Kurtz holds off the field for first Knouff wins in one hole playoff
The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour traveled to Delaware, Ohio on April 5-6 for the Ohio Kickoff at Delaware presented by InstaGolf. The weekend had cool weather and wet conditions which kept scores on the high end. Winners from the divisions received an invitation to the 2014 Mid-Season Invitational and Tour Championship. Additionally, the top ten finishers received points towards end of the year honors which include state teams, ALL HJGT teams and the Hurricane Cup. Four AJGA Performance Stars were awarded to the Boys 15-18 division and one Performance Star was awarded to the top five finishers in the Boys 15-18 division. One Performance Star was awarded to the Girls 11-14 division. All divisions were also ranked by the Junior Golf Scoreboard.
The Boys 15-18 division was close all weekend but Will Kurtz of Hudson, Ohio took home first place. He carded a one over 72 on Saturday while firing a 77 on Sunday. He held a four stroke lead going into round two, which allowed him to play it safe on Sunday. Assiting in his win was the 23 pars he fired, which lead the division. Kurtz went birdie free on Sunday but he carded three on Saturday. He finished with a total score of 149. Brady Bohl of Dublin, Ohio ended three strokes behind Kurtz for second place. Bohl posted two great rounds of 77 and 75 for a total of 152. He had four birdies throughout the tournament. The highlight of Bohl’s weekend was firing a birdie on the par three 14th hole. One stroke behind Bohl was Grant Godfrey of Delaware, Ohio. Godfrey carded rounds of 76 and 77 for a 153 total. He also had four birdies, three of which occurred during round two.
Ending with an exciting playoff finish was the Girls 15-18 division. Emily Knouff of Minster, Ohio and Makenzie Torres of Grove City, Ohio kept it close all weekend right down until the end. They both finished with a total score of 164. They proceeded to hole one for the playoff, which ended with Knouff winning on a putt for par. Knouff came from behind to force the playoff when she improved by four strokes on the second day of competition to post an 80. Torres came up just short in the playoff to finish in second place. She did card two birdies during the first round, tied for most in the division. During round one Torres fired an 81 and followed it up with an 83 in round two. Finishing in third place was Lauren Kase of North Tonawanda, New York. She had rounds of 81 and 88 for a total score of 169. She ended with two birdies, both of which occurred during her round one front nine. The Boys 11-14 division was a tight competition throughout the weekend. Tejas Sinha of Pickerington, Ohio ended up winning the first place trophy by three strokes over Troy Taylor II of Westerville, Ohio. Sinha had lone birdies on both days, which helped him gain the lead and keep it Sunday afternoon. Sinha finished with the most pars in the division with 19. He posted scores of 77 and 80 for a total score of 157. Taylor battled back after carding an 81 on Saturday to fire a 79 on Sunday. He fell just short of Sinha, finishing with a weekend total of 160. Taylor did however have three birdies, the most in the division. Taking third place was Ben Foltz of Solon, Ohio. Foltz fired an 87 during the first round and bettered that by five strokes for an 82 in round two. He totaled a 169 on the weekend.
Riley Dean of Lewis Center, Ohio dominated the Girls 11-14 division. She took home the first place trophy after carding a 171. Dean posted an 87 during round one and improved upon that by three strokes for an 84 in the final round. She carded 15 pars which was the most in the division. The highlight of Dean’s weekend was her birdie on the par 3 18th hole to secure the win. Tabytha Robinson of Dublin, Ohio finished seven strokes behind Dean which was good enough for second place. Robinson had rounds of 86 and 92 for a total of 178. Finishing in third place was Sydney Leyerle of Helena, Ohio. She had a first round of 96 that she improved upon by nine strokes for an 85 during round two. Leyerle fired one birdie in the tournament on the par three fifth hole. Weather: Day 1- Low 40’s, most cloudy and windy Day 2- Low 50’s and mostly sunny with frost in the morning Tournament Yardage: Boys 15-18: 6,595 yards Boys 11-14: 5,893 yards Girls 15-18: 5,476 yards Girls 11-14: 5,110 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, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Indiana, and Connecticut. For more information regarding the Ohio Kickoff at Delaware presented by InstaGolf please visit our website at www.hjgt.org, call the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour headquarters at (904) 379-2697, or email info@hjgt.org.