On June 6th and 7th, the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour traveled to beautiful Ocean View, New Jersey to host the Jersey Shore Junior Classic at Shore Gate Country Club. The course was in fantastic shape, and was also a great challenge for the long weekend of golf. On Saturday, the first day of the tournament, there was a two hour weather delay due to some very heavy rain. On Sunday, we were lucky to have some marvelous sunshine, which was a great cap to the weekend. Winners in all four-age divisions will receive an automatic bid to the Tour Championship on December 5th and 6th, 2015. The top three finishers in each age division will also receive an automatic bid to the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational at Chateau Elan June 20-22. The weekend was stellar, and the top ten finishers also received points towards end year honors, which include state teams, all HJGT teams, and the Hurricane Cup.
In the boy’s 15-18 division, the Spring Lake, New Jersey resident, Brendan Hanson took home the first place trophy as he really expressed his talent off of the tee. Out driving his competition on almost every hole all weekend, Hanson ended the tournament only twelve strokes over par. Saturday was definitely Hanson's better day of golf as he ended the round with a big lead, and in first place, with a very solid score of a 73, just one stroke over par. Hanson featured four birdies on the first round, which helped him take the lead. On Sunday, Hanson made it interesting as he finished the second round shooting an 83. Still playing great golf, he featured three birdies, really turning some heads as his drives started him out strong on almost every hole. There were two second place finishers on the weekend, both Mike Winter, and Henry Angier went home with second place hardware as their scores tied. Winter, the Hamilton Square, New Jersey native, played great golf all throughout the weekend. Finishing the weekend just 13 strokes over par, Winter shot a 75 in the first round, and an 82 in the second round. Displaying a very impressive seven birdied holes this weekend, Winter fell out of the first place spot by just one stroke. Tying Winter in second place was Henry Angier, from Frenchtown, New Jersey. Angier finished the first round shooting a solid 79, and shot an even better 78 in the second round. Angier proved that his short game is polished, as he birdied three holes, and added in some very impressive chip shots. Also going home with hardware, and finishing in third place was Hayden Rousselle, from New Hope, Pennsylvania. Rousselle really opened some eyes this weekend as he was very impressive in all three major aspects of the game. Rousselle shot his best score on the weekend, an 81 on Saturday, and then proceeded to finish Sunday’s round with another great score, an 86. As the top three spots were decided by just three strokes, Rousselle fell out of the second spot by just one stroke, finishing the weekend 23 strokes over par. Overall, the boys 15-18 year old division was very competitive this weekend, and all of the top finishers played very impressive, and quality golf.
In the boy’s 13-14 division, Brandon Valvano finished the tournament in the top spot. The Franklin Lakes, New Jersey resident played very competitive golf this weekend as he shot a 92 on the first round, and an even more impressive score on the second round, a 90. Valvano featured a very strong short game this weekend, as he was unmatched on the putting green on almost every hole. Valvano was the leader all weekend as he didn't let the pressure of a lead in a big tournament get to him. Finishing right behind Valvano, and in second place was Cristobal E. Sepulveda, from Santiago, Chile. Sepulveda brought much confidence with him all the way from Chile, as he has been the number one ranked 11-year-old golfer in Chile for the last three consecutive years. Sepulveda finished round one with a very impressive score of a 94, and then took his talents, and his confidence into the second day as he finished Sunday with another great score, a 91. Going home with the third place trophy was TY Brinker, from Wilmington, Deleware. Brinker, a common face on the Hurricane Tour, displayed great golf all weekend long as he finished the first day with a 101. Brinker must have had his Wheaties for breakfast on Sunday morning, because his game in the second round was a huge improvement, and was extremely impressive, as he ended Sunday shooting an 86. After the first day, Brinker was in dead last place by three strokes, but he came out strong on Sunday and shot the best score out of both rounds for the entire age division. The boys 13-14 division had a very exciting weekend, and every competitor in the field displayed two quality rounds of golf.
Maybe the most impressive golfer this whole weekend was 12-year-old Phoebe Brinker. Phoebe, TY’s sister, is also another very familiar face on our tour. Phoebe finished the tournament in first place, and also had one of the best scores of the entire tournament, even including the boys divisions. Brinker shot an 81 in the first round, and topped off her second round with another very impressive score, an 84. Brinker showcased three birdies on the weekend, and excelled in all areas of the game. Finishing right behind Brinker, and leaving the course with the second place trophy was Nicole Totland, from Tinton Falls, New Jersey. Totland played great golf this weekend as she competed in both rounds, shooting an 82 on Saturday, and a 90 on Sunday. Totland really has a future in golf ahead of her as she showed great talent all throughout her game this weekend. Totland’s highlight of the weekend were her two birdied holes in the first round, both of which coming on two of the toughest holes on the course. Leaving the course with the third place trophy was Taylor Miano, from Dobbs Ferry, New York. Miano finished the weekend just 35 strokes over par, displaying a 90 on the first round, and an 89 on the second round. Miano, another very familiar face on the Hurricane Tour, was very impressive off the tee box all weekend, as her drives really turned some heads. Miano also never fails to impress in our tournaments, as a quality weekend of golf always travels with her to the course. The girls were arguably the most impressive this weekend as their scores almost matched the boys, which is always great to see. Weather: Saturday: Low 60’s, Heavy Rain, Wind 10-15 MPH Sunday: Mid 70’s, Clear, Wind 5-10 MPH Tournament Yardages: Boys 15-18- 6,716 YDS Girls 15-18- 5,654 YDS Boys 13-14- 6,157 YDS 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 five 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, Louisiana, Connecticut and Massachusetts. For more information regarding the 2015 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