Esposito wins in close finishMayse runs away with tournament
The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour traveled to Glen Allen, Virginia on April 26-27 for the Hurricane Tour Shop Series at The Crossings. Both days had great weather conditions that translated into competitive scores for participants.Winners in all divisions received an invitation to the 2014 Tour Championship and Mid-Season Invitational. The top ten finishers received points towards end of the year honors which include state teams, ALL HJGT teams and the Hurricane Cup. Junior Golf Scoreboard rankings were awarded to the field as well. The top three finishers also received an invitation to the Tour Shop Series Invitational.
At the end of the first round, Ben Esposito of Oviedo, Florida finished tied for with an 81 with Samuel Hecht of Oakton, Virginia. By the end of the final round, Esposito had pulled away and finished with a one-over 73 to win the Boys 15-18 division by one stroke. Esposito had two birdies in the first round, both coming over chip ins from around 25 yards out. Esposito finished with six birdies total in both rounds. He had a weekend total of 154. Hecht came up just short after posting a score of 74 in the final round to finish in second place. Hecht finished with six birdies, four of them coming on the second round. He finished with a weekend total of 155. Brett Loy of Stephens City, Virginia came into the final round with a one stroke lead, but was unable to come out with the victory falling short by two strokes. He carded an 80 during the first round. Loy did however improve his score by four strokes on the final round to a 76 and finish with four birdies. His weekend total was 156.
The Girls 15-18 division was won easily by Ashley Mayse of Cecilton, Maryland. Mayse posted scores of 94 and 89 for a total of 183 to win by 30 strokes. Mayse didn’t have a birdie, but she did finish with 10 pars and played very consistent. Caitlyn Cooper of Ruther Glen, Virginia came home with the second place trophy. She had a first round score of 108 and ended up improving her score by three strokes during round two to a 105. Cooper also made five pars on her way to a weekend total of 213.
The Boys 11-14 division was a close battle in the final round. Zach Brown of Bermuda Run, North Carolina won by three strokes after posting scores of 74 and 75 for a total of 149. Brown found himself trailing midway through the final round but he dug deep and pulled out the nail biting victory. Brown had two birdies and an outstanding eagle of hole seven on day one. He also managed to sink a birdie putt early on day two. Pieter DeGroot of Potomac, Maryland moved up a spot from day one to finish in second place after posting duel rounds of 76 for a weekend total of 152. DeGroot made four birdies through both rounds. Connor Burgess of Lynchburg, Virginia found himself in third place after posting scores 78 and 75 for a weekend total of 153. Burgess bogeyed the final hole which cost him second place but he still finished near the top of the leaderboard. Burgess finished with two birdies and 25 pars.
Jaden Harman of Grottoes, Virginia won the Girls 11-14 division by four strokes after posting scores of 87 and 86 for a weekend total of 173. Harman had a birdie in the first round but that was all she needed. Rory Weinfurther of Midlothian, Virginia finished in second place and also received most improved after improving her score by 11 strokes from 93 to 84. Weinfurther also had one birdie in the final round. Her weekend total was 177, just four strokes off the lead. Sophia Burnett of Florence, South Carolina finished in third place after posting a score of 95 on Saturday and a 98 on Sunday for a 193 total score. Burnett also made one birdie in the tournament.Weather:Day 1- High of 80, low of 56 with no precipitation and wind gust of 12 mphDay 2- High of 76, low of 54 with no precipitation and wind gust of 5 mphTournament Yardage:Boys 15-18: 6,667 yardsBoys 11-14: 6,100 yardsGirls 11-18: 5,150 yardsAbout 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.For more information regarding the Hurricane Tour Shop Series, please visit our website at www.hjgt.org, call the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour headquarters at (904) 379-2697, or email info@hjgt.org.