(June 7, 2015) The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour made a stop at the Forest Oaks Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina to host the Greensboro Junior Open. Day one was a perfect day for golf with sunny skies from start to finish, followed by a day two that included partial clouds at the start but by day’s end turned into another beautiful day for golf. Competition was close all around the golf course, including a one stroke difference atop the leaderboard in the Boy’s 15-18 division and a playoff hole to decide the Boy’s 13-14 division. Winners in each division will receive an exemption into the 2015 Tour Championship December 5-6, 2015, the top 3 in each division will receive an exemption into the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational at Chateau Elan June 20-22, 2015, and the top 10 finishers receive points towards year end honors which include state teams, ALL HJGT teams, and the Hurricane Cup. Additionally, South Carolina Junior Golf Association Heritage Points (SCJGA), and Tarheel Youth Golf Association Points (TYGA) were at stake this weekend.
Competitors in the Boy’s 15-18 division came out on the sunny first round Saturday and put up some good scores with more than half the players in the field scoring under 80. Scott Campbell of Charlotte, North Carolina led the way in round one by posting a 71, -1 that included two birdies and only one bogey. Louis Lambert was close behind with a 72, even par, including an impressive eagle on the 6th hole, but dropped out of contention in the final round despite shooting a very respectable 77, +5, with a two day score of 149, +5. Campbell put up another nice score in the final round by shooting a 75, +3 to set himself up nicely to win the division with a two day score of 146, +2. Campbell would have had the victory if it weren’t for Jack Sweeney, who came out the first day and shot a solid 76, +4 but it was his performance during the final round that turned heads in which he shot a 69, -3 that included five birdies in total, and no bogeys following the 5th hole to give him a two day score of 145, +1 and a one stroke victory at the Greensboro Junior Open.
In the Girl’s 15-18 division there were only three players, but they all competed relentlessly to earn a victory and display their strong abilities. Rachel Stewart of Franklin, Kentucky had a nice first round by crushing it off the tee, garnering her a 79, +2. Stewart’s game fell apart a little during the final round in which she shot an 84, +12 to give her a two day score of 163, +14 and third place in the division. Rae Spears of Plymouth, Minnesota struggled on day one by shooting an 85, +13 but bounced back on day two by shooting a 76, +4 for a two day score of 161, +12. Rachel Kuehn of Asheville, North Carolina was the wire to wire leader due to her consistency throughout, by shooting a 77, +5 on day one followed by a 76, +4 during the final round for a two day score of 155, +9 to claim the victory at the sunny Forest Oaks Country Club.
In the Boy’s 13-14 division the competition was fierce on both days, which culminated in a playoff during the final round. On day one Brandon Yau of Dacula, Georgia was on his game and ended up with a 76, +4 and continued his sound play during the final round with another 76, +4 to give him a two day score of 152, +8. Garrett Clark of Burlington, North Carolina was neck and neck with Yau by coming out on day one and shooting a 75, +3. The leader in the division going into the final round was Thomas Hollingsworth of Spartanburg, South Carolina who shot a superb 72, even par in his first round. He came out the second day a little shakier shooting a 79, +7, compared to Clark’s 76, +4 giving them both a two day score of 151, +7, respectively, setting them up for a playoff to crown the champion. It took only one hole to give us a winner, Thomas Hollingsworth, who got a par on the playoff hole and won the trophy at the delightful Forest Oaks Country Club.
In the Boy’s 11-12 division there were only two players, Josh McGee and Nick Rubino, both from Charlotte, North Carolina. The two were in close competition during both rounds with McGee shooting an 83, +11 and Rubino shooting an 84, +12 to pit them up against each other in a close final round battle. Rubino continued his steady play by shooting an 85, +13 to give him a two day score of 169, +25. McGee fended Rubino off by shooting an 84, +12 giving him a two day score of 167, +23 and the victory in his respective division at the Greensboro Junior Open. Weather: Day 1- Low of 64 to high of 86, sunny, winds 5-10 MPH Day 2- Low of 64 to high of 81, sunny, winds 5-10 MPH Tournament Yardages: Boys 15-18- 6803 yards Boys 13-14- 6123 yards Boys 11-12/ Girls 15-18- 5615 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