On June 27th and 28th, 2015, the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour traveled to beautiful Flowery Branch, Georgia to host the Royal Lakes Junior Open at Royal Lakes Country Club. The course was in phenomenal shape, playing conditions were great, and it was also a tough challenge for the long weekend of golf. On Saturday, the first day of the tournament, there was rain that came and went for about an hour, but it was nothing to the tournament, as the golfers battled the weather to play incredible golf. On Sunday, we were lucky to have some marvelous sunshine, which was a great cap to the weekend. Winners in all four age divisions received an automatic bid to the Tour Championship on December 5th and 6th, 2015. 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.
In the Boy’s 15-18 division, the Macon, Georgia resident, Wesley Hanson took home the first place trophy as he really expressed his talent on the putting green. Out putting his competition on almost every hole all weekend, Hanson ended the tournament just seven strokes over par. Saturday was Hanson’s better day of golf as he ended the round tied for first place, and with a very impressive score of a 75, only three strokes over par. On Sunday, Hanson had another great round of golf as he finished the second round shooting a 76. Still playing great golf, he featured four birdies, really turning some heads as his putts ended almost every hole with strength. Hanson ended the weekend with a total of six birdies. There were three tied second place finishers for the tournament. Grant Manning, from Suwanee, Georgia sported good enough golf this weekend to put him in the second place spot. Manning finished the first day tied for eighth place, but came to the course prepared, and determined on Sunday to work his way to the second place finish. Manning played great golf all throughout the weekend. Finishing the weekend just two strokes out of the first place spot, Manning finished the first round with a great score of a 79. Manning then ended the second round shooting a 74, a very impressive score, just two strokes over par. Tying Manning for a second place finish was the Dunwoody, Georgia resident, David Frank. Frank was helped by his two very impressive birdied holes this weekend. Frank ended the first round shooting a 79, and the second round with a 74. Franks game off of the tee box was very impressive all weekend, as he was consistently out driving his competition. Also ending the round tied for second place was Tanner Merck, from Gainesville, Georgia. Merck featured a very impressive five birdied holes this weekend, as his short game was polished. Ending the first round shooting a 75, he was sitting tied for first place. Shooting a 78 in the second round put him out of the top spot, but he made some incredible shots in the second round to keep him close to the first place finish. Merck should be proud heading back to Gainesville as his game definitely stood out from his competition. Also going home with hardware, and finishing in third place was George Stradtman, from Atlanta, Georgia. Stradtman really opened some eyes this weekend, as he was very impressive in all three major aspects of the game. Stradtman shot his best score on the weekend, a 76 on Saturday, and then proceeded to finish Sunday’s round with another great score, a 78. As the top three spots were decided by just four strokes, Stradtman fell out of the second spot by just two strokes, finishing the weekend with two very impressive scores. Tying Stradtman, and also finishing with a third place trophy was Vraj Patel, from Rome, Georgia. Patel was one of our best golfers this weekend as he excelled in all three major aspects of the game. Patel really carried himself with confidence as he finished the first round shooting a 75 and tied for first place. Patel came out on Sunday to shoot another excellent score of a 79. Starring a total of five birdies this weekend, spectators can see that Patel really has a future ahead of him in competitive golf. As all of the top finishers have a golf game that is extremely well rounded, it is easy to tell that they all have a great future of golf ahead of them. Overall, the boys 15-18 year-old division was very competitive this weekend, and all of the top finishers played very impressive, and quality golf.
In the Boy’s 13-14, division, Nicholas Gibson finished the tournament in the top spot. The Lawrenceville, Georgia resident played very competitive golf this weekend as he shot a great score of an 80 on the first round, and a 76 on the second round. Gibson featured a very strong short game this weekend, as he was unmatched close to the hole, and the putting green on almost every hole. Gibson was in third place after the first round, and then finished the second round with the best score, as he didn't let the pressure of a lead in a big tournament get to him. To add to his impressive finish, Gibson featured five birdies this weekend, two more than any one of his competitors in the age division. Finishing right behind Gibson, and in second place was Shyam Joshi, from Dacula, Georgia. Joshi brought a lot of confidence with him from Joshi, as he has been a very strong, and competitive golfer inside our Hurricane events, that being said, we were pleased to welcome him back onto our tour. Joshi finished round one with a very impressive score of a 78, and then took his talents, and his confidence into the second day as he finished Sunday with another great score of an 80. Going home in third place was Jackson Cross, from Sugar Hill, Georgia. Cross, another familiar face on the Hurricane Tour, displayed great golf all weekend long as he finished the first day in first place, and with a great score, a 77. Cross had another great day on Sunday as he finished his round shooting an 82. Cross featured two birdies this weekend to make his scores stand out just a little bit more. The boys 13-14 division had a very exciting weekend, and every competitor in the field displayed two high quality rounds of golf.
Arguably one of the most impressive golfers this whole weekend was Louise Yu, from Duluth, Georgia. Yu finished the tournament in first place in the Girl’s 15-18 division, and also had one of the most impressive scores of the entire tournament, even including the older boys division. Her Saturday score, a 76, was one of the lowest scores of the entire weekend, including every competitor, and scores like these coming from the ladies on our tour is really something that makes our tour even more competitive. Yu shot a 76 on Saturday, which put her in first place after the first day, and then brought her confidence with her into Sunday as she shot a 77 in the second round. Finishing behind Yu, and leaving the course with the second place trophy was Kelly Strickland, from Alpharetta, Georgia. Strickland played great golf this weekend as she competed in both rounds, shooting an 81 on Saturday, and an even better 79 on Sunday. Strickland really has a future in golf ahead of her as she showed great talent all throughout her game this weekend. Strickland’s highlight of the weekend was her second round of the tournament, which included one birdied hole, and also one of the best scores of the entire weekend, her 79. Leaving the course in third place was Heather Kipniss, who is also from Alpharetta, Georgia. Kipniss finished the weekend just 18 strokes over par, displaying an 86 on the first round, and an even better 76 on the second round. Kipniss, another familiar face on the Hurricane Tour, was very impressive off the tee box all weekend, as her drives were polished, and really turned some heads. Kipniss really took a very competitive attitude with her to the course this weekend and she didn’t fail to impress. Kipniss had two birdied holes this weekend to help her take home some hardware. Tying Kipniss, and also leaving the course with a third place trophy was Skylar Thompson, from Buford, Georgia. Thompson was another one of our very strong competitors this weekend as she shot an 83 on the first round, and a 79 on the second round. Thompson is great to have in our tournament play, as she never fails to bring a competitive edge to the course. Her three birdied holes this weekend helped her finish the tournament with hardware. The girls were arguably the most impressive competitors this weekend as their scores almost matched the boys, which is always great to see.
In the Girl’s 11-14 Division, all competitors in the age group played great golf. Going home with the first place trophy was Tess Davenport, from Buford, Georgia. Davenport was very impressive this weekend, as she showed off her talents in all aspects of the game. Davenport’s short game was unbeatable this weekend, as she made some very hard short chips look easy. Davenport finished the first round shooting a 77, and then came back to the tournament on Sunday three strokes better, as she finished with an 74, one of the lowest scores of the entire tournament, including all age divisions. Davenport truly has a great future in golf ahead of her, as she is already out-playing participants many years older than her. Displaying four birdies this weekend, Davenport really showed that her game is filled with talent. Finishing in second place was the Dunwoody, Georgia resident, Woo Wade. Wade was also very impressive this weekend as she birdied five holes, and showed powerful drives off of the tee box. Wade finished the round on Saturday shooting an 82. Wade must have prepared for Sunday, as she made some necessary changes to her game, and came out to shoot a very impressive score of a 76. Wade really brings competitiveness and confidence with her to the course, and is a talented golfer who we hope to see back on our tour in the near future. Leaving the course with the third place finish was Faith Scott, from Columbus, Georgia. Scott was another star this weekend as she finished the first round with an 85, and the second round with an even better score of an 83. Playing very quality golf on both rounds of golf, Faith featured one birdie on one of the toughest holes of the course. Overall, the girls played great golf all around this weekend, and they really turned some heads. Weather:
Saturday: High 80’s, Rain, Wind 10-15 MPH Sunday: Low 80’s, Clear, Wind 5-10 MPH Tournament Yardages:
Boys 15-18- 6,603 YDS Girls 15-18- 5,750 YDS Boys 13-14- 6,214 YDS Girls 11-14- 5,155 YDS 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 five 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, Louisiana, Connecticut and Massachusetts. For more information regarding the 2015 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.orgExperience #TheHurricaneDifference