Pano and Biondi Win Again
The Florida Junior Tour traveled to Indian Spring Country Club in Boynton Beach this weekend where the 13-15 age division wowed the spectators with unbelievable play. The weather was very pleasant throughout the weekend with relatively calm winds allowing players to take dead aim at flagsticks.
Saturday afternoon’s opening round saw a log jam at the top of the leaderboard in the girls’ division. Taylor Roberts, from Boca Raton, posted an opening round 71 to take the first round lead. However, the other girls in the field were not far behind! After the first round there were six girls within three strokes of Taylor’s round of one under par. Daniela Spillert, from Miami, was the closest competitor to Taylor after firing an even par round in her first Florida Junior Tour event. Coming off a victory last weekend at Old Corkscrew GC in the 16-18 division, Alexa Pano was well within striking distance shooting a one over par round on Saturday. Taylor Zeng, from Orlando, was tied with Alexa with a 73 as well. Other names on the leaderboard included Casey Weidenfeld, Jenna Fonda, and Izzy Pellot who all shot rounds of 74 to put themselves into great position for Sunday’s round.
The boys’ division did not disappoint on Saturday’s round either! The division saw four players post under par rounds including two rounds in the sixties. Fred Biondi, who won at Ocala National last month, set the pace with a superb round of 5 under par, 67. Many would believe that Fred would have a large lead after the first round, but Drew Angelo did his absolute best to reel in Biondi by shooting a 4 under par 68 to start the tournament. Drew finished in a tie for second just a few weeks ago at Lemon Bay GC and is looking for his first Florida Junior Tour victory. Alexander Vogelsong and Fletcher Wunderlich also had under par rounds on Saturday with scores of 70 and 71 respectively. Fletcher has been searching for his first victory all season and has finished in the top five in 4 out of 5 events in 2016. His scoring average of 72.2 through 12 rounds this season is something many would be lucky to have. Six other players shot even par rounds which would make for a very exciting final round!
Alexa Pano did not waste any time making a run to the top of the leaderboard on Sunday. Starting her final round on the back nine, Alexa birdied 5 of the first 6 holes in route to an opening nine hole score of 31. She narrowly missed a 12 foot birdie putt on the 18th green, her ninth hole, to shoot 30. First round leader Taylor Roberts, playing behind Alexa’s group, opened with a birdie to start her final round, but back to back scores of six on the par-4, 15th hole and par-5,16th hole saw her fall a few strokes behind the surging Alexa Pano. Alexa played steady on her back nine closing with a score of 35 to give her a final round 66. There were six birdies on her card and not one bogey! Finishing five strokes behind Alexa in second place was Daniela Spillert! Her back to back rounds of even par, 72, were a very impressive way to make a statement in her opening FJT. Izzy Pellot rounded out the top 3 players with a tournament total two over par, 146. First round leader, Taylor Roberts, closed with a 76 which placed her in solo fourth.
Ten players were within four strokes of the lead heading into Sunday’s 7:30 AM start in the boys’ division. Two players, Joseph Pagdin and Simone Colozza, went to work early on the course both holing out for eagle on the par 4, 8th hole. Pagdin holed out from 127 yards and Simone, not to be outdone, holed out from 100 yards right on top of Pagdin. However, it was the last group out on the course that provided the most excitement in the final round. The final pairing of first round leader Fred Biondi, Drew Angelo and Alexander Vogelsong combined for a ridiculous eighteen birdies between the three of them! Alexander Vogelsong went on a birdie barrage in his final round, making seven total birdies and posting a final round 66. Drew Angelo also made his fair share of birdies and shot 68 on Sunday. Alexander and Drew pushed Fred as much as they could all day, but could not over take him. Fred’s closing round of 68 on Sunday gave him a one stroke victory over both Vogelsong and Angelo. A two round total of 9 under par, 135 is the lowest winning total in the 13-15 age division this season. Rounding out the top five was Fletcher Wunderlich placing fourth with a 5 under par total, 139 and Brett Roberts with a 4 under par total, 140. Great playing boys!
The players seem to be in top form heading into the FJT Major at Orange County National on May 28-30. We looked forward to seeing you all in a few weeks! A big thank you to Indian Spring Country Club for hosting the Florida Junior Tour this Mother’s Day weekend!
