Space Coast Junior Open
Feb. 27-28
Hurricane Takes Off at Space Coast
On Thurs., Feb. 25, the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour traveled to Melbourne, Fla., to host the Space Coast Junior Open at Baytree National Golf Links. With a chilly start, but highs in the low to mid -70s for the weekend, our players were ready to take on the challenge. The HJGT would like to thank Baytree National staff for allowing us to host a great two-day tournament. Winners in each age division received an invitation to the 2016 Tour Championship to be held on Dec. 3-4. Top three finishers in each division were also awarded exemptions into the 2016 Mid Season Invitational at Chateau Elan on June 11-13.
Boys 16-18 Division
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Callum Brown[/caption] In our Boys 16-18 division, Floridians Callum Brown from Stuart and Luke Ashworth from Davie were neck and neck after round one. Ashworth was able to take the lead after making his third birdie of the day on No. 11. He finished just one stroke ahead of Brown. Round two started out a little rocky for the duo. After a 40 on the front nine, Brown improved by four strokes on the back nine to surge to victory with a 151 total. Ashworth had an up-and-down round that featured two birdies to post an 83 en route to a 13-over-par total of 157. After improving his score by two strokes from round one to round two, James Fischer of Vero Beach, Fla., took third place out of 10 golfers at 160.
Boys 14-15 Division
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Evan Bone[/caption] In our Boys 14-15 division, Evan Bone, of Louisville, Ky., started out his first round strong when he made the turn at only three-over-par. Louis Lyu, of Windermere, Fla., took the lead back after making birdie on two holes on the back nine to put his back nine total at only two-over par. This left him with a one-stroke lead over Bone going into round two. Bone was able to take his lead back after making birdie on No. 7, sparking a solid second round of 79, a three-shot improvement and a nine-stroke victory (82+79). Lyu was unable to hang on to his first round lead, but took second place with a 170 (81+89). Tom Stafford, of Beaconsfield, Quebec, also improved his round one total by three strokes to round out the three competitors, finishing at 183 for the weekend.
Boys 11-13 Division
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Christopher Lee[/caption] In our Boys 11-13 division, Christopher Lee, of Port St. Lucie, Fla., started his first round off at just two-over-par at the turn. He was also able to sink five birdie putts on the day to give him the first-round lead at three-over-par 75. Derek Sanderson, of New Smyrna Beach , Fla., also sunk a couple birdies on the day to put him within six strokes of the lead. In round two, Lee once again started his round off strong after making birdie on No. 2 to make the turn at three-over. Lee held on to his win and finished at ten-over-par 154 with an impressive eight birdies for the two-day tournament. Finishing second, with a two-day total of 167 was Sanderson. Rounding out the top three, of Orlando, Fla., was Jack Lovely, who posted a two-day total of 183.
Boys 10U Division
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Jonathan Elter[/caption] Our Boys 10U division consisted of Floridians Jonathan Elter of Naples and Alexander Kaufman of Sarasota. Both boys played very well on a tough course. Elter improved his first round total by five strokes to give him first place with a 173 for the weekend, which included 14 pars. Kaufman took second place with a two-day total of 204 that included nine strokes. Girls 14-18 Division [caption id="attachment_19911" align="alignleft" width="185"]
Caroline Hwang[/caption] Our Girls 14-18 division consisted of a little sibling rivalry between Caroline Hwang and Victoria Hwang of Orlando, Fla. After round one, Victoria (73) had the one-shot edge over Caroline (74). Both had three birdies apiece for the day. Tianyi Zhuang of Windermere, Fla., kept the sisters on their toes by staying only four strokes off the lead. In round two, Caroline was able to take the lead back from her sister after two birdies on the front nine put her at even par at the turn. Caroline held on to her round two lead to take first place out of 14 at six-over-par 150. Victoria fell short by just three strokes, but held on for second place at 153. Zhuang rounded out the top three at 158 (77+81).
Girls 13U Division
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Kennedy Anne Noe[/caption] Kennedy Anne Noe led wire-to-wire to claim the title in the Girls 13U division. On Saturday, the Knoxville, Tenn., native recorded two birdies in a four-hole stretch on the back nine en route to finishing with an 84. On Sunday, Noe shot another 84 to win by five strokes over Elle Folland of Oxford, Fla. The highlight from Sunday’s final round was made by Folland, who recorded an eagle on the par-four No. 14. Folland used a six iron from 130 yards for the hole out for eagle. Rounding out our top three was Christiana Marcellus of Loxahatchee, Fla., who posted a solid final round of 85 on Sunday. The victory by Noe is her first win of the 2016 season after two wins last year on the HJGT.
Weather for Feb. 27-28
Round 1: Low 42, High 72. Sunny Skies, Wind 7-11 mph
Round 2: Low 54, High 71. Sunny Skies, Wind 2-5 mph
Tournament Division Yardages
Boys 16-18: 6,691 Yards
Boys 14-15: 6,691 Yards
Boys 11-13: 5,730 Yards
Boys U10: 4,849 Yards
Girls 14-18: 5,730 Yards
Girls U13: 5,192 Yards