State College, Pennsylvania: (October 25th, 2015). Much like last week’s College Prep Series at Purdue, Penn State was both cool and windy. Penn State’s white course is not known for its length, but when it’s 40 degrees outside and there are 20 mile an hour gusts of wind in a players face even the shortest of courses can feel long. All five Hurricane Junior Golf Tour divisions participated in the event at Penn State and once again proved that even the worst conditions cannot stop the best young players from scoring low. The winners in each division received an invitation to the 2015 Hurricane Junior Golf Tour National Championship. Additionally, the top ten finishers in each division received points towards year end honors which include state teams, ALL HJGT teams, and the Hurricane Cup.
Boys 15-18 J.W. Cunningham from McMurray, Pennsylvania held off two Billy Rosemeyer and Christopher Cato to sneak away with a one shot victory at the College Prep Series at Penn State. Cunningham was tied for the lead and in the final group after a round one score of 75. On Sunday he was chased from behind by Christopher Cato, who came back from a first round 80 to fire a final round even par 72 that included four birdies. Billy Rosemeyer also came racing up from the middle of the pack. Rosemeyer followed up a first round 79 with a 73 on Sunday propelling him into a tie for second place with Cato. Andrew Thomas led the field in birdies with 7 over the weekend and Christopher Cato, J.W. Cunningham, Billy Rosemeyer, and Brady Dice all shared the lead for par 5 scoring averaging a just under par 4.9 on the par fives.
Boys 13-14 Jake Roach of East Aurora, New York tore up the White Course at Penn State on Saturday, using five birdies to shoot a 2 under par 70. Saturday was the tougher of the two days condition wise for every player, but Roach was the only player in all five divisions to card an under par score. Jake Roach entered Sunday with a ten stroke lead and was able to coast to victory with a still very impressive 76 on Sunday. Justin Hand came back from an 88 on Saturday to card a 3 over par 75 on Sunday and bring himself up to 3rd place for the tournament. Roach led the field in birdies with 6 and led scoring on par 3s, par 4s, and par 5s for the College Prep at Penn State boy’s 13-14 divison.
Boys 11-12 The younger boys enjoyed themselves the most out of all the players at the tournament. William Pabst and hometown player Ethan Hardyk spent both days together playing golf in very tough conditions, but seemed to enjoy every moment with one another. Pabst from Moscow Pennsylvania, returned from a first round score of 92 to shoot 80 on Sunday and take control of the tournament. Pabst had two birdies and second place finisher Ethan Hardyk had one birdie on the weekend.
Girls 15-18 Taylor Waller entered Sunday’s final round with a two shot lead and was able to maintain that lead to win the College Prep Series at Penn State. Her main pursuer was Alex Bozich was five back after the first nine Sunday, but pulled to within one heading into the 16th hole. Bozich however was unable to get closer than that and Taylor Waller was able to hold on for the win. 3rd place went to Amanda Conner from Irwin, Pennsylvania. Bozich, Conner, and Waller all had two birdies each for the tournament and Bridget Mertin led the field in par 5 scoring with a 5.1 average.
Girls 11-14 The younger girls played the same yardage as the older girls and were just as good as their older competitors. Alexandra Voight-Shelley of State College, Pennsylvania shot 81 and 82 to win the College Prep Series at Penn State. 2nd place went to Regina Garvey and Vileska Gelpi came in 3rd. Gelpi and Voight-Shelly led the field with two birdies each. Weather: Day 1 - Low 41 Degrees, High 50 Degrees, Wind from 5-20 mph Day 2 - Low 42 Degrees, High 55 Degrees, Wind from 0-10 mph Tournament Yardages Boys 15-18 – 6247 yards Boys 13-14 – 6013 yards Girls 15-18/Boys 11-12 – 5492 yards Girls 11-14 – 5492 yards About us: The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour (HJGT) was founded in 2008 with the intent 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, Florida, 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, Louisiana, and Connecticut. For more information regarding the HJGT tour, 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