Orange Lake Jr. Open – April 25-26, 2015
Truong holds off Xu and Llinas
Williams robs Cherichella
Valdez on a roll
Fonseca and You win in playoff
Kissimmee, FL (April 26, 2015)The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour traveled to Kissimmee, Florida April 25- April 26, 2015 for the Orange Lake Jr. Open. Players battled hot and humid conditions in the first round and a rain delay on day two that lead to blue skies. Top three winners in all divisions received an invitation to the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational and 1st place winners in each division received an invitation to the 2015 HJGT National Championship. The Boys 15-18 Division winner received 4 AJGA Performance Stars and the top five finishers each received 1 AJGA Performance Star. The Girls 15-18 Champion received 4 AJGA Performance Stars while the top three finishers each received 1 AJGA Performance Star. The Girls 11-14 Division Champion will receive 1 AJGA Performance Star. All divisions were ranked by the Junior Golf Scoreboard. Boys 15-18 and Girls 15-18 Divisions each received Golf Week rankings. Additionally, the top ten finishers in each division received points towards year end honors which include state teams, ALL HJGT teams and the Hurricane Cup.
Although the weather turned for the worse during the morning, Boys 15-18 Division was filled with excitement. A strong showing by Anthony Truong of Ho Chi Minh City gave him the four stroke win over his nearest competitor, Xisco Llinas of Winter Garden, FL. After posting a day one total of 70 (-1) Truong looked to keep his consistency on day two to take home the trophy. He would record 3 birdies on the first round to sit at a comfortable five stroke lead over Llinas and a seven stroke lead over eventual third place winner, Jay Xu of Wesley Chapel, FL. Despite a brief break due to weather conditions players completed a very entertaining round. A strong start on day two from Xu would make for an exciting finish. Posting a two under 35(-2) on the front nine was the start Xu was looking for grabbing two strokes back from both Llinas and Troung. Despite birdies from both Xu and Llinas their back nine push would not be enough to catch the leader. Troung would give Llinas a shot to come close to the leader after a double on the par 5 fifteenth. Closing in on this opportunity, Llinas would go on to par the next seven holes. After recording six pars in the final nine holes and recording the low round of 70(-1) on the day, Xu would take home the trophy with a two day total of 147(+5).
The Girls 15-18 Division finished very similar to our younger girls division as it ended in a playoff as well. A three stroke push on day two from Ari Fonseca of Venezuela left her tied with Cindy Kou of Windermere, FL through 36 holes. After recording 5 birdies in the first round Kou would jump out a three stroke lead over Fonseca, but sat tied with Jennifer Zhou of Longwood, FL with day one totals of 73(+2). Day two was sure to bring excitement for the final round. After a slow start from Fonseca on the front nine of day two, she would drop two more strokes to Kou putting her five strokes behind the day one leader. A birdie to end the front nine holes in the final round would be all that Fonseca needed. She would catch fire and would not look back recording two birdies and an eagle on the par five fifteenth on the final nine holes. While Fonseca come back was mounting, Kou kept her poise and would go on to record a 38(+2) on the back nine to bring her total to a two day total of 148(+6) and tied with Fonseca. It would take five holes to settle the dust and determine the girl’s 15-18 division winner. After both girls pared the first four holes, a birdie by Fonseca on the par 5 4th hole would win her the trophy. Congratulations to Jennifer Zhou for playing consistently and taking home the third place trophy.
Boys 13-14 Division had a clear cut leader after the first round and that consistency would give the day one leader the winning trophy at the end of the tournament. Robin Williams of Howey in the Hills, FL would jump out to a four stroke lead over Alex Whitehead of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL and a six stroke lead over our second place winner Austin Cherichella, of Orlando, FL. Recording six birdies in the first round Williams set himself up for a successful on day two. Starting off a bit slower then he may have liked, Williams would go on to record three birdies and nine pars in the final round to secure the win. A strong push by Cherichella, who recorded three birdies and eight pars in the final round would give him enough of a push to earn second place. Not far behind all three of these competitors sat Taylor John Mcgerity of Lake Mary, FL with a round one total of 78(+5). He would sit nestled in between the day one leader and the other third place finisher. The battle for third place would get interesting on day two as Mcgerity and Whitehead sat just one stroke apart from each other. Mcgerity would get the best of Whitehead on day two to give both players a third place trophy and two day total of 157(+15).
Girls 11-14 Division winner Katie You of Windermere, FL wins in playoff over Erika Smith of Orlando, FL. A birdie on the second playoff hole gave You the win. Both girls would record two day totals of 151(+9). Round one would separate the two girls by one stroke with You being the leader.. You recorded three birdies through the first nine and five pars on the back to give her a round one total of 75(+4). Consistency was the key for Smith on day one as she would go on to record a 38(+2) on the back nine holes to get her two strokes from You and record a day one total of 76(+5). Despite the rain delay, both girls would keep their play consistent in the second round. Smith would get the best of You by recording two birdies on the final nine holes to send them into the playoff where eventually You would prevail. Consistent rounds of 80(+9) from Zillya Rahadian of Jakarta, Indonesia in both rounds solidified her third place finish. Congratulations to all our girls on a great weekend!
Boys 11-12 Division winner Brendan Valdes of Orlando, FL records his second consecutive win. Valdes held off a strong push from Coleman Barnes of Lake Mary, FL to take home his second win of the year. Recording two birdies in the first round gave Valdes a nine stroke lead over Barnes who recorded a round one total of 86(+15). After finding his rhythm on the back nine on day one, Valdes would continue his strong play into day two recording two more birdies on the front nine. With an upset on his mind, Barnes started off the round a bit slower than he may have liked but would find his rhythm on the back nine posting a score of 38 (+2) to give him ten pars on the day and a two day total of 166(+24). Valdes would go on to record a two day total of 160(+18). Congratulations to Jonah Leach as well who cut seven strokes off of his day one total to end the weekend with a two day total of 183(+41) and the third place trophy. Weather: Day 1- Low of 88 to high of 92, Partly Cloudy, winds 3-5 MPH Day 2- Low of 85 to high of 92, Isolated rain, cloudy, winds 5-10mph. Tournament Yardages: Boys 15-18-6,478 yards Boys 13-14-6,197 yards Boys 11-12-5,744 yards Girls 15-18-5,744 yards Girls 11-14-5,226 yards About us: The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour (HJGT) was founded in 2007 with the intention of providing junior golfers between the ages of 11-18 an opportunity to play exceptional courses in a competitive environment. The tour’s vision is to provide superb hospitality and make every event a memorable one. With play open to both males and females, nearly every junior golfer is eligible to participate on the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour. Currently the HJGT is the largest junior golf tour in the United States hosting more 2-day nationally ranked events than another other tour. The HJGT has been able to achieve this goal by running the most professional events and providing an exceptional value to all of our players and families over the last 8 years. There are several factors that set us apart from the competition which we call #TheHurricaneDifference. Based out of Jacksonville, FL, the HJGT administers events all across the country. In 2015 the HJGT will conduct events in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Louisiana, Mississippi, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Juniors will compete in 1 of 5 divisions which are: Boys 15-18, Boys 13-14, Boys 11-12, Girls 15-18, and Girls 11-14. Memberships for the 2015 season start at $139 and tournament fees range from $189-$229 for 36 hole events. The HJGT season is based on a calendar year and players earn points throughout the season towards year end honors beginning January 1. For more information regarding the HJGT, please visit our website at www.hjgt.org, call the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour headquarters at (904) 379-2697, or email info@hjgt.org