The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour traveled to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina on July 12-13th for the Coastal Carolina Junior Challenge at Haig Point. It was rainy throughout the weekend, but players were fortunate enough to be able to get both rounds in and complete the tournament. Winners in all four divisions received an invitation to the 2014 Tour Championship. South Carolina Junior Golf Association Heritage Points and Junior Golf Scoreboard Rankings were awarded to all divisions as well. Four AJGA performance stars were awarded to the winners in both the Boys 15-18 division and Girls 15-18 division. In addition, Top 10 finishers received points towards year end honors which include state teams, ALL HJGT teams, and the Hurricane Cup.
Boys 15-18 Age Division The Boys 15-18 division was highlighted by Bryson Nimmer of Bluffton, SC who shot a final round 64 to win by seven shots. Finishing in second place was Jonathon Phillips of Hardeeville, SC who shot rounds of 71-74 to finish with a two day total of 145. Coming in third place was Ethan Schwartz of Matthews, NC. Ethan shot a first round 77 and followed that up with a final round 73 for a two day total of 150. Nimmer had everything working on Sunday during the final round, where he made seven birdies, an eagle, and a double bogey. Bryson began his round with a par on the 9th hole, before making birdie on ten and eleven to get to two-under through his first three holes. Nimmer then had a hiccup on the par 4 13th hole, where he made double bogey and was back at even par for the round. However, Nimmer didn’t let the double bogey rattle him, and he played his last thirteen holes in seven under par. On holes sixteen through eighteen Nimmer went birdie-birdie-eagle, and added three more birdies on holes two, four, and six before paring his last two holes to finish with 64. Jonathon Phillips also played well this weekend, shooting an even par 71 on Saturday in which he had two birdies, two bogeys, and fourteen pars. Nimmer also led the field with the most birdies this week, with ten total birdies over both rounds. The most improved player from day one to day two was Taylor Rockwell, who took home a new pair of Golf Pride grips after he improved by 32 shots from round one to round two.
Boys 11-14 Age Division Taking home the victory in the Boys 11-14 division was Mason Williams of Bridgeport, West Virginia who won after he shot 72-77 for a two day total of 149. Williams won by four shots over Daniel Nam of Duluth, GA. Nam opened the tournament with a 77 and shot 76 on day two to finish with a two day total of 153. Finishing in third place was James Walton of Duluth, GA who shot a first round 81 followed by a final round 78 to finish with a two day total of 159. Williams opened the tournament with an impressive one over par 72 in which he had two bogeys, one birdie, and fifteen pars. Williams had a five shot lead after day one, but began his second round with five bogeys in his first six holes. After the shaky start, Williams played well for the rest of the day, and he finished his last twelve holes with two birdies, three bogeys, and five pars to secure a four shot victory. Daniel Nam shot a first round 77 and was in second place after day one, and after shooting a second round 76 he finished four shots back of Williams. James Walton also had a good tournament, finishing in third place. Walton struggled a bit on day one when he shot an 81, starting his round with a bogey-birdie-double-triple bogey start. After the up and down start, Walton played much better and finished his last fourteen holes at two over par. Noah Zediker of Macon, GA took home a new pair of sunglasses after he led the field with the most birdies during the weekend with five total birdies throughout both rounds. Michael Stein was the most improved in the younger boys division, as he lowered his score by 25 shots from round one to round two.
Girls 15-18 Age Division The Girls 15-18 division was packed with excitement throughout the weekend. Kayla Kozak of Bluffton, SC birdied the first playoff hole to take home the victory over Layne-Marie Carter of Lyons, GA. Kozak opened the tournament with a first round 82 and shot a final round 79 to force the playoff. Layne-Marie began the tournament with a first round 80 and shot a second round 81 to get into the playoff, but fell just short on the first playoff hole. Gaby Villalba of Miami, FL finished in third place after she shot rounds of 81-85 to finish with a two day total of 166. On the first playoff hole, Kozak hit a huge drive on the par 5 18th, and had only an iron into the green for her second shot. Kayla put her approach to about fifteen feet, and then two-putted from there to make birdie and secure the victory. Kayla started the day going out with a six-over par 41 on the front nine in which she had six bogeys and three pars, but played very well on the back nine as she had two birdies, four bogeys, and three pars to shoot a two-over par 38 to finish with a 79. Layne-Marie shot a final round 81, an up and down round in which she had two birdies, nine pars, three double bogies, and a triple bogey. Kayla Kozak and Kayla Smith tied for the most birdies this week, each carding four over the two rounds.
Girls 11-14 Age Division The Girls 11-14 champion was Ashlee Richardson of Simpsonville, SC. Richardson started with a first round score of 87 and a final round 84 to finish with a two day total of 171, which was good for a ten shot victory over Sophia Burnett of Florence, SC. Sophia began the tournament with a first round 94, and played much better during round two and carded an 87 to finish with a two day total of 181. Sophia’s younger sister Camila finished in third place this week, shooting 106 on day one and finishing with a 109 on day two for a two day total of 215. Richardson began her round with a birdie on the par 5 18th hole, and played solid golf all day to win by ten shots. In her final round Richardson had two birdies, five pars, eight bogeys, and three double bogeys. Richardson was very consistent on day two, shooting a pair of 42’s on each nine to shoot 84. Ashlee Richardson also had the most birdies in the field this week, finishing with two birdies during both rounds. Sophia Burnett took home the honors for most improved from day one to day two, when she improved her score by seven shots. Weather: Day one: Low 80’s, rain all morning clearing up in the afternoon Day two: Mid 80’s, rain early clearing up later in the morning Tournament Yardage: Boys 15-18: 6,720 yards Boys 11-14: 6,062 yards Girls 15-18: 5,709 yards Girls 11-14: 5,413 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 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, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Indiana and Connecticut. For more information regarding the HJGT 2014 Tour, please visit our website at www.hjgt.org. Call the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour headquarters at 904-379-2697 or email infor@hjgt.org.