Winston-Salem, North Carolina: November 9th, 2014 – The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour (HJGT) hosted the Winston-Salem Jr. Shootout at Tanglewood Golf Club on November 8th and 9th. This sure was an eventful week with spirited, friendly competition and astonishing weather. Not a drop of rain was present for the throughout the 36-hole event, only sunshine and blue skies. Mornings were brisk, but the juniors did not seem to mind. Everyone involved in the tournament, including parents, players, and course staff made this possible and we could not be more grateful. Per usual, there was quite a bit at stake for the participating juniors. Winners in each division received an automatic bid to the 2014 Tour Championship December 6th and 7th at ChampionsGate Golf Course in Florida. The top 10 finishers will received points towards year end honors which include state teams, all HJGT teams, and the Hurricane Cup coming up in the end of November. Tarheel youth Golf Association Points (TYGA) and South Carolina Junior Golf Association Heritage points (SCJGA) were also awarded. All in all, it was a fantastic weekend and we hope everyone enjoyed it! Boys 15-18
In the boys 15 – 18 division, Louis Lambert out of Charlotte, North Carolina was crowned the winner of the Winston-Salem Jr. Shootout with a two-day total of 152 (+12). Lambert had a rough first day carding multiple bogeys and zero birdies. His double bogey on the second hole did not help, leading to a disappointing 81 (+11). However, he awoke on day two with the determination to achieve greatness. Immediately starting out hot with an eagle on the first hole, Lambert set a blistering pace for the remaining seventeen holes. Paring out the front side for a 33 (-2) was a perfect way to start his second round. He cooled down a bit on the first few holes during the back nine but bounced back with a clutch birdie on the seventeenth. Lambert would end up firing a 71 (+1) and win with a one shot victory over Graham Hutchinson of Bethesda, Maryland. Hutchinson had an up and down tournament. Whenever he was able to roll in a birdie he countered it with a bogey or worse. He did not make to many mistakes allowing him to stay close to level par. The three birdies he was able to make throughout the two rounds earned him second place honors. Coming in third place was Jordan Weitz out of Rockville, Maryland with a two-total of 154 (+14). Weitz also had a roller coaster of a tournament. Every time he was able to get gather some momentum, a devastating string of bogeys killed it. He was able to maintain some composure, hanging in there and making the necessary pars to put him in third place. In other tournament news, Brent Amundrud out of Sapphire, North Carolina would be one of two to earn most improved in the boys division. After posting a first round 97 (+27), Amundrud bounced back in the second round with an 80 (+10) improving by seventeen shots. A great job and a wonderful comeback by Brent! Boys 11 – 14
In the Boys 11 – 14 division Brandon Einstein out of Clemmons, North Carolina walked away with the first place trophy shooting a two-day total of 147 (+7). Einstein put on a simply spectacular performance both days of the Winston-Salem Jr. Shootout. He earned this victory by making smart, conscientious course decisions as well as having a very cool head on his shoulders. He never wavered, consistently hitting quality shots. Einstein showed this weekend, that he can compete with the best and his name will find it’s way atop many more leaderboards. Finishing as runner-up is Chris Zhang out of Blacksburg, Virginia, posting a two-day total of 155 (+15). Zhang, a very solid player, just made too many mistakes to take the gold from Einstein. His bogey trains and doubles inhibited Zhang from making any sort of run to the top. Coming in third place, with a two-day total of 162 (+22) is Daniel Duffie out of Gastonia, North Carolina. Duffie mentioned struggling both days of the tournament and that he was not overly pleased with his performance. He stuck it out nonetheless and kept his head down through the rough patches as he grinded his way to a spot on the podium. Lastly, Jackson Welsh out of Concord, North Carolina would be the second boy to earn most improved at this week’s event. After at first round 108 (+38), Welsh came back with a 91 (+21), improving by seventeen shots. A very nice job by Jackson! Girls 11-18
In the Girls 11 – 18 division, Cameryn Smith out of Shallotte, North Carolina will be the victor with a two-day total of 160 (+10). Smith fired identical rounds for the 36 holes of the Winston-Salem Jr. Shootout. Experiencing some ups and downs, Smith did a superb job managing her emotions as well as the golf course. She made some very good course management decisions when times were rough, excelling her to the top of the leaderboard. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that she earned this victory here today. Finishing in second place out of Charlotte, North Carolina with a two-day total of 162 (+22) was Alexis Sudjianto. Not only taking down girls most improved, she fired the low second day total of the tournament. As soon as she entered the scoring tent, she expressed how much better her improved play over the two days. Eliminating the bigger numbers from her scorecard on Sunday, Sudjianto was able to dance her way to a second round 76 (+6) earning a brand new set of Golf Pride grips. The local girl out of Winston-Salem, Sasha Hayes would place third place with a two-day total of 163 (+23). Round one for Hayes was not what she had in mind as she littered her scorecard with numerous bogeys and doubles. Carding zero birdies, her chances of gaining ground on the leaders seemed near impossible. But she persevered and pumped out a fantastic opening nine of 36 (+1) during the second round of play. Unfortunately running into a world of problems on the back nine, Hayes would have to settle for a disheartening 43 (+8) to card an eighteen hole total of 79 (+9). Weather: Sunny and mid 50’s The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour (HJGT) was founded in 2008 with the intention 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, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Indiana, and Connecticut. For more information regarding the HJGT 2014 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.