The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour traveled to Weston, Florida on November 22-23 for the Southeast Florida Junior Challenge. Players battled rain and windy weather during the first round until all players finished their first 18 holes. Winners in all divisions received an invitation to the 2014 Tour Championship.
Players in all divisions struggled with the rain and the wind, but scores were close in the Boys 15-18 division from the beginning on Saturday. Hh Zhang of China was tied with three other competitors for the first round lead. He finished his first 18 holes with a score of 75. With a strong second round on Sunday, firing 26 pars throughout the weekend and finishing the second 18 with a 78, he paved the way for his first place finish by one stroke with a two round total of 153. Closing in at a very close second was Yash Majmudar of Singapore with a two-day total of 154. Majmudar was behind by 5 strokes after the first round with an 80 on Saturday where it was rainy and very windy. Majmudar may not have finished first but he did have an impressive end to his weekend. His second round score was a 74, for a two-day total of 154. It was an improvement of 6 strokes from day one to day two and he held the lowest score on Sunday of all the older boys. Also finishing second in this division was Chun Hsiang Hsu of Taiwan. Hsu was tied for the lead after the completion of the Saturday round with a 75. With a 79 Sunday, Hsu was able to finish tied for the second place slot with a 154.
In the Girls 15-18 division, Alexa Rivas of Miami, FL may have let the rain and the wind get to her on Saturday with a total of 81, but she was able to keep her head in the game on Sunday and finished quite strongly. Rivas was able to let the first round go and give it her all on the second day, improving her score by 10 strokes, finishing with a 71; giving her a weekend total of 152. Rivas also finished with the most birdies on the weekend with 6 and the best birdie or better streak with 3. Coming in second for the older girls was Hannah Leiner of Pompano Beach, FL. Leiner was the only girl in this division to break 80 on the first day with a 77. The wind and mistiness obviously didn’t affect Leiner on Saturday, and it actually warranted her a better round than the warmer Sunday where she put up a 78. Her two-day total was only 3 strokes behind Rivas with a 155. Rounding out the Girls 15-18 division with the third place finish was Katie Williamson of Deerfield Beach, FL. Williamson finished with an 85 on Saturday and an improved by 11 strokes on Sunday posting a 74; giving her a 159 tournament total.
At the end of the first round, Michael Checo of Boca Raton, FL actually started off in the lead after the first day of the Southeast Florida Junior Challenge with a 76. Checo finished with a 78 on Sunday leaving him with a posted total of 154 after both days. Checo fired 2 birdies during his Saturday round and finished with the most pars in the division with 24. The second place finisher was Pyae Phyo Thu of Mayanmar with a 76. Thu finished with a 84 on Sunday for a weekend total of 160, only six strokes away from earning the title. Thu did finish with the most birdies on the weekend with a total of 3. Closing this division out with a third place finish was Joseph Storey of Delray Beach, FL. Storey closed his first round with an 80 and his second round with a 86, for a two-day total of 166. Storey had eighteen pars on the weekend.
In the Girls 11-14 Division only one girl showed up to compete, but Theresa Zhuang of Greenwich, CT showed incredible determination this weekend. Zhuang played with girls much older than her on both days and was able to keep her composure. She powered through the rain and hurricane-like wind, posting a 93 on Saturday. Sunday she came ready to play with the older girls yet again. She posted a 98 on Sunday for a two-day total of 191. Zhuang may not have had anyone in her division to compete with, but at least she played and stuck with it both days. Weather: Saturday – High of 78, Cloudy, Winds 20 mph Sunday – High of 81, Sunny, Winds 10-15 mph Tournament Yardages: Boys 15-18- 6,824 Boys 11-14- 6,223 Girls 15-18- 5,692 Girls 11-14- 5,222 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 11-14, 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, 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