2023 Myrtle Beach Summer Junior Open
PAWLEYS ISLAND – The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour held the Myrtle Beach Summer Junior Open at the Tradition Golf Club this past weekend from August 5-6. Boys and girls traveled from all over the country to participate in the 36-hole tournament. The event had four divisions: Boys 16-18, Boys 14-15, Boys 11-13 and Girls 14-18.
boys 16-18
Taking the lead in the boys 16-18 division was Wyatt Hightower from Chapin, SC. Hightower did a great job in his first HJGT tournament. With nine birdies on the weekend, he brought in scores of 73 and 72. He took the first-place win with a final score of 145 strokes. Longtime HJGT player, Aiden Aguliar from Myrtle Beach, SC took home the runner-up honors. His scores of 75 and 72 gave him a total of 147 strokes. This follows a second-place finish at the Charlotte Summer Junior Open. Finishing up the top three honors was Hayden Campbell from Garner, NC with scores of 76 and 74, totaling 150 strokes.
Rank
Player
Total
No. 1 Rank
Wyatt Hightower
Total
No. 2 Rank
Aiden Aguilar
Total
No. 3 Rank
Hayden Campbell
Total
boys 14-15
In the boys, 14-15 division, longtime HJGT player Jamen Sanders from Goose Creek, SC was the first-place winner. Sanders has been playing with the HJGT since 2020 and has 17 Top 10 finishes under his belt. With eight birdies he brought in scores of 67 and 73, and he ended the weekend with a total score of 140 strokes. Sanders is currently within the Top 30 players of the HJGT point rankings. Gavin Hutchinson from Myrtle Beach, SC took home the runner-up honors on the weekend. Hutchinson did a fantastic job on the course in his first event of 2023. He finished the tournament with scores of 74 and 72 for a combined score of 146. Campbell McLain from Pawleys Island, SC finishes up the top three honors with a scorecard of 154 strokes.
Rank
Player
Total
No. 1 Rank
Jamen Sanders
Total
No. 2 Rank
Gavin Hutchinson
Total
No. 3 Rank
Campbell Mclain
Total
boys 11-13
Newcomer Austin Abernethy from Murrells Inlet, SC finished in first place in the boys 11-13 division. With two birdies on the weekend, he had a round 1 score of 83 and a 75 in round 2 for a total of 158 strokes. Peyton Carithers from Mt. Pleasant, SC took home the runner up honors on the weekend. Caritheres scores of 80 for both days gave him a combined score of 160. Hudson Coyne from Mt. Pleasant, SC finishes up the top three honors with a weekend total of 164 strokes.
Rank
Player
Total
No. 1 Rank
Austin Abernethy
Total
No. 2 Rank
Peyton Carithers
Total
No. 3 Rank
Hudson Coyne
Total
girls 14-18
To finish off a great tournament, Sophia Cunningham from Tolland, CT finished in first place in the girls 14-18 division. This was Cunningham’s first event of 2023. She did a great job bringing in scores of 79 and 81, totaling 160 strokes. The runner up honors went to newcomer Clara Elizabeth Brady from Myrtle Beach, SC. In round 1 she brought in a score of 96 and a 102 in round 2 for a weekend total of 198 strokes. Kennedy Sparkman from Evans, GA finishes up the top three honors with a scorecard of 203 strokes.
Rank
Player
Total
No. 1 Rank
Sophia Cunningham
Total
No. 2 Rank
Clara Elizabeth Brady
Total
No. 3 Rank
Kennedy Sparkman
Total