Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday Junior Classic
The Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday Junior Classic at Wicked Stick in Surfside Beach, South Carolina took place from June 22-23rd. The tournament was a two-day 36 hole tournament.
Boys 15-18 Age Division Javier Gonzalez of Veracruz, Mexico, played consistent and fantastic golf throughout the weekend to hold off Rodrigo Sanchez of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Kase Diehl of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Vijay Mishra of North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Gonzalez shot a final round of 70 after posting a 69 in the first round and finished with 5 under par 139. During his final round Gonzalez shot a back nine 32 that consisted of 4 birdies after making a potentially costly triple bogey on hole 8. Rodrigo Sanchez shot and tied for a best round on Sunday, 70 that shot him up the leader board to finish with a one over 145. There was a tie for third place at five over par 149. Kase Diehl shot a 76 on Saturday but came back with a 73 on Sunday. Vijay Mishra also finished at five over par after posting a 74 on Saturday and finished with a final round 75. Birdies were made all over the course with a two-day total of 101. Gonzalez lead the way with 10, while Sanchez took second in birdie totals with 8. The Tournament scoring average was consistent over the two days with a 79.73 on Saturday and a 79.85 on Sunday.
Girls 15-18 Age Division Cameryn Smith of Shallotte, NC outlasted her competitors in the Girls 15-18 division at Wicked Stick through the two days of competition. After fighting off a challenging first day of 81, Smith came back to shoot a 77 in the final round, to take home the trophy with a total of 158. Smith struggled a bit going into her back 9 on Sunday, but rallied to finish the last four holes, one under par. What helped Smith the most throughout the weekend was her bogey free streak of seven holes as well as having the most pars or better for 23 of her 36 holes. Kelli Smith of Murrells Inlet, South Carolina placed second this weekend. She was able to card an 82 in the first round followed by a second round of 80 which brought her weekend score to 162. Smith led the age division with 4 birdies, which included a birdie on her final hole of Sunday. In a three-way tie for third place were Pendleton Bogache of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Diana Flynn of Dublin, Ohio as well as Ashley Flynn of Dublin, OH. Pendleton recorded a first round score of 77 and a final round score of 86, Dianna carded a first round 79 followed by a final round 84, while Ashley turned in a first round 82 while finishing up with a final round 81. Pendleton led the field with the most pars which consisted of 20, while Diana and Ashley were also very consistent throughout their rounds.
Boys 11-14 Age Divison
Juan Delgado of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic led after round one by five strokes after shooting a one under par with a 71. Delgado still had the best score of the second round with a 75 to extend his lead by a total of six stokes. Delgado’s first round was very impressive with only a single bogey, two birdies and the rest being pars. Coming in second was Drew Farraye of St. Augustine, Florida with a two day total of 152, carding a 76 in both rounds. Farraye was able to make an impressive four birdies through both rounds. Coming in third was Garrett Clark of Burlington, North Carolina shooting a 78 in round one and improving his scored round score with a 76. The most improved score from round one to round two was Allan Lockwood of Elizabethtown, Kentucky with a thirteen shot improvement. All competitors in this age division improved their scoring average by more than one point from a 82 to a 79.
Girls 11-14 Age Division
Rylea Marcum from Georgetown, Kentucky came through to win the Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday Jr. Challenge at Wicked Stick Golf Course. Rylea was one stroke behind the lead after round 1 after shooting a 90. She only had a total of one birdie through both of the rounds but that was enough for her to pull out the win. In second place was Sophia Burnett of Florence, South Carolina. Burnett shot a 90 in the first round and had the lead after the first round. She came back Sunday to shoot an 86 with eight pars for a total of 176. Coming in third place was Halle Jo Auf Der Heide form Fayetteville, NC. Halle shot a two round total of 188. The competitors loved the course here, designed by John Daly himself. The course averaged an overall score of 98.60 for the Girls 11-14 Age Division for the two rounds as well. Weather:
Day 1- High of 88, low of 73 with scattered thunderstorms and a heavy breeze Day 2- High of 89, low of 68 and a slight breeze Tournament Yardage: Boys 15-18: 6,696 yards Boys 11-14: 6,184 yards Girls 11- 18 5,600 yards 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 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, Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, and Pennsylvania. For more information regarding the HJGT 2014 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.