Lehmann uses front nine 30 on day two to hold off strong field
Quevedo takes four shot lead into day two and holds on for victory
Jekyll Island, GA (April 14, 2013)- The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour traveled just 80 miles north to southern Georgia for the Major Championship at Jekyll. The event, the second major of the young season, was hosted by the beautiful Jekyll Island Golf Course-Pines Lakes situated beautifully on the Atlantic Ocean. The weather on Saturday could not have been any better with highs climbing into the 70s and sun in the sky all day. Sunday’s weather was not nearly as kind to the golfers with rain starting midway through the majority of the players’ rounds. With this being a major championship there was a lot at stake for the competitors. In lieu of the typical top 10 players receiving points towards year-end honors the top 20 players received such points. These points will go towards Hurricane Cup standings and All-HJGT Teams and State Teams. South Carolina Junior Golf Association Heritage Points and Tarheel Youth Golf Association Points were also up for grabs. Four AJGA Performance Stars were awarded to the Boy’s and Girl’s 15-18 division winners and one Performance Star was awarded to the Boy’s 11-14 division champion. This event was ranked by the Junior Golf Scoreboard.
The boy’s 15-18 age division featured the most competitive field of any event so far this season with six players finishing under par for the tournament. The most impressive of which was Oliver Lehman who bested the field with a four under par for the tournament. Lehman shot 70 both days of the tournament. Lehman was most impressive on the back nine on Sunday where he carded an impressive six birdies in a seven-hole span. Lehman, a Switzerland native, led the field with eleven birdies over the two days. Lehman also had the second best average score on par fives where he finished with a 4.50 scoring average. Toks Pedro of Maryland and Simon Velez of Columbia finished in a tie for second place just one stroke back of Lehman. Pedro shot an even par day one before shooting a very impressive three under on day two. Velez was consistent in shooting a 71-70 for the tournament. Pedro had one of only three eagles in the division and tied for the best average on par fours where he averaged a 3.90. Velez tied for the division lead with eleven birdies for the tournament.
Winner of the girl’s 15-18 division and recipient of the much coveted AJGA performance stars was Isidora Quevedo of Chile. Quevedo shot a 69 on day one which left little doubt as to who would win on day two. Quevedo held on to the lead day two by shooting a 75 which left her two strokes in front of her closest competitor. Quevedo’s day one 69 included an impressive 33 on the back nine where she totaled four birdies. Quevedo separated herself from the field on par fours where she averaged 3.95 strokes which was a tenth of a stroke better than anybody else. Frequent HJGT top-ten finisher Macy McRaney took home second place after a consistent 73-73, which left her two strokes over par and two shots behind Quevedo. McRaney led the field with 26 pars. McRaney’s 2.88 average on par threes was a quarter of a stroke better than any other competitor in the division. Claire Hodges of Sorrento, FL took home third place after shooting a 74-73 for the tournament. Hodges had the second most pars in the field with 25.
Savannah, GA native James Wohler took home the 1st place trophy in the boy’s 11-14 division. Wohler shot a 73 on day one which put him one shot up on the rest of his division. Wohler followed this up with a 77 on day two which enabled him to hold on for a one shot victory over his fellow competitors. Wohler was most impressive on the front nine on day one where he shot a 34 that included three birdies. Wohler led the division with 23 pars and his 4.05 average score on par fours was the best of anybody in the division. Ray Navis finished in second with a seven over par for after a 76-75 for the tournament. Navis had five birdies in the tournament which tied him for the second most in the division. Sam Ohno and Christian Garruppo tied for third just one stroke back of Navis. Ohno had five birdies for the tournament and Garruppo finished with four.
Ashleigh Bishop scored an extremely consistent 76-76 to take home the trophy in the girl’s 11-14 division. Bishop tied for the division lead in birdies finishing with four total. Bishop did the majority of her damage on par fours where her 4.15 average was a third of a stroke better than any other player in her division. Bishop’s 22 pars were second most in the division. Fleming Island native and frequent HJGT competitor Lauren Waidner finished second, just one stroke back of Bishop. Waidner had the most pars in the division with 23 total and had the best scoring average on both par fours and par fives. Amelia Root finished four shots back of Waidner for third place. Root finished in a tie for the most birdies with four. Weather: Saturday: Sunny, low 60s to mid 70s, winds steady around 5 mph Sunday: Mostly Cloudy, low 60s to mid 70s, winds steady around 5 mph, Afternoon Rain Tournament Yardages: Boy’s 15-18 division: 6,631 Boys’ 11-14 division: 6,167 Girl’s 15-18 division: 5,739 Girl’s 11-14 division: 5,162 Tournament Awards:EFX Birdie Challenge:
Boy’s 15-18 division: Oliver Lehman, Simon Velez Boy’s 11-14 division: Will Rawlings Girl’s 15-18 division: Whitney Stevenson, Anita Uwadia Girl’s 11-14 division: Ashleigh Bishop, Amelia Root Golf Pride Most Improved Player Boy’s 15-18 division: Fran Hernandez Boy’s 11-14 division: Emily Root Girl’s 15-18 division: Nicole Smiley, Garnett, Glaser Girl’s 11-14 division: Amelia Root 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 tour will compete in one of four age divisions: Boys 15-18 Division, Boys 11-14 and Girls 15-18 Division and 11-14 Division. Based out of Jacksonville, FL, the HJGT administers events all across the southeast as well as Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.