(May 17, 2015) The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour made a stop at the Bristol Harbour Golf Club in Canandaguia, NY to host the Upstate NY Jr. Open. The first day was a little windy, but the rain held up to produce a solid day of golf, and day two turned out to have close to perfect conditions which fostered some low scores for a few players and a great pace of play throughout the day across all divisions. The competition was close in the Boys 13-14 division in which 2 strokes separated first and second place. Winners in each division received an exemption into the 2015 Tour Championship December 5-6, 2015, the top 3 in each division received an exemption into the 2015 Mid- Season Invitational at Chateau Elan June 20-22, 2015, and the top 10 finishers received points towards year end honors which include state teams, All HJGT teams, and the Hurricane Cup.
The first day was tough at points for players due to some strong gusts of wind at the Bristol Harbour Golf Club. The Boys 15-18 division overcame the conditions and produced some decent scores, leaving four players within 8 strokes of each other. Most notable on day one was Matt Monaco of Baldwinsville, NY who went out with 39, +2 on the front nine and came in with a 37, +2 on the back nine to finish with a 76, +4 in the first round and went on to shoot 43, +6 going out on the front nine, and a 44, +7 coming in on the back nine on Sunday to finish with an 87, +13 and a two day total of 163. Sean Dain of Oswego, NY was close behind with a 40, +3 on the front nine and a 40, +5 on the back nine to finish with an 80, +8. Down four shots going into the second day, Dain shot a 37, even par on the front nine and came in with 40, +5 on the back nine to finish with a 77, +5 in the second round and a two day score of 157. Dain and Monaco fought it out all day Sunday, with Dain coming out on top by 6 strokes, capitalizing on par fives by producing four birdies on such holes, including twice on 10, to claim the victory.
In the Girls 15-18 division there were only two golfers, Lauren Kase of North Tonawanda, NY and Caroline Yarnall of East Aurora, NY. Both ladies duked it out all weekend to produce some very respectable scores. Yarnall came out the first day to with a 48, +11 on the front nine and went in with a 49, +14 on the back nine to finish with a 97 on day one and shot a 45, +8 on the front nine and a 51, +16 on the back nine to finish with 96 on day two to produce a two day score of 193. Kase was accurate all weekend, shooting a 48, +11 on the front nine and a 39, +4 on the back nine to finish with an 87 on the first day and then came out on Sunday to shoot a 40, +5 on the front nine and a 42, +7 on the back nine to finish with an 82, +13 for a total score 169, which earned her the victory.
While the older boys and girls duked it out, the Boys 13-14 division showed some real prowess out at the Bristol Harbour Golf Club. Two of the boys, Zane Monaghan of Clinton, NY and Ian Rivers of East Syracuse, NY competed all weekend which led to a tight finish. Rivers grinded out a 43, +6 on the front nine and a 39, +4 to close out day one with 82, +10. On day two he shot a 45, +8 on the front nine and a 40, +5 on the back nine to finish the day with an 85, +13 and a two day score of 167. Monaghan just edged Rivers on the first day by shooting a 38, +1 on the front nine and a 42, +7 on the back nine to complete his first day with an 80, +8. On Sunday he equaled Rivers score by shooting a 44,+7 on the front nine and a 41, +6 on the back nine to finish with a two day score of 165 to beat out Rivers by two strokes and claim the trophy here at the Bristol Harbour Golf Club.
In the Girls 11-14 division, Emily Kase of North Tonwanda, NY had an outstanding weekend to match her sisters’ strong weekend. Kase came out on Saturday with a 51, +14 on the front nine and a 44, +9 on the back nine to finish the day with a 95, +23 and then went out on Sunday with a 44, +7 on the front nine and came in with a 42, +7 to finish the day with an 86, +14 and the weekend with a 181. Olivia Durant of Fairport, NY and Vanessa Fulmore of Rochester, NY both fought hard and kept grinding all day to produce scores of 226 and 231, respectively.
In the Boys 11-12 division, Johnny Gruninger and Anthony Maglisco battled it out by putting up two day scores of 186 and 189, respectively. However, Jay Coella of Marcellus, NY stole the show by not only dominating his group, but also ending up with the second best score in the entire field, finishing only one stroke behind the overall leader, Sean Dain. Coella came out strong on day one with a 41, +4 on the front nine and a 39, +4 in the cloudy, and at times very windy conditions to complete his day with an impressive Saturday score of 80, +8. Without the wind gusts on Sunday, Coella continued his dominance by shooting a 40, +3 on the front nine and a 38, +3 on the back nine while birding 2 holes and making par 8 to finish the day with an impressive 78, +6, which gave him a two day score of 158 at the scenic Bristol Harbour Golf Club. Weather: Day 1- Low of 55 to high of 75, Partly Cloudy, Winds 5-15 MPH Day 2- Low of 60 to high of 85, Sunny, Winds 0-10 MPH Tournament Yardages: Boys 15-18: Gold Tees 6,574 yards Boys 13-14: Blue Tees 6,166 yards Girls 15-18: Green Tees 5,794 yards Girls 11-14: Red Tees 5,561 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