Kalozdi takes control in win Donado captures victory in tight race
The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour held their first ever international event in Bogota, Colombia on May 17-18. The Colombia Jr. Open was played at the stunning Hatogrande Golf Club. The mild weather conditions and extremely manicured course allowed for all participants to post competitively low rounds. At stake for this event were AJGA Performance Stars for the Boys 11-14 division, Girls 15-18 division and Girls 11-14 division. Winners in each division also received a bid to the 2014 Tour Championship and Mid-Season Invitational. Additionally, the top ten finishers received points towards year end honors which include state teams, ALL HJGT teams and the Hurricane Cup. Junior Golf Scoreboard rankings were also awarded to the field.
In the Boys 15-18 division, coming off an opening round 73, Juan Camilo Kalozdi of San Andres, Colombia held a slim one stroke lead over Daniel Faccini of San Andres, Colombia entering the final round. Kalozdi and Faccini both made pars on their first two holes to start the day on Sunday. Kalozdi would take a three stroke lead over Faccini after the third hole and would not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the round. Kalozdi ended up recording a 73 in the final round for the victory and a weekend total of 146. Faccini would finish with a 79 for second place and posted a weekend score of153. Third place finisher Juan Carlos Pineda of Bogota, Colombia made a run at Kalozdi on Sunday. He went out in a two under par 34, but Pineda could not maintain the hot start on the final nine holes and closed with a 78. Combined with his 76 during the first round, Pineda finished with a weekend total of 154.
The Girls 15-18 Division was a tight race to the finish on Sunday. With four AJGA Performance stars on the line to the winner and one performance star to the runner-up, Sunday proved to be a great battle near the top of the leader board. Maria Andrea Donado of Bogota, Colombia came away with the win with rounds of 74 and 75. Donado entered the final round tied atop the leaderboard with runner-up finisher Valerie Hernandez of Hatogrande, Colombia after both girls posted opening round 74s. Third place finisher Isabella Samudio of Aposentos, Colombia sat just two strokes back entering the final round after opening with a four over par 76 on Saturday. Donado held control of the lead for most of the round on Sunday, but Hernandez was able to gain a share of the lead after the par five, 16th hole. Donado would par the 17th hole while Hernandez and Samudio both made bogey. This one stroke swing proved to be the difference as both Donado and Hernandez made par on the closing hole. Samudio would close her round with a birdie on the difficult 18th hole to finish in third place. Donado closed out the weekend with a total score of 149 while Hernandez finished one stroke behind at 150 and Samudio finished two back at 151.
Felipe Ramirez Velandia of Bogota, Colombia led wire to wire to take the title in the Boys 11-14 division at The Colombia Junior Open. After opening with a five under par 67 in round one, Velandia entered the final round with a five stroke lead over runner-up finisher Jose Alejandro Galan of Bogota, Colombia. The highlight of Velandia’s weekend came on the 16th hole on Sunday. Velandia made eagle on the narrow par 5 and closed with pars on his final two holes to finish with 69. With his win, Velandia will receive a performance star to the American Junior Golf Tour (AJGA). Velandia finished the weekend with an impressive total score of 136. Galan tried but was unable to put pressure on Velandia on Sunday. Galan went on to fire respectable rounds of 72 and 73 in the tournament for a total score of 145. Just one stroke back of Galan was Manuel Sosa of Bogota, Colombia. He posted rounds of 74 and 72 for a weekend total of 146.
Manuela Lizarazu of Bogota, Colombia came away with a narrow two stroke victory in the Girls 11-14 division. Lizarazu posted rounds of 74 and 75 for a 149 total. Lizarazu was able to secure the win with her solid play in her closing holes both days. Lizarazu was one under in her final two holes on Saturday and one under in her final three holes on Sunday. Behind Lizarazu was Maria Ulloa of Chia, Colombia. She posted rounds of 74 and 77 for a 151 total. In third place was Daniela Moreno of Bogota, Colombia. She had rounds of 74 and 78 for a weekend total of 152. Lizarazu will earn a performance star with the AJGA with her win this weekend. Weather: Day 1— Sunny. Mid60s-Mid 80s. Wind 5-10mph Day 2—Morning showers, Sunny in afternoon, mid 60s-mid 80s. Wind 5-10mph 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.