On Jan. 30-31, the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour traveled to beautiful Gretna, La., to host the New Orleans Junior Open at Links at Stonebridge. The course was in good shape, playing conditions were great, and it was also a great challenge for the weekend of golf. Both Saturday and Sunday we had beautiful weather. Winners in all five age divisions will receive an automatic bid to the Tour Championship on Dec. 3-4, 2016. The weekend was unbeatable all around, and the top ten finishers also received points towards end year honors, which include state teams, all HJGT teams, and the Hurricane Cup.
Boys 16-18
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Zack Vingoe[/caption] In the Boys 16-18 division, Zack Vingoe, from Houston, Texas took home the first-place trophy after winning most improved at the Houston Kickoff at Blackhorse. Vingoe finished the weekend off at a very impressive 15-over-par. On Saturday, Vingoe posted a 79 with two birdies and four bogeys. Vengoe came into day two with a three stoke lead and battled fifteen mile per hour winds and was still able to post a great round. Vingoe posted an 80, including four bogeys, which was good enough to see him earn a two-stroke victory. Carlo Carino from Harvey, La., received second place. Carino started the tournament off with a score of 85 on round one, but turned it around on Sunday with a score of 76. This allowed Carino to finish off the two-day tournament with a solid 161. Our third-place finisher this weekend was Wondell Smith from New Orleans, La. Smith had a very consistent weekend in his home state with scores of 82 and 80. Smith finished the weekend off with a two-day total of 162, only three strokes off the lead. Overall, the this division was very competitive throughout the weekend, and all of our top finishers played impressive golf.
Boys 11-13
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Trey Morse[/caption] In the Boys 11-13 division, Trey Morse from New Orleans, La., finished the tournament in the top spot. Morse came out on Saturday dropping one birdie and seven bogeys on his way to a solid round of 83, which put him in a three-way tie for fourth place. On Sunday, Morse saw an incredible turnaround in shaving 13 strokes off his day one score with a 73 that featured four birdies and five bogeys. Morse’s two-day total was a 156, two strokes in front of second place. In second was Cameron Guidry from Picayune, Miss. Guidry finished round one in a tie for third with an 82, which consisted of one birdie and four bogeys. Guidry was able to climb to second place after a round two score of 76 giving a two-day total of a 158. There was a two-way tie between Ryan Dupuy and Luke Haskew both from Baton Rouge, La., at 159. Dupuy scored an 83 on day one score with one birdie and seven bogeys and a 76 on day two with four bogeys. Haskew scored a 79 with two birdies and seven bogeys and an 80 on day two with two birdies and eight bogeys.
Girls 14-18
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Julia Simon[/caption] In the Girls 14-18 age division New Orleans, La., native Julia Simon took home the first place trophy with two impressive rounds. On Saturday, Simon set the foundation for what would be a very good two-day total when she carded a solid 78, which saw her roll in two birdies and six bogeys. Not satisfied, and still three strokes behind the leader heading into Sunday, Simon shot four-over-par with one birdie and one bogey for a 76. Simon finished the tournament with a two-day total of 154, one stroke ahead of second. Finishing in a close second was Hannah Levi from D’Iberville, Miss. Levi played very consistent golf all weekend, scoring a 77 on day one with three birdies and four bogeys. She then scored a 78 on day two with three birdies and four bogeys, finishing out the weekend with a solid 155 total. This allowed Levi to be only one stroke above third place. Finishing in third place was Angelica Harris with a two-day total of 156. Harris scored a 75 with two birdies and one bogey on day one and an 81 on day two with three birdies and six bogeys. Each of our top finishers played some extraordinary golf this weekend in one of the most competitive fields of the year. Each of these girls showed that they have a very bright future ahead of them!
Weather:
Saturday: High 60’s, Cloudy, Wind 10-15 MPH
Sunday: High 60’s, Cloudy, Wind 10-15 MPH
Tournament Yardages:
Boys 16-18: 6,548 yards
Girls 14-18/Boys 11-13: 5,526 yards