HJGT Results

The Tampa Bay Winter Junior Open delivered a true championship finish as the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour brought elite junior competitors to Lexington Oaks Golf Club for a competitive two-day test. With firm fairways, strategic layouts, and demanding greens, the course rewarded patience, consistency, and smart course management across a deep and diverse field. After 36 holes of tightly contested play, Amine El Omari of Tampa, Florida emerged as the tournament champion, defeating Brady Durkin of Winter Garden, Florida in a playoff to secure the Boys 16–18 title. El Omari posted rounds of 72 and 77 to finish regulation play tied at +5, then rose to the moment in the playoff, showcasing composure and confidence under pressure to earn the victory on his home course. Durkin finished as the runner-up after rounds of 73 and 76, remaining near the top of the leaderboard throughout the weekend and forcing the playoff with steady, disciplined play. Jack Zeder of Coral Gables, Florida claimed third place at +8 with back-to-back rounds of 76, continuing his consistent form and remaining in contention from start to finish. Matthew Asenov of Sofia, Bulgaria finished fourth at +12, while Florian Jakubke of Germany and Pushan Reddy Vutukur of Wesley Chapel, Florida tied for fifth at +19. The leaderboard reflected the international strength of the field, with players representing multiple countries and regions, reinforcing the global competitiveness of the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour. As the tournament unfolded, players were challenged not only by the course but by the mental demands of a closely packed leaderboard. Those who separated themselves did so through disciplined strategy, resilience, and the ability to perform in high-pressure moments. As part of the HJGT winter championship schedule, the Tampa Bay Winter Junior Open once again served as a proving ground for advanced junior golfers, offering meaningful competition on a championship venue and valuable experience that translates directly to higher levels of play.

The National Championship at Mission Resort + Club delivered another deep leaderboard, with the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour showcasing one of its toughest fields of the season. While Tucker Doiron claimed the overall title, the battle from positions 6 through 10 was every bit as fierce and defined by resilience on a demanding layout. Tanner Currie (+14) led the group in sixth after grinding his way through a difficult Sunday, his 77–81 showing the kind of composure required on a championship track. Just one shot back at +15, Canadian standout Lawson Heffernan posted a steady 82–77, climbing the board with one of the cleaner final-round cards in the field. Behind them, a cluster of players finished at +16, each navigating their own momentum swings. Wyatt Holmes (79–81) stayed aggressive throughout, while three players—Coby Ehrlich, Logan Larsen, and Jake Strickland—all closed at +17, their rounds marked by stretches of strong ball-striking offset by the punishing nature of Mission Resort’s championship layout. Ryan Varchetti joined them at +17, matching Strickland’s 83–78 finish. For the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour, this segment of the leaderboard highlighted exactly what makes the National Championship special—depth, difficulty, and players fighting for every inch on one of the biggest stages of the season.

Championship Sunday at ChampionsGate Resort’s International Course produced exactly the kind of drama the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour has become known for, as the battle for positions two through five turned into a showcase of poise, resilience, and high-level execution across one of the toughest championship layouts in junior golf. While Jeremiah Smith sealed the national title, the storyline of the afternoon quickly shifted to Sumner Meekhof, who delivered one of the most impressive rounds of the entire tournament. Meekhof’s 71 (-1) was a statement—calm, calculated, and fearless on a course where red numbers were almost nonexistent. He worked his way around the demanding International layout with discipline, shaping shots into tight corridors and rolling in key putts when the pressure was at its peak. His two-day total of 149 (+5) locked up solo second and established him as one of the standout performers of the National Championship weekend. Just one shot behind him, Quinton Hollan climbed into third place with a composed even-par 72 that highlighted his ability to thrive under championship pressure. Hollan refused to waver as the winds shifted and the greens firmed. Every hole felt like a test the International Course designed specifically to expose weaknesses, yet Hollan answered each one with controlled tempo and confident decision-making. His final total of 150 (+6) was the product of a balanced, steadied round that never allowed the moment to overwhelm him. The battle for fourth became one of the tightest stretches on the course, ending with CJ Holland, Sammy Lehotsky, and Jan Vacha finishing in a three-way tie at 151 (+7). Holland’s opening 73 put him in contention immediately, and although the final round challenged him early, he leaned on his creativity and touch around the greens to stay inside the top tier of the leaderboard. Lehotsky followed a similar formula—two consistent, workmanlike rounds that never drifted far from his game plan, showing the patience required to score on the International Course. Vacha made one of the strongest Sunday pushes in the field with a confident 73, climbing steadily as others around him lost strokes during the demanding closing stretch. Together, their performances captured what makes the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour’s National Championship special. It wasn’t just about who won—it was about who elevated their game on a course designed to demand precision, composure, and championship grit. Meekhof, Hollan, Holland, Lehotsky, and Vacha all delivered finishes worthy of the national stage, closing their seasons with the kind of momentum and confidence that only a week like this can create. At ChampionsGate, under the spotlight of one of the premier events on the HJGT calendar, the next wave of elite junior talent showed exactly why this tour continues to shape the future of competitive golf.

The Tournament of Champions (Boys 16–18) presented by Foresight Sports delivered a finale worthy of its name, as more than 100 of the top junior players on the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour descended on the historic fairways of Rio Pinar Country Club. In a field loaded with college-caliber talent, it was Turner Hersey who delivered the signature performance—an ice-cold, statement-making 66 on Sunday to storm to the top and claim the championship at 7-under par. Hersey opened with a steady 71, but Sunday he shifted into a different gear entirely. The Palatka, FL standout attacked Rio Pinar with fearless precision, carving irons tight and pouring in putts as he raced away from a leaderboard packed with contenders. His closing 66 tied the low round of the championship and put the entire field on notice: when the stakes rise, Hersey rises higher. Behind him, Cole Hendrix (–1) delivered one of the most consistent performances of the week, following up a Saturday 71 with a gritty 72 to take solo second. But the real chaos unfolded in the battle for third, where five players finished in a deadlock at even par. Daniel Boyd, Davis Daigle, Chase Keller, Christopher Parrish, and Micah Sheffer all clawed their way into the top tier with Sunday rounds that showcased resilience under pressure—none bigger than Parrish’s final-round 67, a charge that electrified the morning wave and vaulted him into the tie. From there, the leaderboard remained a carousel of movement. Davis Blackmon finished at +1 after a disciplined 72. A deep cluster of players at +2 and +4—including strong finishes from Ethan Parish, Brennan Weckwerth, Achal Agnihotri, and Griffin Barnett—reflected just how demanding Rio Pinar played across both days. Even minor miscues could send a contender tumbling down a board that punished every hesitation. As the championship wore on, the depth of the HJGT field was on full display. Waves of players at +7, +8, +9, and beyond showcased the battle not only against each other, but against a golf course that demands an adult game from young stars. From the precision of Caden Fehr and Jake Gorden, to the grit of Bennett Breuer, Gavin Spinner, and Anderson Lang, Rio Pinar tested every facet of the junior players’ skill sets. And even as the standings stretched into the high teens and twenties over par, the story remained the same: this is the HJGT’s premier stage, where future college athletes learn what it feels like to grind, adjust, and endure. But in the end, the weekend belonged to Turner Hersey, who didn’t just win—he seized the moment. His Sunday masterpiece was the kind of performance that defines a Tournament of Champions champion: decisive, fearless, unmistakably elite. At a venue rich with professional history, the next generation wrote a new chapter—one that continues to prove why the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour remains the proving ground for tomorrow’s stars.