LADY LAKE, FL - The 16-18 division of the Florida Junior Tour traveled to Harbor Hills Country Club for what was at times a windy and chilly two days of golf in central Florida. The par-72 golf course set the stage for fierce competition among the golfers that made the trip to Lady Lake, but it was ultimately Ryan Miller and Katelyn Huber who elevated their play above the rest to capture victories.
Boys (16-18)
After 18 holes were completed on Saturday, the boys division had seemingly transformed into a two-golfer showdown. Ryan Miller, of Naples, led the way after firing off a tournament-low score of 5-under par, 67. After a slow start to the round (1-over par through six holes), Miller would go on to birdie three straight holes to finish his first nine at 2-under par. The Gulf Coast High School attendee added four more birdies during his second nine to finish on top of the leaderboard. Just two shots behind Miller was Carson Baez, of Windermere. The Windermere High School attendee also struggled to find birdies during the start of his round, playing his first eight holes on Saturday at 1-over par. But after a birdie to close out his first nine brought his score back to even-par, Baez would go on to play bogey-free golf, adding three additional birdies to his card, to finish the day at 3-under par, 69. Three players were tied for third at even-par after round one.
On Sunday, Miller would struggle to find birdies early in his round once again. But just as he did on Saturday, Miller would turn it on after settling in as he birdied both the par-4 seventh and par-4 ninth holes to open up his lead over the rest of the field, which proved to be insurmountable. Even after playing the back-nine at 2-over par, the Naples native eventually secured a six-shot victory and finished the tournament as the only golfer across both divisions to record a cumulative score under-par (-4). Baez, who struggled to find the same success on Sunday that he experienced on Saturday, finished in a tie for second with three other players: Davis Downing, of Windermere, Cameron Reed, of Ponte Vedra Beach, and Justin Sui, of Lake Orion, Michigan.
Girls (16-18)
When the first round was completed on Saturday, three competitors in the girls division had recorded scores under-par. The leader afer 18 holes was Margaret Carlson, of Inverness, Illinois. Carlson recorded the tournament-low round for the girls division with a score of 4-under par, 68. The Illinois native got off to strong start as she poured in four birdies on the front nine, ultimately making the turn at 3-under par. Later in her round, after bogeying both the 15th and 17th holes, Carlson eagled the par-5 18th hole to extend her lead from one shot to three heading into Sunday. Two players were tied for second after shooting a score of 1-under par, 71, on Saturday. Katelyn Huber, of Gainesville, had a rocky start to her round after double-bogeying the par-4 second hole. But Huber, who had won her previous two starts, was able to bounce back, playing the rest of her round bogey-free, and adding three birdies to finish at 1-under par. Yu Bai, of Saratoga, California, would also record three birdies on the day to put herself in a posiiton to contend on Sunday.
Round two proved to be a tougher test for the girls as only one player recorded a score under-par. After the first nine holes, Carlson and Huber were tied atop the leader board at 1-under par. Both players struggled to make birdies on the back-nine after both had experienced success the day prior. A bogey from Carlson on the par-4 first hole gave Huber a one-shot lead, an advantage she would not relinquish until the seventh hole. After a bogey from Huber and a birdie from Carlson on the seventh hole, the Illinois resident regained a one-shot lead. However, Carlson would play the last two holes at three-over par while Huber went on to par the final two holes, earning her a one-shot victory. This marked the third straight victory for the Gainesville native. Carlson ended in a tie for second with Jamie Lowry, of Fort Meyers, who recorded scores of 1-over par, 73, on both days.
