PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – It was a beautiful weekend at Santa Lucia River Club and many players took advantage of the great scoring conditions. With a field exclusively for players having earned FJT exemptions, the competition was fierce. At the end of the weekend, Darren Zhou and Krishny Elwin would stand above the rest.
Boys (16-18)
In Round One, two players from the IMG Academy saw themselves get off to a hot start and make their way to the top of the leaderboard. Xin Wang and Darren Zhou each got to 3-under par through four holes in the opening round and set the mark to chase. Another FJT Champion, Eric Zhao would see them at the top and make a charge on the back nine. In total, Eric would make four birdies on the day and post 3-under 69. Darren Zhou after a hot start played consistent golf throughout his opening round to take the Round 1 lead at 4-under 68.
Eric Zhao would make the first move in the final round with a birdie on the par-3 3rd hole. A wedge shot on the 5th to tap-in range saw the Team Canada member take the lead. Playing in front of the final group, James Nagle would make three birdies in his first 12 holes to get within just one shot of the lead.
As the final group made the turn, Darren Zhou took control of the event. An eagle on the par-5 10th followed by birdies on two of his next three holes put him in a spot where no one was going to catch him. A final round 69 put Zhou at 7-under for the weekend and a seven shot victory. Eric Zhao would finish in solo second at even par while Gabriel Hull would jump 12 spots up the leaderboard to share third place with James Nagle.
Girls (16-18)
With a plethora of FJT Champions in the field and ideal scoring conditions, birdies were plenty in Round One. Krishny Elwin and Hannah Hall would surge to the top of the leaderboard early, each getting to 2-under within their first six holes. The duo would make seven birdies each throughout the day with Hannah Hall posting 3-under and Krishny Elwin leading the way at 6-under 66, her lowest score to date on the Florida Junior Tour.
With the winds increasing in the final round, the duo wouldn’t see quite as many birdies as in Round One. Hannah Hall would make nine straight pars to begin her day before making her first birdie of the day on the par-4 1st hole. Elwin added a birdie on the 13th hole to stretch the lead to four shots, but bogeys on 15, 16, and 17, would see her lead shrink to one shot at the turn.
Hall would birdie the 1st hole to tie the lead with just eight holes to go. However, a bogey on the par-3 3rd hole coupled with a birdie from Elwin on the 7th hole would give Krishny Elwin a lead she wouldn’t relinquish. At 5-under for the weekend, Krishny Elwin earns her second FJT win of the season after a victory in September. Angelina Pacheco’s back-nine 3-under 33 saw her vault up into solo second, while Hannah Hall and Evyn Cannon would share third place.
