Junior Golf Boys 12-13 Division

The National Championship for the Boys 12–13 division at Orange Lake Resort & Country Club delivered one of the tightest finishes of the entire Hurricane Junior Golf Tour season, with two players refusing to break under championship pressure. Cristián Castillo Botrán of Guatemala City and Cat Dann of Mesa, Arizona, matched each other shot for shot across both days, each posting back-to-back rounds of 71 to finish at 2-under (142) and claim co-champion honors. Their poise, precision, and ability to finish strong on Sunday set the tone for an elite showdown fitting for a national title. Just one stroke back was Texas Terry of Lexington, who closed with a steady 71 of his own to finish at 143 (-1), turning the final stretch into a three-player race to the wire. Leo Taylor made a late Sunday charge with one of the best rounds in the field—a 70—to jump into fourth at 145 (+1), followed by Russia’s Victor Kornienko, who delivered a clean even-par finish for fifth at 146 (+2). As conditions tightened in the middle of the pack, a logjam formed at 150 (+6) featuring Krish Choksi, Wilson Goldthorp, and Parker Wells, each finding stretches of momentum but battling the championship setup on Sunday. The depth continued throughout the leaderboard, with players from more than a dozen states and multiple countries showcasing the global reach and elite competition of the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour. From wire-to-wire consistency at the top to dramatic swings across the field, the Boys 12–13 National Championship once again proved why this age division is one of the most exciting pipelines of rising talent in junior golf.

The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour rolled into The Links at Boynton Beach, and the Boys 12–13 division quickly turned into a showcase of poise, ball control, and mental toughness. When the final putt dropped, Gabriel Shabashkevich stood tall as the division champion, posting a steady 79–78 (157) to capture a well-earned victory. Shabashkevich never let the course—or the pressure—dictate his round. His ability to recover from early miscues and string together confident swings down the stretch separated him from the field. Every time a momentum swing threatened, he answered with a composed shot that kept him out front. Ethan Glasband (160) fought hard all weekend, opening with a sharp 78 that briefly hinted at a possible run at the title. But as conditions tightened on Sunday, mistakes proved costly, and Shabashkevich pulled away just enough to maintain control. Saktinra Puspanathan (163) delivered one of the grittiest performances of the field, battling through tough lies and firm greens to secure a third-place finish, while Charlie Reich (171) and James Gannon (172) rounded out the top five with steady, resilient play. From first tee to final green, the Boys 12–13 division reflected exactly what makes the HJGT the premier proving ground in junior golf—pressure, precision, and players rising to the moment. And this weekend, no one rose higher than Shabashkevich, the newest champion crowned in South Florida.