WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Four players were crowned champions at the Florida Junior Tour Championship on Sunday at Lakewood National Golf Club. Alex Long captured the Boys (16-18) division, while Clark Mason took home the Boys (13-15) title. On the girls’ side, Katelyn Huber won the Girls (16-18) trophy, and Honorine Nobuta Ferry secured the Girls (13-15) title.
Boys (16-18)
Long secured the one-shot victory in wire-to-wire fashion in the Boys (16-18) division, carding a 1-over 217 for the two-day championship. This is the first FJT victory of the season for Long and his first Tour Championship win.
In Saturday’s first round, the Lakewood Ranch native posted a 1-under 71 to take a three-shot lead over the field heading into the second round. He carded second-round 71, the lone player in the field to finish the first two rounds under par. Long took the 36-hole lead, finishing the second round with four birdies.
After a bogey early in the final round, Long birdied three of four holes on Nos. 5-8 to make the turn at 2 under for the day. The Boys’ Junior runner-up ran into some trouble on the back side, heading to the 18th at 4 over with a one-shot lead.
Long finished with a par on the 18th to secure the one-shot victory with a final-round 75. Lee Poppell finished the championship in second place at 2-over 218 with rounds of 74-72-72, while Daniel Enrique Vanososte took third place at 3-over 219.
Girls (16-18)
Huber used a final-round 72 to capture the win in the Girls (16-18) division, finishing the championship at 5-over 221. This is the second win of the year for Huber, who took home an FJT win at the 54-hole major at the University of Florida in January, and her second Tour Championship victory.
In Saturday’s first round, Huber carded a 1-over 73 to take a two-shot lead over the field. The Gainesville native took a share of the 36-hole lead with Brianna Castaldi with a second-round 76.
Huber native got off to a strong start in the final round, with an even-par first nine. She followed it up with an even-par final nine, adding three birdies on the day. She captured the victory with an even-par 72 in the final round.
Siuue Wu finished runner-up at 7-over 223, firing a final-round 71. Braydn Smith, who carded a final-round 71, and Castaldi finished in a tie for third at 9-over 225. Wu and Smith were the lone players in the division to post an under-par 71.
Boys (13-15)
Mason earned the two-shot victory in the Boys (13-15) division, carding a 2-over 218 for the championship. This is the first FJT victory for Mason. He began the weekend with a 1-over 73 in the first round, following it up with a second-round 72 to take a share of the 36-hole lead.
Beginning the final round in a tie at the top, Mason got off to a strong start with a bogey-free front nine with a birdie on the fifth. He finished the day with a 2-over back nine to secure the two-shot win.
Miles Russell used the round of the tournament to take second place at 4-over 220, firing a final-round 69. Nicholas Pisarski and Ronav Benak shared third place at 5-over 221.
Girls (13-15)
Ferry went wire-to-wire to pick up the win the Girls (13-15) division, posting a 7-over x223 for the championship. This is the third FJT win of the year for Ferry, who picked up a win at Fairwinds in April and at the Next 100 Junior Invitational in January.
The West Palm Beach native opened the weekend with rounds of 72-78. She was the only player in the division to post an even par or better round on the championship.
She got off to a hot start in the final round with back-to-back birdies to begin the day. After making the turn at 1 over, Ferry finished the day with a bogey-free final nine to secure the victory with a final-round 73.
Kayla Bryant finished second, three shots back of Chang at 10-over 226, while Tsamue Wu took home third place at 15-over 231.
