Innisbrook Junior Classic at the Innisbrook Resort- South
(November 12-13, 2016)
On Thursday, November 10, 2016, the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour arrived in Palm Harbor, FL to host the Innisbrook Junior Classic, which took place at the iconic Innisbrook Resort. 92 players showed up to compete, which put the tournament at full capacity due to the recent sunlight restrictions associated with daylight savings time. The last groups to tee off needed just about every minute of sunlight available to complete their rounds, but finish they certainly did. Players, parents, and staff could not have asked for better weather to accompany their two days of competitive junior golf.
Boys 16-18 Division
The Boys 16-18 division offered a very competitive field as 52 players teed off on Saturday morning with hopes of bringing home the first place crown. David Hu really separated himself from his peers on Saturday morning as he strung together four birdies in a row on his way to a round total of 70, which happened to be the best in his division. He would go on to take home a share of the third place trophy with fellow competitor Taki Mishima who shot a two-day total of 147. Kuihao Huang found his groove on the back nine of his first round. He carried that momentum into Sunday as he went on to string together an amazing 25 consecutive holes of bogey free golf. You might find a stat like that in the dictionary next to the word consistent. As one could imagine, he walked away with the first place prize after shooting a round of 69 and a two-day total of 143. Delin Zeng made a late push at the crown with back-to-back birdies on holes 12 and 13 Sunday. His late push landed him with a cumulative total of 145 and a second place trophy. These four golfers have more than just their great skill in common, as they also all hail from the same hometown of Bradenton, FL.
Boys 14-15 Division
The South course at Innisbrook Resort played host to the 19 competitors making up the Boys 14-15 division. Michael Beausang of Clearwater, FL didn’t waste anytime on Saturday afternoon, jumping ahead of the competition with an early lead that he would carry into day two. His 11 consecutive holes of bogey free golf discouraged those who were chasing him, realizing that he was not going to make many mistakes. John Mosher of Wesley Chappel, FL took it upon himself to make up some ground during his Sunday round. His two birdies on the back nine put him in prime position to challenge Michael down the stretch. Michael’s clutch par putt on the 18th green forced a playoff with John who had the hot hand on Sunday afternoon, recording a 74. A large gallery of players who had just finished up in the 16-18 division lined the fairway as both players teed up to replay the first hole. Michael picked up where he left off on 18 by paring the hole. A missed putt by Mosher gave him the first place trophy. Needless to say, the players and spectators enjoyed the extra golf. Jed Durda of Tampa, FL and Brock Winter of Stillwater, MN walked away with a share of third place after totaling a two-day score of 153. Only nine strokes separated the first and tenth place finishers in this division. Girls 14-18 Division
The ladies of the 14-18 division impressed the crowds with their ability to navigate the tough course. Six girls in total teed it up this weekend with aspirations of being named the champion. Nicole Polivchak of Sarasota, FL managed to improve upon her field leading first day total during her Sunday round. She added three birdies in her second round to give her a division leading four birdies for the tournament. Her total score of 156 bettered the competition by nine strokes and earned her the right to take home the first place prize. The competition for second place was a tad bit closer as Cosette Anderson of Wesley Chappel, FL edged out Courtney Matschke of Franklin, WI by only four strokes. In the end, Cosette’s ability to keep the ball in the fairway allowed her gain an advantage on the Par 4’s. She scored eight strokes better on these holes over the course of the weekend which awarded her the second place trophy. We wish these players the best of luck as they continue their competitve golf careers and we hope to see them playing with us again soon. Boys 11-13 Division
Lucky number seven seemed to be the theme this weekend in the Boys 11-13 division as seven competitors faced off to take home bragging rights along with a shiny trophy. Birdies seemed to come easily to this group of guys as they recorded 16 as a group over the two-day span. Six of those belonged to Logan Hunter of Tampa, FL who finished in second place after tallying a total score of 153. Gregory Saulhog of Bradenton, FL strung together 16 holes of bogey free golf to cut down his score to an impressive 73, 74, 147. We are starting to see a trend here with our first place finishers and their ability to keep bogeys off their card. Anthony Chen recorded a respectable two-day total of 157 to end up in third place. We wish these boys the best of luck through the remainder of the 2016 season. Boys U10 Division
Alexander Kaufmann of Sarasota, FL absolutely ran away with the Boys U10 division. He may have been the only competitor, but that did not stop him from competing against the course. He showed the ability to adapt as he lowered his score by seven strokes on Sunday. He tallied 10 pars en route to a two-day total of 187. He walked off the course with a brand new first place trophy as well as an invite to the HJGT national championship, which will take place on December 3rd and 4th in Orlando, FL. We look forward to watching Alexander improve his game as he grows over the next couple of years. Girls 13U Division
The girls of the 13U division showed a lot of toughness right off the bat on Saturday afternoon. They volunteered to play from a further distance in order to earn Junior Golf Scoreboard rankings. Alex Crafton of Lake Mary, FL pieced together two solid rounds of 84,85 to take home the first place trophy. Addison Klonowski of Naples, FL and Andrea Woods of Riverview, FL went down to the wire as the sun set on the tournament. They tied the last three holes on Sunday and ended up both walking away with second place trophies. This group was a lot of fun to watch, due to their sportsmanship and great attitudes. They showed a true love for the game of golf and we look forward to watching them compete in the future.
Weather: November 12-13, 2016: Round 1: Low 57, High 79. Clear and Sunny Skies, Wind 5-7 mph Round 2: Low 57, High 82. Clear and Sunny Skies, Wind 5-7 mph Tournament Division Yardages Boys 16-18: 6,457 Yards Boys 14-15: 6,457 Yards Boys 11-13: 5,615 Yards Girls 14-18: 5,615 Yards Girls 13U: 5,201 Yards Boys U10: 4,791 Yards About Hurricane Junior Golf Tour The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour (HJGT) was founded in 2007 with the intent of providing junior golfers between the ages of 11-18, and now 10 and under, an opportunity to play exceptional courses in a competitive environment. Golfers who participate on the tour will compete in one of six age divisions: Boys 16-18, Boys 14-15, Boys 11-13, Boys U10, Girls 14-18, and Girls U13. Based out of Jacksonville, FL, the HJGT administers events all across the nation, with stops in Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. In 2016, we have now expanded to the west coast and cover California, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Washington, Nevada, and Oregon. For more information regarding the 2016 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