Tallahassee, Fla. - From rainy conditions in round one, to frigid and sunny in round three, two juniors battled the elements and came out on top. Kaden Puranik secured a two shot victory in the Boys Division and Leonie Tavares won by four shots in the Girls Division.
Boys (13-15)
The round one stage was set with cool north Florida temperatures and an overcast sky. A light drizzle softened the course and allowed for scores to go low. Kaden Puranik wasted no time and took advantage early. He showed great composure on the greens and birdied two of his first four holes, going out with a bogey-free 34 on his opening nine. Making the turn at 2-under par, he faced a minor setback by carding a bogey on his tenth hole of the day. However, the 2027 grad from Kissimmee immediately bounced back and would roll in four more birdies and a bogey to card the low round of the day. A 4-under par 68. Three other players would end the day in red figures, looking to add some pressure on Puranik in round two. These players included Ambrose Kinnare and Giancarlo Aguirre who sat just one back at 3-under par.
The wind began to pick up during round 2, but it had little effect on Kaden Puranik. He picked up right where he left off in round one, with birdies on two of his first four holes. Adding one more birdie on hole nine, he would fire an opening nine hole score of 3-under 33. While Puranik was hot early, Giancarlo Aguirre and Ambrose Kinnare looked to close the gap. Aguirre overcame a bogey on hole 2 with three birdies for a front nine total of 2-under 34. Kinnare holed out for eagle on the short par-4 2nd and ultimately would match Puranik’s front nine score of 3-under 33. Puranik would bounce back after a double bogey on the difficult 14th and finish his round with a 3-under 69, sitting at 7-under for the tournament. Both Aguirre and Kinnare found themselves in trouble on the back nine. Kinnare and Aguirre would come in with a 41 and 39 on the back nine respectively. This meant Puranik would carry a 5 shot lead into the final round.
The final round was delayed due to frigid overnight temperatures and frost on the ground. Seminole Legacy would prove why it is one of the toughest golf courses in the state. The key to success in round 3 would be to eliminate big numbers when possible. Puranik showed great composure again and was able to battle the tough conditions, firing a 1-under 35 on the front nine. Kinnare was able to close some of the gap, firing a 3-under 33 on the front and sat 4 shots back at the turn. Ultimately, Puranik was able to fend off a last minute charge from Kinnare to claim his second FJT title at 6-under for the weekend.
Girls (13-15)
Leonie Tavares came ready to play in round one. Combining great ball striking and putting, the 2029 grad went out on the front nine with a bogey-free 33 to make the turn at 3-under par. Despite the winds picking up later in the day, Tavares stayed focused and remained consistent. She would card two bogeys and two birdies on the back nine to have the low round in the girls division with a 3-under par 69. Lilly Parker of Palm Beach would card the only other round under par for the girls. Like Tavares, she rolled the ball very well on the greens, carding four birdies on the day. Two bogeys on the front nine put her at 2-under par for the tournament and one off of the lead. Not too far behind were Sadie Goodman and Dannika Hines at 1-over par.
It was smooth sailing for Leonie Tavares on her opening nine holes in round 2. She would card nine pars and hold on to a comfortable lead as she made the turn. However, Seminole Legacy began to show its teeth as the winds picked up later in the day. Tavares surrendered four bogeys and only one birdie on the front nine to fire a second round 3-over 75. Putting her at even par for the tournament. Looking to make some noise was Natalie Angelo, from Bradenton. She matched her round one total of 74 and sat four shots back at 4-over par. Sadie Goodman would post a solid round of 3-over 75 and sat 5 shots back of the lead. With stronger winds and even colder temperatures forecasted for round 3, it was still anyone’s game.
After nine holes in the final round, we saw a few things shake up on the leaderboard. Tavares would go out at 3-over par. Looking to come from behind was Sadie Goodman. The 2027 grad would play very consistently on her opening nine and posted a 1-over 37, closing the gap on Tavares. It would be a fight until the final putt dropped. Tavares ended up rolling in two birdies to finish her round and claim victory at 3-over par.
