LOPATCONG – The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour held the North Jersey Summer Junior Open at the Architects Golf Club from June 21-22. Boys and girls traveled from all over the world to participate in the 36-hole tournament. The event had six divisions: Boys 16-18, Boys 14-15, Boys 11-13, Boys U10, Girls 14-18 and Girls U13.
In the boys 16-18 division, Ryder Hodgson from Montclair, NJ was our first place finisher. Hodgson did a great job on the course and was able to bring in an impressive scorecard. He shot five under and had nine birides. With scores of 65 and 72, he finished the tournament with 137 strokes. This was Ryder’s fifth Top 3 finish of the year, he is currently in the Top 10 for HJGT point rankings. Michael Nardone from West Palm Beach, FL and Hunter Probst from Bear Creek, PA tied for the runner up honors. Both players were able to bring in scores of 72 and 76 for an impressive total of 148 strokes.
In the boys 14-15 division, Ricardo Fu from Hong Kong, China placed first. This was Fu’s first HJGT tournament and he did an outstanding job on the course. With five birdies, he brought in scores of 70 in round 1 and 75 in round 2. He finished the tournament with a total of 145 strokes. Ricardo will particpate next at the Toftrees Junior Open in the beginning of July. The runner up honors went to David Nissen from Lower Gwynedd, PA. His scores of 81 and 77 gave him a total of 158 strokes, arguably one of his best HJGT tournament scores since joining in 2022. Finishing up top three honors, Ethan Gallagher from Basking Ridge, NJ brought in a total of 166 strokes for the tournament.
Leading the boys 11-13 division was Axel Brandes from Bernardsville, NJ. Brandes had an exceptional scorecard for the tournament. He brought in scores of 74 in round 1 and 73 in round 2. Axel finished the tournament with 147 strokes to take the champion title. This win follows a first place finish at the New Jersey Summer Junior Open. With a final score of 157, Rohnik Shah took home the runner up honors. Shah, from Morristown, NJ is an up-and-coming player on tour. He is currently 10th in the HJGT point rankings. Finishing up the top three honors, Lincoln Williams from Mesa, AZ brought in scores of 79 and 81 totaling 160 strokes.
In the boys under 10 division, Julian Ossorio from Basking Ridge, NJ was our champion. Ossorio secured his victory with one birdie and scores of 92 and 90. He finished the tournament with a total of 182 strokes. This was Julian’s fourth HJGT tournament of the year along with his fourth Top 3 finish. Newcomer, Alex Campanile from Shrewsbury, NJ places as our runner up honors. Campanile put up scores of 94 and 91 totaling 185 strokes for the tournament.
The first place finisher in the girls 14-18 division was Sunny Tianlang Wang from Beijing, China. This was Wang’s first HJGT tournament, she brought in an excellent scorecard. With one eagle and seven birdies, she scored a 74 in round 1 and 67 in round 2. She secured her victory with 141 strokes. With one eagle and a total score of 148 strokes, Reese Hannon takes home the runner up honors. Hannon, from Tewksbury, NJ is an up-and-coming player on tour, she is within the Top 3 for HJGT point rankings. Emily Renoff from Glen Ridge, NJ finishes up the top three honors with a total score of 153 strokes.
Finishing off a great tournament, Olivia Pucciarelli from New York, New York was crowned champion in the girls under 13 division. This was Olivia’s first HJGT tournament, her final score for the tournament was 262 strokes.