College Prep Series at Penn State
The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour traveled to State College, Pennsylvania on June 14 – 15th for the College Prep Series at Penn State Golf Club. This two day 36-hole tournament featured a mix of challenging weather conditions featuring brutally cold winds on the first day and beautiful sunny skies on the second. These conditions tested and strengthened our golfers overall skills throughout this meticulous and beautifully designed course that required all competitors to use every club in their bag. Saturday and Sunday’s rounds began at 7:30am with a single tee start. Winners in all divisions received an automatic bid into the 2014 Hurricane Tour Championship which takes place December 6-7. Top 15 finishers also received points towards year end honors which include state teams, ALL HJGT teams, the Hurricane Cup, as well as their Junior Golf Scoreboard Ranking.
Boys 15-18 age Division After two days of fierce competition Chad McCann of Haymarket, Virginia was crowned the Boys 15-18 Age Division Champion after he fired a tournament total of 143 (69, 74) over the two rounds of play. McCann was the six stroke leader of a field filled with hungry competitors after round one (69) and in round two he battled all over this well plotted out course to seal his victory after he carded a 74 to win by 6 strokes over the second place finisher. McCann also carded the most birdies amongst his fellow competitors with a total of 10. Ryan Frick of Ashburn, Virginia placed second behind McCann this weekend after he carded a score of 149 (73, 76) for the tournament. Third place went to Clifton, Virginia’s own Will Synder after he launched a two day total of 151 (76, 75). The number of competitors in this tournament also gave the competitors the opportunity to battle for AJGA Performance Stars. McCann’s first place finish earned him four AJGA Performance stars while Frick and Synder earned one Performance Star each.
Girls 15-18 age Division Bellbrook, Ohio’s own Alyssa Burritt was the Girls 15-18 Age Division Champion with a score of 150 (77, 73) in her two days of tough competition. Burritt meticulously plotted her way through the tough 36 holes of competition to become the Champion of her division after she entered the second round tied for the lead with a score of 77. Burritt also carded four total birdies which was the same as the second and third place finishers. Esther Park of Wilmington, Delaware placed second behind Burritt this weekend with a tournament total of 156 (78, 78). Burrit entered the second day of competition in third place, but fought her way to finish second after she fired two consistent rounds of 78. Olivia Zambruno of Mt. Pleasant was the 15-18 Girls division third place finisher with a tournament total of 158 (77, 81). The Girls 15 – 18 Age Division was also awarded AJGA Performance Stars this weekend. Bellbrook earned four Stars for winning her division while Park and Zambruno earned one star each.
Boys 11-14 age Division
The Boys 11 – 14 Age Division ended in dramatic fashion with a three man playoff which took two extra holes of play to decide the champion. Stephan Sul of Old Bridge, New Jersey managed to get up and down during his two holes of extra play finishing with a miraculous 30 yard chip-in for birdie after he missed the number two green short and to the right. Sul also had the added pressure from second place finisher Matt Lashinger after Lashinger landed his approach on the green 25 feet from pin which set him up for a birdie that he left short after the amazing chip-in from Sul. Sul carded a two round tournament total of 160 (81, 79), Sul’s 19 pars throughout his tournament play got him to the playoff which set up his big birdie on the final hole of competition. Matt Lashinger of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida finished with a two round total of 160 (77, 83). Lashinger also led the division with 4 total birdies during the tournament. Norton, Ohio’s Adam Filo earned his playoff spot after firing two consistent rounds of 80 for a tournament total of 160. Filo’s playoff ended after he bogied the first hole in the three man playoff. This division truly left all they had on the course, which ended up giving our staff and spectators an amazing finish to watch unfold.
Girls 11-14 age Division
Allison Appleton of Millersville, Pennsylvania was the girls 11 - 14 age Division champion after carding a 174 (88,86) tournament total. Appleton earned one birdie through her tournament and ended up victorious by 25 total strokes over the second place finisher. Round Hill, Virginia’s Kelly Klimek placed second after she bounced back from her first round (104) to shoot nine strokes lower in her second round (95) which gave her a weekend total of 199. Although there were only two competitors in the Girls 11 – 14 Age Division; the ladies gave all of their spectators an exciting weekend to watch. Weather: Day 1- High of 68 and a low of 59 with ominous skies and ferocious winds in all directions Day 2- High of 91 and a low of 70 with clear sunny skies and amazing golfing conditions Tounament Yardages: Boys 15-18: 6,854 yards Boys 11-14: 6,155 yards Girls 15-18: 5,805 yards Girls 11-14: 5,154 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, Indiana, Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, and Pennsylvania. 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 info@hjgt.org. -Course Journalist: William N. Brant