(November 8, 2015) The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour made a stop at Eagle Creek Golf Club in Orlando, Florida to host the Orlando Jr. Shootout. Eagle Creek was designed by world-renowned golf course architects Ron Garl and Howard Swan. It is an extraordinary 18-hole, 7217-yard, Par 73 championship course with five sets of tees for golfers of all skill levels. Conversely, our competitors played from four tees this weekend (Black, Yellow, White, and Blue). Moreover, this weekend’s weather was filled with clear skies and humid temperatures. The weather had little effect on the players who were well hydrated to face the challenging temperatures. Winners in each division will received an exemption into the 2015 Tour Championship December 5-6, 2015. Players also competed for Junior Golf Scoreboard Ranking (JGS). Additionally, the top 10 finishers received points towards year-end honors, which included state teams, ALL HJGT teams, and the Hurricane Cup.
Despite the first round’s weather conditions, the Boys 15-18 division was quite a close contest until Ethan Dong’s moment of brilliance on the final two holes of the second round. Dong, of the Eagle’s Dream Golf Academy, was superb during round one but struggled to maintain consistency during the second round. He shot 71 (-2) and recorded an Eagle on hole nine to complete the front nine during the first round. However, during round two Dong struggled but managed to win even though he was poor. Dong’s poor second round allowed a three way tie amongst Travis Wells and Justin Karlins and himself. Consequently, Dong’s birdies on the final two holes of the second round sealed the win and the title for him on the final day. Travis Wells and Justin Karlins tied for second with final scores of 147 (+1) and Dong won by one stroke with a final score of 146 (E).
Caroline Hwang of Orlando, FL won the girls 15-18 age division with a two round total of 145 (-1). Hwang was outstanding during the second round. She recorded six birdies and two bogeys to post a score of 69 (-4). Hwang came from behind to win the Orlando Jr. Shootout. Greta Voelker was leading after round one but Hwang’s maintained consistency during her second round play. Second place went to day one leader Greta Voelker who recorded a total score of 146 (-1). Voelker played steady golf throughout the two days as she finished with 25 pars and 8 birdies. Unfortunately, the two double bogeys she recorded throughout both days was enough to cost her the trophy. There was a three-way tie for third place among Cossette Anderson, Katie You, and Erika Smith. All recorded a score of 151 (+5) and fairly consistent throughout both rounds.
The Boys 13-14 was won comfortably by Bo Peng of Eagle’s Dream Golf Academy. Peng had a substantial lead during the first round. However, he was poor during the front nine of the second round which allowed Simon Zhou a chance to take the lead. Remarkably, Peng recorded five birdies on the back nine of the final round to secure his trophy. Peng’s final score was 145 (-1) followed by academy teammate Simon Zhou in second place with a score of 150 (E). Zhou played much better in the second round to give his teammate Peng a challenge. However, his first round score came back to haunt him in the end when Peng recorded five birdies on the back nine of the final day. Drew Lanier of Maitland, FL rounded off the third position with a score 158 (+4). Like Zhou, he improved on his first round score to secure his place amongst the top three players.
The Girls 11-14 Division had some fair scores across the top three. Karoline Tuttle of Lake Mary claimed first place with a total score of 149, (+3). Her first round score helped to compensate for her second round woes which included 4 bogeys and one double bogey. Juli Camargo was the runner up for this division. She improved on her first round score of 76 (+3), by posting a competitive score of 74 (+1) on the final day. However, this was not enough to topple Tuttle’s first round lead, but it was enough to cement Camargo‘s second place position. Once again, there was a tie for third place between Chloe Schiavone and Julia Kashimura. Both posted scores of 156 (+10) and had consistent scores throughout both rounds.
The Boys 11-12 division winner was Aaron Zhang of Lake Mary, FL. Zhang had a very impressive first round. He shot 69 (-4) and managed to maintain a level of consistency throughout the final round of play. He recorded a final score of 144(-1), which included 9 birdies and 7 bogeys to secure his title. Yuhze Zhang of Windermere, FL took second place with a score of 146 (E). Yuhze could not improve on his first round score to put pressure of Aaron who struggled a little during the second round. However, he hold off his second place challenger, Brendan Valdes, who fell short by two strokes to take second place. Aaron and Brendan scored 75 (+2) on the final day while Yuhze had the best score of round two with 74 (+1). Weather: Day 1- Low of 57 to high of 79, Clear, winds 9 MPH Day 2- Low of 64 to high of 79, Pleasant with some sun, winds 10 MPH Tournament Yardages: Boys 15-18-6811 yards Boys 13-14-6215 yards Boys 11-12-5731 yards Girls 11-14-5224 yards Girls 15-18-5731 yards About us: The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour (HJGT) was founded in 2008 with the intent 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 13-14, Boys 11-12, Girls 15-18, and Girls 11-14. Based out of Jacksonville, FL, the HJGT administers events all across the nation, with stops in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Connecticut. For more information regarding the 2014 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 Experience #TheHurricaneDifference