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FJT Palatka Open (9-12)

Palatka Golf Club, Palatka, FL

May 18-19, 2024

Four Wire-to-Wire Victories in Palatka

 

PALATKA, Fla. – Palatka Golf Club showed its teeth with some help from windy conditions to rain delays but four champions stood out. Jack Cole, Elize Nograbat, Benny Minter and Victoria Frias won the Boys 11-12 Division, Girls 11-12 Division, Boys 9-10 Division and Girls 9-10 Division respectively.

Boys (11-12)

Coming off four straight top- 10’s Jack Cole, continued the solid play with an opening round 72. After turning at even par Cole had an up and down final nine to finish with the lead going into the final round. Right on Cole’s heels is Reagan Smith, sitting just two shots back, Smith started his first round strong, being two-under through six, but a costly double-bogey on his 15th hole kept him two back of the lead.

Round two came with better playing conditions but the winds remained. Through everything, Cole was able to play his last five holes two-under par to hold onto the wire-to-wire victory by one shot. Falling just one shot back in second place remained Reagan Smith after a solid final round of 73. Moving up the leaderboard and finishing in a tie for third was Bennett LaConte and Krish Choksi.

Boys (9-10)

Looking for his fifth victory in his last six starts, Benny Minter started his round hot as well. Carding three birdies in the first five holes brought in a solid round of 73. Carrying a three, shot lead over Julian Sepulveda.

Minter matched his solid first round with another three-over par, 73. Winning by four giving Minter his fifth victory in his last six starts. Minter had an eagle three on the short par five fourth sealing the deal for the victory.  Moving up the leaderboard with the low rounds of the day were Eli Seals and Jayden Wei. Their solid final rounds of 71, allowed them to move up the leaderboard and finish in a tie for second.

Girls (11-12)

In the Girls 11-12 division, Elize Nograbat fired the round of the day with a one-over 73. Keira Shavitranuruk, Lily Wachter, Nicole Uminski and Qiaoyi Lyu all finished the first round tied for second after opening with rounds of four-over, 76. The stacked leaderboard was ready to duel it out with each other on Sunday to see who would come out on top.

Elize Nograbat followed suit with her fellow champions going wire-to-wire for the title in Palatka. Nograbats up and down round including one birdie and an eagle on her ninth hole was good enough to hold on to a one-stroke victory.  Finishing in solo second was Lily Wachter, posting two solid rounds of 76-74; Wachter was able to put pressure on Nograbat down the stretch. Chloe Wang and Nicole Uminski finished tied for third just two shots back of Nograbat.

Girls (9-10)

Victoria Frias had one of the best rounds of the day firing a one-over par, 73. In the tough conditions and weather delays, she was able to pile up an eight-stroke lead going into the final round. Enya Chavitranurak and Sritha Badiga were tied for second and looking for an opportunity on Sunday. After a tough day on the course, Frias was able to secure her first win with scores of 73-78 by four shots over the Badiga and Chavitranurak who finished second and third respectively.

Tee Information

Tee

Yardage / Info

Boys (11-12)

5,540 yds., 66.8/120

Boys (9-10)

4,854 yds., 63.7/110

Girls (11-12)

4,854 yds., 68.5/115

Girls (9-10)

4,006 yds., 63.5/105

Weather Information

Description

Temp

ScatteredThunderstorms

Hot with Scattered Thunderstorms

91 °F

Overcast

Steady Breeze, Warm Mid-Day

85 °F

Tournament Results

PosPosition Name Rd.1 Rd.2 TotalTotal Score Points
1 Jack Cole 72 74 146 250
2 Reagan Smith 74 73 147 175
T3 Bennett LaConte 76 74 150 113
T3 Krish Choksi 75 75 150 113
5 Bobby Jones Potash 76 76 152 90
+ View Full Results

Tournament Summary

Format:  36 holes of individual gross stroke play

Eligibility Boys and Girls 9-12 (age calculated from the last day of the event)

  • Florida Junior Tour Membership

Handicap:  Florida GHIN 24.0 or less (included with junior membership)

Entry Fee:  $75

Field Determination: 84 player field

  • First-come-first-serve basis

Practice Round Information: $35 + tax

Divisions and Approximate Yardages

  • Boys (9-10) - 5,000 yards (gross only)
  • Boys (11-12) - 5,500 yards (gross only)
  • Girls (9-10) - 4,200 yards (gross only)
  • Girls (11-12) - 5,000 yards (gross only)

How Entries are Accepted

  • Entries will be accepted on a first-come-first-serve basis
  • Late entries will be accepted if space is available ($10 late entry fee)
  • If entries have reached capacity, additional players will be placed on an alternate's list
  • The alternate's list will be posted to the FJT website under "Tee Times & Player Information"
  • Entries close approximately 2 1/2 weeks prior to the tournament
  • At the close of entries, if the 9-10 division (boys or girls) has 3 or less entrants, those players must choose one of the following options: 1) Play up into the 11-12 division   OR    2) Withdraw from the event and receive a full refund

Schedule of Events

  • Saturday, May 18th

    • 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM - Tournament Registration (near pro shop)

    • 12:00 PM - 1:57 PM - Round one tee times off of the 1st and 10th tees

      • Mandatory Meeting - 30 to 45 minutes prior to tee time, 15 minutes long (more information below)
  • Sunday, May 19th

    • 7:30 AM - 9:27 AM - Final round tee times off of the 1st and 10th tees

      • Awards presentation immediately following the completion of play

 

Mandatory Educational Meeting - Saturday

  • Each golfer MUST attend a mandatory meeting with FSGA staff prior to their tee time on Saturday

  • Topics to include: Etiquette, rules, pace-of-play, how to feel comfortable playing in events, care for the course, appreciation of club staff and volunteers

  • Meetings will generally take place near or on the practice putting green

  • Each player MUST attend the meeting associated with his/her meeting time

  • Meetings will be approximately 15 to 20 minutes long
  • Parents are encouraged to attend

*If a players fails to make the meeting at their scheduled time, they will not be allowed to participate in the event.*

Five FJT Standards

Competing at beautiful clubs around the state is a privilege and it is important for all of our players and parents to place value on the following five duties

  • Say please and thank you to the club staff and our volunteers

  • Rake bunkers

  • Fix ball marks

  • Step on/repair your divots

  • Throw away your garbage! There should never be trash on the ground anywhere on the course (place trash in waste receptacles, golf carts or even your bag if no other place is available)

Showing Appreciation and Proper Manners - At all courses where juniors play, they should show appreciation to the members and staff. To all of our junior players, let's show the clubs that you are not only the most talented golfers in the country, but also the most respectful. A "thank you" to the club and taking care of the course are the best ways to make a positive impression on the club, fellow players, coaches and spectators.

How to Enter

  • Entries are submitted through the FSGA website

  • To enter, each player must create an FSGA account on this website (free to set-up), purchase a current Junior Membership ($45), and have an active Florida GHIN Handicap (included in membership if golfer does not already have one)

  • To proceed, click the "Enter" button above once entries have opened

  • Late Entry Fee: A late fee of $10 will be applied to entries submitted after the close of entries date. The entry fee and late fee will only be applied if the player gets accepted in to the tournament field

Practice Rounds

  • Practice rounds are available one week prior to the tournament on a space-available basis and includes cart and range balls prior to the round

  • Tee times are only available after 12:00 noon the weekend prior

  • The price for a practice round is $35.00 + tax

  • Please call (386) 329-0142 to arrange your practice round

    • The proper place to practice your golf swing is on the driving range; hitting multiple shots on the course, not filling divots, and not repairing ball marks are unacceptable and may cause removal from the tournament without a refund

Florida Junior Tour Information

Florida Junior Tour Policies

Host Site

Host Hotel

National Rankings

AJGA Performance Based Entry (PBE)

Boys (11-12)

  • Champion - 1 Star

Girls (11-12)

  • Champion - 1 Star