New Jersey Kickoff at at Seaview
Resort–Seaview Bay Course
(April 1-2, 2017)
The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour traveled to Seaview Resort and Spa in Galloway, New Jersey on April 1st and 2nd to host the New Jersey Kickoff on the Seaview Bay Course. The Seaview Resort and Bay Course have their mark in golf history as host of the 1942 PGA Championship. This weekend, some of the finest young golfers in the North Eastern region of the United States would get their chance to take on the beautiful golf course. The event’s field featured 63 players in total, ranging from ages 8 to 18. Weather conditions were horrid on the days leading up to the event as rain accumulated, but the Seaview grounds crew did a great job of managing the poor weather. Weather continued to be a problem over the weekend, as temperatures dipped and wind picked up. Players and spectators braved the conditions and remained positive throughout the weekend. At stake during this tournament for individuals was an exemption into the 2017 National Championship December 2-3, 2017 and exemption into the 2017 Mid Season Invitational at Sea Island Plantation, June 11-13 for the top three finishers in each division, as well as points for top 10 finishers that go to end of the year honors. Each individual winner of the team series first place finishers will receive an embroidered golf carry bag. Additionally, the top two teams earn an invite to the HJGT national team championship in November. Boys 16-18 Division
The Boys 16-18 division featured 15 players that played valiantly throughout difficult conditions and diabolical putting greens. After a wet and muddy opening round on Saturday, just about any player in the field was in contention on Championship Sunday. After day one, Sean Haselton from Sayville, NJ jumped out to a four stroke lead after shooting an impressive 76. Even after securing a four stroke lead and shooting the lowest score of the first round, Haselton continued to press on come Sunday and fired a second round 74 to earn the Boys 16-18 Champion trophy. Haselton’s 76-74 weekend was very impressive, but expect to see even lower numbers from this outstanding player. Putting pressure on Haselton and finishing in second place was Matt Karrat from Chatham, NJ with a two-day score of 157. Entering the final day back three strokes, Karrat struggled to find his groove early but settled in on the backside and finished the event off with a modest 77. Rounding out the oldest Boys division was Alec Ryden from Moorsetown, NJ with a two-day total of 161. Ryden played well enough to earn himself a top three finish, however there was some untapped potential left in this young man that will be dangerous when reached. Ryden’s weekend was capped off with a chip in eagle on the Par 5 18th to secure his third place finish. Overall, the Boys 16-18 division was competitive and entertaining even in poor whether conditions. Boys 14-15 Division
The Boys 14-15 division was extremely competitive once again as any of the players in the final two pairings could be taking home the first place trophy. Entering Sunday, Zachory Maloy trailed the leader by 8 strokes, giving him the freedom to play aggressively and leave it all out on the course. Maloy did just that and made up ground quick, finishing with a six over 77 on the final day of the event to edge out the day one leader for first place by just a stroke. As always, it was exciting for spectators to see a comeback unfold on the last day of the event. Finishing in second place by one stroke was Aidan Devlin from Morristown NJ, with a two day total of 162. Devlin found success in the wet conditions on Saturday and posted the best score of the weekend for his age division with an opening round 76 to enter the clubhouse as the day one leader. However, Devlin could not carry that momentum into the final round and found himself finishing just short of his first, first place finish of the calendar year. With the golf game that Devlin showed Saturday, it shouldn’t be long until he is holding the first place trophy. Finishing in third place in the New Jersey Kickoff from Port Washington, NY with a two-day total of 167 was Jacob Fain. Fain finished the weekend with two birdies, but as the season goes on, he will fine-tune his swing and the birdies will go up as the score goes down. It was a pleasure to watch this field compete from top to bottom. Boys 11-13 Division
The Boys 11-13 age division featured some of the best young golfers in the New Jersey area. Rain or shine, these players enjoyed being out on the golf course and are reminders of why we love this game so much. The champion of the Boys 11-13 division with a two-day total of 155 was Steven Lee from Scarsdale, NY. Lee was the outright leader over the weekend and posted the lowest score in his age division with a Sunday 75. Lee showed composure on the golf course and impressive skills on the challenging greens this weekend. Finishing in second place was Paul Ulanich from Freehold, NJ with a final total of 163 for the weekend. Ulanich’s name is common among the top of the leaderboard at HJGT events, and this weekend was no different. This young player goes out each day with a clear mind and plays his game. Rounding out the Boys 11-13 division with a final two-day total of 169 was Calen Sanderson from Skillman, NJ. Sanderson struggled on Saturday, posting a 17 over 88, but came back Sunday with a much improved 81 to climb the leaderboard into third place. Boys U10 Division
The youngest division of boys featured two golfers who played with energy throughout the weekend. Finishing in the top spot for the weekend was Luke Huang from Great Neck, NY. Huang played incredibly both days of the weekend, posting scores of 98-91 to finish with a two-day total of 189. As Huang gets older and hits the ball further, his game will become a force to be reckoned with. Finishing in second place is one of the most common names to the top of the HJGT leaderboards, Jeremiah Smith from Bristow, VA. Smith continues to improve as he competes in more tournaments at just 8 years old and his positive attitude is an inspiration to all other players in the field. Both players are gaining unique experience at such a young age that will benefit them in future events when they are older. Girls 14-18 Division
A single leader throughout the entire tournament highlighted the oldest girls division. Anina Ku led after round one with a stellar 78 for the conditions she had to work will, followed by yet another 78 in the second round to secure the victory by a humble twelve strokes. In her post-win interview Ku attributed her victory to strong drives, not missing a single fairway the entire second round. With strong finishes in back to back tournaments, it is beginning to seem as though Anina Ku might be a name we should get used to hearing. The girl who made it a tough competition for Ku was Kaitlyn Lee finishing in second place with a strong 168. Lee was in the race through the entirety of the tournament showing her will to compete, and her unquestionable perseverance when things got difficult. To round out the 14-18 division for the girls was a third place score of 181 from Emily Cohen. Conditions made a tough couple rounds for all competitors, but Emily pushed through and put together a strong couple rounds out there. Girls U13 Division
This weekend for the Girls 13 and under Division was one for the ages. With a true Masters-like feel to it, this division came down to the wire with Megan Meng coming out victorious by only one stroke with a total of 157. She ended the first round ahead a single stroke with an 83, then caught fire and shot a 74 in the second round. It is a good thing she played lights-out on Sunday because second place winner Bailey Shoemaker followed suit on Sunday. Shoemaker came up just short, but gave the crowd a show they will go on to tell their grandkids, it was that memorable. Finally, our third place finishers in the youngest girls’ division were Angelina Torentino and Victoria Kim who both finished the tournament with a final score of 173. All of the U13 Girls gave tremendous effort and fought through the tough conditions to put up plenty of strong scores. Hurricane Team Series Results The New Jersey Kickoff Team Series was an extremely tight race that came down to the final players on Sunday at the Bay Course. Earning the first place finish for the weekend was Team 9, featuring Kaitlyn Lee, Steven Lee, Nicole Criscone, Paul Ulanich, Kyle Hayes, and Aidan Devlin. Team 9 posted a first day combined score of 323 and responded Sunday with a team score of 325 to finish the event with a total score of 648. Coming in second place was Team 4 with a total score of 351. Team 4 consisted of Sean Haselton, Geo Dixon III, Anina Ku, Ishan Kumar, and Brendan Kenny. With 12 total teams competing for in the team series event, each individual players score was crucial to their respective teams success.
Weather April 1st and 2nd, 2017
Round 1: Low 35, High 47. Cloudy and Windy
Round 2: Low 41, High 62. Sunny and Windy
Tournament Division Yardages
Boys 16-18: 6,244 yards
Boys 14-15: 6,244 yards
Boys 11-13: 5,536 yards
Boys U10: 4,784 yards
Girls 14-18: 5,536 yards
Girls U13: 4,784 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. In 2017, the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour announced a partnership with Nexus, an international hospitality and entertainment company backed by financier Joe Lewis and Tavistock Group, golfing great Tiger Woods and musician and entertainer Justin Timberlake, which will further our collective goal of growing the game of golf, broadening the Tour’s reach across the U.S. and around the world.
For more information regarding the 2017 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
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