On August 8th and 9th, 2015, the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour traveled to beautiful Baldwinsville, New York to host the Western New York Junior Shootout at Timber Banks Golf Club. The course was in good shape, playing conditions were great, and it was also a well-challenged tournament for the long weekend of golf. On Saturday, the first day of the tournament, we were lucky to have perfect weather, which made the round very enjoyable. On Sunday, we had some marvelous sunshine as well, which was a great cap to the weekend. Winners in all five-age divisions will receive an automatic bid to the HJGT National 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 Boys 15-18 division, the Oswego, New York resident, Eric Demidowicz took home the first place trophy as he really showed off his talent on the putting green. Out putting his competition on almost every hole all weekend, Demidowicz ended the tournament just 19 strokes over par. Saturday was a great day of golf for Demidowicz as he ended the round in first place, and with a very impressive score of a 79, just seven strokes over par. On Sunday Demidowicz made it interesting as he finished the second round shooting an 84, another great round of golf. Playing phenomenal golf on Sunday, Demidowicz featured one birdie, really turning some heads as his putts ended almost every hole with strength. Demidowicz had a total of two birdies on the weekend. Finishing in second place this weekend was Dannie Soucie, from Olmsted Falls, Ohio. Soucie finished the first round tied for third place, and was only 11 strokes over par after Saturday. Finishing the tournament just two strokes out of the first place spot, Soucie finished the first round with a great score of an 84. Soucie then ended the second round shooting an 81, a very impressive score, just nine strokes over par. Displaying a very impressive two birdied holes this weekend, Soucie fell out of the first place spot by just a few strokes. Finishing in third place was Matt Gentile, from Chatham, New Jersey. Gentile ended the tournament just 22 strokes over par, and should be very proud of his play this weekend. Gentile finished the first round shooting a great score of an 83, and then came back on Sunday to shoot another impressive score of an 83 again. Gentile had a total of five birdies this weekend, as his powerful drives really put him in great position on every hole. As all three 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 polished, and quality golf.
In the Boys 13-14, division, Robert You finished the tournament in the top spot. The Nashua, New Hampshire resident played very competitive golf this weekend as he shot a great score of a 87 on the first round, and a 73 on the second round. You featured a very strong short game this weekend, as he was unmatched close to the hole, and on the putting green on almost every hole. You was in first 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, You featured five birdies this weekend, two of which coming on par fives and a very impressive eagle to add to that. Finishing right behind You, and in second place was Ian Rivers, from East Syracuse, New York. Rivers brought a lot of confidence with him from East Syracuse, as he has been a very strong, and competitive golfer inside of our Hurricane events. That being said, we were pleased to welcome him back onto our tour for the weekend. Rivers finished round one with a very impressive score of an 88, and then took his talents, and his confidence into the second day as he finished Sunday with an even better score of an 80. Rivers also featured two birdies on the weekend, and his game off of the tee box was polished. Going home in third place was Tyler Buddendeck, from Victor, New York. Buddendeck, a very familiar face on the Hurricane Tour, displayed great golf all weekend long as he finished the first day with an 92, and in third place. Buddendeck came to the course with confidence again on Sunday as he shot another low score of an 83. 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 Bridget Merten, from Saxonburg, Pennsylvania. Merten finished the tournament in first place in the Girls 15-18 division, and also had one of the most impressive scores of the entire tournament, even including the older boys division. Her Sunday score, a 84, was one of the lowest scores of the entire weekend, including every competitor. A score of a 73 coming from the Pennsylvania native, is something that makes our tour even more competitive. Merten shot a 96 on Saturday, which put her in second place after the first day, and she then brought her talents with her into Sunday as she shot her 84 in the second round. Merten had a total of two birdies this weekend, which helped her finish in the top spot. Finishing behind Merten, and leaving the course with the second place trophy was Emily Doell, from Rochester, New York. Doell played great golf this weekend as she competed in both rounds, shooting a 90 on Saturday, and another great score, a 93 on Sunday. Doell really has a future in golf ahead of her as she showed great talent all throughout her game this weekend. Doels highlight of the weekend was her first round of the tournament, which included one birdie, and a very impressive eagle coming on one of the toughest holes of the course. Leaving the course in third place, was Caroline Yarnall, from East Aurora, New York. Yarnall finished the weekend just 54 strokes over par, displaying a 100 on the first round, and an even better 98 on the second round. Yarnall, another familiar face on the Hurricane Tour, was very impressive off the tee box all weekend, as her drives were powerful, and really turned some heads. Yarnall really took a very competitive edge to the course this weekend and she didn’t fail to impress. 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 Boys 11-12 year old division, Shawn Colella from Marcelus, New York took home the first place trophy. As Colella was very impressive with his short game this weekend, he was solid in both rounds of golf shooting an 81 on the first round, and an 87 on the second round. Colella featured one birdie in each round of golf. Finishing behind Colella and going home with the second place trophy was Anthony Maglisco, from Syracuse, New York. Maglisco was very impressive off of the teebox all weekend as his drives started every hole with strength. Shooting a 91 on the first round, and a 96 on the second round, Maglisco seemed to have par after par this tourament. Finishing in third place was Johnny Gruninger who is also from Syracuse, New York. Gruninger had one birdie this weekend as he finished both rounds shooting a solid score of a 96. Overall the younger boys this weekend played great golf, and we hope to see all of them back on our tour in the near future.
In the Girls 11-14 year old division, Olivia Durant, from Fairport, New York took home the first place trophy. Durant really turned some heads this weekend as she was strong in many aspects of the game. Durant really has a future in golf ahead of her as she excelled this weekend, even on a very tough course. Durant shot a 114 on both rounds to put her on top. We hope to see her back on our tour soon as she has the ability to make our tournament play even more competitive. Finishing behind Durant and in second place was Lena Jones, from Dewitt, New York. Jones, playing her first tournament on our tour this weekend, was very impressive with her short game. Jones shot a 112 on the first round, and a 130 on the second round. Finishing in third place was Vanessa Fulmore, from Rochester, New York. Fulmore was great on the putting green this weekend as she shot a 139 in the first round, and a 136 on the second round. We hope to see Fulmore back soon as she really has the potential to compete in our upcoming events. The younger girls really expressed some talent this weekend and we hope to see them back on our tour soon. Weather: Saturday: Mid 80’s, Clear, Wind 0-5 MPH Sunday: Mid 80’s, Sunny, Wind 5-10 MPH Tournament Yardages: Boys 15-18- 6,831 YDS Girls 15-18/ Girls 11-14- 5,612 YDS Boys 13-14/Boys 11-12- 5,970 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