LEESBURG, Fla. – As a group of Continental Country Club members lined the closing stretch, they saw some of the up and coming stars on the Florida Junior Tour hit incredible shot after shot. At the end of the weekend, Moritz Schwahn and Keira Shavitranuruk would rise above the rest.
Boys (13-15)
In Round 1, many players got into red figures early but as the winds picked up late in the afternoon scoring become much more difficult. Moritz Schwahn dealt with the winds better than any other player in the field. With two birdies, Schwahn would post a bogey-free opening round of 2-under 70. Close behind would be FJT Champion, Ignacio Hurtado, highlighted by his five birdies on Saturday to sit one behind going into the final round. With four other players within two shots of the lead, there was still a lot of golf left to play Sunday morning.
Ryker Huther got the scoring started early with an eagle on the opening hole and a 4-under through four hole start. In the final group, Andy Dai and overnight leader Schwahn would birdie the first to keep the pedal down. Schwahn would not stop there as he added two more birdies on the front nine to expand his lead to three shots on the back nine.
A double-bogey on the 13th hole saw Huther’s lead evaporate with Andy Dai and Ryker Huther taking the lead. But the IJGA player would not be fazed as he bounced back with two consecutive birdies to overtake Dai by one shot. That lead was all Schwahn would need as he would card consecutive under-par rounds and post 3-under 141 for the weekend. Andy Dai’s 2-under 70 gave him solo second while Ryker Huther’s 3-under 69 propelled him seven spots up the leaderboard into solo third. The win is Schwahn’s first FJT victory in his first start.
Girls (13-15)
The only player in the Girls Division to post an under-par opening round would be Ella Hrbata. The West Palm Beach native made the trip up to Leesburg and brought four birdies with her to post 2-under 70, matching the low round of the day. Her closest competitor would be Nirvika Koduru, who despite a 4-over stretch from Holes 11 to 13, would play the other 15 holes 2-under par and sit four shots back. In third place, the FJT Hawkstone Open Champion, Keira Shavitranuruk, would look to stay in position for the title after an opening round 76.
The winds would come and go during Sunday’s final round, leading to volatility on the leaderboard. The overnight leader, Ella Hrbata, would see her lead evaporate with back-to-back double bogeys on Holes 14 and 15. Shavitranuruk would take the opportunity to climb up the leaderboard with an even-par opening nine. As the final group made the turn, Shavitranuruk would take hold of the lead with back-to-back birdies on 1 and 2 as she would get into red figures on the day. However, a costly double-bogey on the 6th hole would put her back into a tie for the lead with Hrbata with 3 holes to play.
The duo would each make par on the final three holes sending them to a playoff. In the playoff both players would hit excellent approach shots into the par-5 10th hole. Hrbata would have eight feet for birdie and Shavitranuk was just inside her. Ella’s putt would slide by and when Keira Shavitranuruk made her birdie she would claim her second FJT victory in 2025. Ella Hrbata’s second place finish is the best of her young FJT career and Brooklyn Cullen moved up six spots into solo third place after a final round 71.
