(November 1, 2015) This week HJGT visited Athens, Georgia to host the College Prep series at the University of Georgia’s home course. The first day of the tournament was cold with winds up to 5 MPH out of the East, which made the conditions a little tougher. The second day of the tournament was changed to a shotgun start at 8 o’clock to prevent as many rain delays as possible. Rain held off for the most of the day, except for a few scattered showers throughout the second round. Despite the tougher conditions this weekend several competitive scores came out of each division, which ended in a one-hole playoff for first place in the Boys 15-18 Division. The winners of each division will receive an invite to the 2016 Mid-Season Invitational to Chateau Elan and the 2015 HJGT Championship.
The Boys 15-18 Division displayed competitive golf despite the weather conditions during both rounds. Takafumi Shimoji of Suwanee, Georgia shot even-par 72 the first round, and was able to maintain his first place finish despite Ryoto Furuya of Wesley Chapel, Florida turning in a pair of 74s to tie Shimoji’s total score of 148. First place was decided by a one-hole playoff between Shimoji and Furuya, where Shimjoi finished on top. Isaac Samples of Loganville, Georgia finished in sole third place after shooting 10-strokes better, 70, during the second round. Samples finished just two stroke behind the tie for first place.
The Girls 15-18 Division produced several competitive rounds itself. Addie Baggarly of Jonesborough, Tennessee finished four strokes ahead of Carol Pyon of Macon, Georgia. Pyon improved nine-strokes to claim the second place trophy, and tied for the best round out the girls division after shooting even-par, 72 along with Baggarly. Jenny Bae of Lawrenceville, Georgia and Jordyn Sims of Berkeley Lake, Georgia tied for third place after turning in a two-day total of 162. Sims was able to claim part of the third place finish after improving 6-strokes, 78, during the second round.
Boys 13-14 Division contained some highly competitive golfers. Beck Burnette of Blairsville, Georgia turned in the low round of the tournament by shooting 4-under par, 68, during the final round of the tournament. Burnette was able to claim the first place trophy with a 10-stroke lead, 145. Brandon Cho of Suwanee, Georgia and Shyam Joshi of Dacula, Georgia tied for second place after both boys turned in 6-over, 78, during the first round, and 5-over, 77, during the second round for a total of 155. Jonathan Tark of Suwanee, Georgia finished in sole third place after improving by 10-strokes, 75, during the second round of play. Weather: Day 1- Low of 54 to high of 65, Scattered showers, winds E 5 MPH Day 2- Low of 61 to high of 65, Rain/Scattered showers, winds ENE 4 MPH Tournament Yardages:
Boys 15-18 – 6747 yards Boys 13-14 – 6162 yards Girls 15-18 – 5722 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 four 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 2014 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