The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour ventured to one of the most golf rich areas of the country this past weekend with a trip to Augusta, GA and Forest Hills Golf Club on August 3-4. Junior golfers came to partake in the Forest Hills Junior Open under sunny skies and very warm temperatures. Champions in the Boys and Girls 15-18 Divisions received AJGA Performance stars for their victories. Also on the line were points towards year end honors as well as an invite to the 2013 Tour Championship. Additionally, there were South Carolina Junior Golf Association and Tarheel Youth Golf Association points available. Winners also received a $50 Kikkor Golf gift card.
The Boys 15-18 Division came down to one shot as Canton, GA’s Damon Powers shot consistent rounds of 72 for a 144 (E) total, just enough to edge Augusta native John-Christian Whyte. Powers was second in the division with seven birdies and led the division in par four performance with a 4.4 average on those holes. Powers was just able to hold of a red hot Whyte as, John-Christian shot 33 on the back nine and birdied four of the last six holes. Whyte led the division in pars or better with 31. Graham Nichols of Jacksonville, FL and States Fort of Evans, GA each came in with a 147 (+3) total to tie for third. Graham Nichols led the division in birdies with eight to win the EFX Birdie Challenge. James Baker, Spencer Levenson, and Cory DeSilva each improved their score by seven shots to earn them the Golf Pride Comeback Player of the Week.
It was another close race in the Girls 15-18 Division as Alice Ho of Wadsworth, OH turned in rounds of 73 and 76 to win by one shot over Sarah Harrison of Martinez, GA. Alice led in par four performance with a par average and was second in pars with 25. Harrison, who shot 74 and 76 for a 150 (+6) total was just outside of Ho’s five over finish. Harrison only had three birdies, but led in pars with 26. In third place was Nagisa Miura of Bradenton, FL. Miura was consistent as she shot two rounds of 79, but was nine shots off the lead. Nagisa tied for the most birdies in the division with four. Also with four birdies was Katy Ho, giving her and Miura the EFX Birdie Challenge Bracelet. Katy Ho also took home Golf Pride grips after she improved by eight shots on Sunday.
The Boys 11-14 Division had a great deal of excitement as it came down to a playoff between Patrick Jean-Pierre of Augusta, GA and Jonathan Mitchell of Graniteville, SC. At the end of 36 holes, the two were tied at 155 (+11) so they headed to the 18th hole for a sudden-death playoff. On the first playoff hole, Mitchell would make birdie, but Jean-Pierre would sink a 15 foot birdie putt to force another playoff hole. On the second playoff hole, both players made pars to force a third playoff hole. The same result came from the third playoff hole as both players made pars. On the fourth playoff hole, both players would run into trouble. Jonathan Mitchell would ultimately make a double bogey and still pull out a victory as Jean-Pierre couldn’t get out of trouble. Mitchell led the field with two eagles and finished with four par breakers. Jean-Pierre would lead the division in pars with 23. There was a tie for third place as Andrew Chong of Grovetown, GA and Dixon Flowers of Sumter, SC both came in with 156 (+12) totals. Jonathan Mitchell took home the EFX Birdie Challenge with his two birdie, two eagle performance. McClure Thompson won the Most Improved player with a ten stroke improvement.
Sophie Guo of Bluffton, SC was victorious in the Girls 11-14 Division as she shot rounds of 82 and 78 for a total of 160 (+16). Guo had 18 pars and two birdies over the two days at Forest Hills. In second was Christine Scholten. Scholten shot 88 on the first day, but really struggled on day two as she fell behind and never recovered. Scholten had six pars over the two days. Guo took home the EFX Birdie Challenge with two birdies and had a four shot improvement to win the Golf Pride grips. Weather: Saturday: Mostly Sunny, low 90s, winds 5-10 mph Sunday: Mostly Sunny, low 90s, winds 10-15 mph Tournament Yardages: Boys 15-18: 6,850 yards Girls 15-18: 5,850 yards Boys 11-14: 6,199 yards Girls 11-14: 5,108 yards Tournament Awards:EFX Birdie Challenge:
Boys 15-18: Graham Nichols Girls 15-18: Katy Ho and Nagisa Miura Boys 11-14: Jonathan Mitchell Girls 11-14: Sophie Guo Golf Pride Comeback Player of the Week: Boys 15-18: James Baker, Spencer Levenson, and Cory DeSilva Girls 15-18: Katy Ho Boys 11-14: McClure Thompson Girls 11-14: Sophie Guo 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, and Ohio. \