PALM HARBOR – The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour held the Innisbrook Junior Open at the Innisbrook Resort from July 12-13. Boys and girls traveled from all over the globe to participate in the 36-hole tournament. The event had five divisions; Boys 16-18, Boys 14-15, Boys 11-13, Girls 14-18 and Girls U13.
Leading the boys 16-18 division was Cristobal Salome from Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Salome brought in a great scorecard for the tournament. He brought in scores of 78 in round 1 and 81 in round 2 along with one birdie. Salome finished the weekend with 159 strokes to take home the champion title and his first win of the year. Brandon Russ from Crystal River, FL took home the runner up honors for the tournament. With one eagle and two birdies, he brought in scores of 80 and 83 totaling 163 strokes. With a final score of 164, Austin Xenakis from St. Petersburg, FL finishes up the top three honors.
In the boys 14-15 division, Udai Aditya Middha from New Delhi, India was our first place finisher. Middha finished the tournament with a round 1 score of 84 and a round 2 score of 79, ending the tournament with a total of 163 strokes. This was his second event of the year and his first win. The runner up honors went to Wyatt Smith from Belleair, FL in his first HJGT tournament of the year. His scores of 88 and 80 gave him a total of 168 strokes. Finishing up the top three honors was Brady Sanacore from Tampa, FL with a total of four birdies and a final score of 169.
In the boys 11-13 division, Xeve Perez from Evans, GA finished the weekend as our champion. Perez secured his victory with scores of 85 and 82 for a total of 167 strokes. This was his third win of the year, Xeve is currently ranked in the Top 10 of HJGT point rankings. With a final score of 168, Owen Paoli takes home the runner up honors. Paoli, from Parrish, FL is an up-and-coming player on the tour. Currently he is within the Top 15 players on the HJGT point rankings.
Catalina Harvey from Palm Harbor, FL finished first in the girls 14-18 division. With a total of two birdies, she brought in scores of 80 and 73. Harvey was able to secure the win with a final score of 153. Catalina has been playing in HJGT tournaments since 2021 with seven Top 10 wins under her belt. Newcomer, Mariella Young from St. George, Barbados took home the runner up honors. On round 1 she scored and 86 and an 88 for round 2 totaling 174 strokes. Hailey Stricker from Land O Lakes, FL finishes up the top three honors with a scorecard of 175 strokes.
To finish off a great tournament, Brenna Nienke played in her first HJGT tournament and was crowned champion of the girls under 13 division. Nienke, from Madeira, FL scored an 89 for round 1 and an 81 for round 2 for a total of 170. Hanna Blinn from Clearwater, FL took home the runner up honors with scores of 92 and 95 for a combined 187 strokes.