ESTERO, Fla. - The first Florida Junior Tour Open (16-18) event of the fall was hosted at Copperleaf Golf Club. This was the par-72 track’s first time ever hosting an FSGA event of any kind, ensuring the competitors would face a new test that would challenge their games. Two beautiful days led to fantastic scores all around the property, and in the end it was Xin Wang and Jamie Lowry taking home the victories.
Boys (16-18)
At the end of the first round, Xin Wang, a 2026 graduate from Bradenton, had taken hold of the lead with an impressive first-round score of 5-under par, 67. After playing his first six holes at 2-over par, the Bradenton native would go on to birdie seven of his final 12 holes (8 total birdies on the day), including three consecutive birdies on holes 16 through 18. Just one stroke behind the leader was Marco Sanchez. The 2026 graduate from Weston would card five birdies and an eagle on his way to an impressive score of 4-under par, 68. Maurice Hoben, a 2026 graduate from Jupiter, sat in third thanks to his 2-under par, 70, bogey-free round.
In the final round, Wang would extend his lead to two strokes with just nine holes to play after playing the front-nine at 1-under par. As Sanchez and Hoben struggled, Ethan Weinberg, a 2025 graduate from Lutz, emerged as the greatest challenger to the round-one leader. With just four holes to play, the Lutz native was bogey-free and five-under par on the day, leaving him one shot behind Wang. After Wang bogeyed the par-4 17th hole, the two would be tied with just one hole to play. A bogey from Weinberg and a par from Wang would give the 2026 graduate a one-shot victory, his second on the Florida Junior Tour and first in the 16-18 Division.
Girls (16-18)
Two players would hold a share of the lead through the first 18 holes. Jamie Lowry, a 2025 graduate from Fort Myers, played very consistently throughout the day, carding three birdies and three bogeys, on her way to a first-round score of even-par, 72. Also tied for the lead was Abigail Lee, a 2026 graduate from Pembroke Pines. The Pembroke Pines native’s round was a tale of two nines as she would play the back-nine four shots better than the front, ultimately finishing with a score of even-par, 72. Sara Vitasek, a 2025 graduate from Naples, would finish the round one shot behind the leaders with a score of 1-over par, 73.
On Sunday, Lowry and Lee would continue to battle atop the leaderboard; however, they were joined by Ana Boone, a 2026 graduate from ChampionsGate. After birdies from Boone on the 18th and second holes, the three competitors would be tied for first at even-par with just seven holes remaining. Bogeys from Boone and Lee would push Lowry into a one-shot lead with just three holes to play, and the Forty Myers native would not give it up. Lowry ultimately completed a one-shot victory, her first on the Florida Junior Tour.
