Sinha carded a 73 while he found the putting stroke and dropped in five birdies on top of the two that he made on Saturday. His seven total birdies led the field; including posting birdies on all three par five’s on Sunday. Tejas led the field in par three, four, and five scoring. Finishing in second place was Blake Rudy of North Royalton, Ohio. He was 16 strokes behind Sinha with rounds of 82 and 83 for a weekend total of 165. Rudy faired much better on the front nine both days, starting his rounds with a 37 and 38, respectively. However, the tougher back nine took a toll on his score, carding a 45 on both days. He did however post back to back birdies on holes seven and eight on Saturday. In third place was Paul Harris from Ravenna, Ohio with rounds of 85 and 82 for a total of 167. Harris was two strokes behind third place heading into the final round, and his three stroke improvement was enough to vault him into the trophy presentation.
The Girls 11-14 division winner was Sydney Leyerle of Helena, Ohio. She had rounds of 100 and 97 for the weekend. She showed vast improvement on the course Sunday, carding easily her best score on any side with a front nine 45, six shots better than the previous day. Leyerle led the division in all statistical categories. Weather: Day 1: Mid 40’s, sunny and breezy Day 2: Mid to 60’s, sunny and breezy Tournament Yardage: Boys 15-18: 6,483 yards Girls 15-18: 5, 600 yards Boys 11-14: 6, 013 yards Girls 11-14: 5, 600 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 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, Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Indiana, and Connecticut. For more information regarding the HJGT, please visit our website at www.hjgt.org or call the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour headquarters at (904) 379-2697, or email info@hjgt.org.