Wang completes comeback Yu takes victory on first playoff hole
The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour traveled to Lake Mary, FL on March 8-9 for the Timacuan Junior Shootout. A total of 36 holes were played by all four divisions over two days to determine our champions. Winners in all four divisions received an invitation to the 2014 Mid-Season Invitational and 2014 Tour Championship. Four AJGA performance stars were distributed to the winner of the Boys and Girls 15-18 divisions. Additionally, the top five finishers and the top ten percent of the field in the Boys 15-18 division earned one star. The top ten percent of the field in the Girls 15-18 division earned one performance star as well. Both younger divisions, Girls 11-14 and Boys 11-14, earned one AJGA performance star too. Florida Junior Tour Exemptions and Junior Golf Scoreboard rankings were also distributed to the field. The top ten finishers also received points toward year end honors including state teams, ALL HJGT teams and the Hurricane Cup.
At the end of the first day Linus Lo of Heathrow, FL, scored a 69 and had a three stroke lead over three players including Robin Wang of Orlando, FL. Lo’s lead evaporated quickly on Sunday when Wang dropped four straight birdies on holes 10-13. Wang was able to eliminate some of the bogies during the second round that kept his first round from going subpar. He finished with a five under par, 67 on Sunday. Wang had the most birdies in the field with 12, seven of which came in the second day of the competition. Wang was able to get it done on the shorter holes of the weekend, leading the field in par four and five scoring. Although Lo lost the lead, he did fire a 77 on Sunday to finish in second place, seven strokes behind Wang. Lo’s spectacular first day that was highlighted with two eagles, the most in the field for the entire weekend, and two birdies. Compare that with his second day, where he was only able to manage one birdie and it is easy to see why he was unable to pull out the victory. Michael Mattiace of Jacksonville, FL finished in third place with a weekend total of 147 with rounds of 74 and 73. Mattiace played consistent golf through the entire weekend, having almost identical rounds with two birdies both days.
In the Girls 15-18 division, it took an extra hole to decide the champion. Annie Yu of Lake Mary, FL and Emily Uhland of Jacksonville, FL were tied with a weekend total of 151 after two rounds of play. Yu held the first round lead by two, but Uhland battled back on Sunday firing a 75, to tie things up. Yu made par on the par four first hole to win the tournament. Yu started the weekend very strong, posting birdies on two of the first four holes, and finished with five birdies on the day. She did not make one birdie the second day, but made enough pars to keep her in the lead. Uhland played very similar rounds Saturday and Sunday, with two birdies both days, one on the par four 11th hole both days. She also led the field in par three and four scoring. Maho Hayakawa of Mexico City, Mexico finished in third place, three strokes behind Yu and Uhland. Hayakawa had the most birdies in the field with six over the course of the weekend. However she had too many double bogies to really contend for the title. Hayakawa had her best nine on the last nine of the weekend with a 35 despite a double bogey on hole 17. Grace Gildner got the most improved award for the field, bettering her score by 11 strokes and winning a set of GolfPride grips.
David Giandomenico from Lake Mary, FL posted the lowest round of the weekend in the Boys 11-14 division by firing a 68 on Sunday to finish in first place. He led the field with ten birdies, firing three in a row from holes nine to 11. Giandomenico dropped a big number of birdies both days, but round one was riddled with two double bogies and one triple bogey when he scored a 75. Johnny Bai was the overnight leader by five strokes after he shot 70 on Saturday, followed by a 75 on Sunday to finish two strokes behind Giandomenico. The difference between the two days for Bai was the play on the front nine, he fired his best nine score on Saturday with 34, he shot his worst on Sunday with 39. Bai led the field in par five scoring, with an eagle on the par five fifth hole on Saturday. Bo Peng finished in third place with a weekend total of 149. His favorite hole at Timucuan may have been one of the toughest on the course. The par three seventh hole that gave most of the field trouble all weekend, was birdied both days by Peng. He eliminated six bogies from day one to day two to drop below par on his second round with a 71, after his 78 on Saturday.
Amy Zhang of Lake Mary, FL won the Girls 11-14 division by five strokes with rounds of 72 and 74. Zhang led the field in birdies made with six, pars made, and par three scoring. She was the overnight leader with her even par round on Saturday and remained in command of the lead throughout the day Sunday. Hardly wavering the entire weekend, three of Zhang’s nine’s were finished with a score of 37. Lea Klimentova of Slovakia, made her HJGT debut this weekend, and finished in second place. She had a great round of 71 on Sunday, the only under par round in the division. Klimentova tied Zhang with six birdies, all of which were on Sunday. Cindy Kou of Windermere, FL and Nancy Lian finished in a tie for third place with weekend totals of 156. Kou was third in the field for pars made. Lian played her best nine holes on the final stretch of the weekend. Her closing side score of 37 was pivotal in her receiving a trophy. Weather: Day 1: High 40s in the morning, Mid 70s in the afternoon. Sunny Day 2: Mid 50s in the morning, low 80s in the afternoon. Sunny Tournament Yardages: Boys 15-18: 6,829 yards Boys 11-14: 6,091 yards Girls 15-18: 5,741 yards Girls 11-14: 5,103 yards About us: The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour (HJGT) was founded in 2008 with the intention of providing junior golfers between the ages 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, 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, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Indiana, and Connecticut. For more information regarding the Timacuan Junior Shootout, please visit our website at www.hjgt.org, call the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour Headquarters at (904) 379-2697, or email info@hjgt.org.