VERO BEACH, Fla. - The 2023 Junior Team Championship at Sandridge Golf Club in Vero Beach featured 43 teams across four divisions competing for the title of FSGA Junior Team Champion. Sandridge Golf Club’s Dunes and Lakes Courses provided both great challenges and scoring opportunities to make for a competitive event. In the end, three organizations earned victories and will be taking trophies home with them.
Boys (16-18)
Through 18 holes, Emerald Coast Junior Golf Tour Team A held a six-shot lead after being the only team with a score under-par (1-under par). Mark Piver powered his team to the lead with the low-round of the day in the division at 3-under par, 69. Junior Golf Association of Broward County Team A (5-over par) and North Florida Junior Golf Foundation (6-over par) sat in second and third place, respectively.
On Sunday, the leaderboard significantly tightened up and turned into a four-team race. Indian River Golf Foundation joined the three teams leading after the first round, and all four teams were within one shot of each other with just a few holes to play. Ultimately, North Florida Junior Golf Foundation, consisting of Evan Raynor, Connor Williams, and Ryan Gear, emerged victorious on the back of Raynor and Williams’ Sunday rounds of 2-under par, 70. Junior Golf Association of Broward County Team A, highlighted by the division’s individual leader TJ Thompson (3-under par), would finish two shots back at 4-over par. Indian River Golf Foundation claimed third place with a score of 10-over par.
Girls (16-18)
After Saturday’s first round, Mike Bender Golf Academy was atop the leaderboard after recording a score of 1-over par. Bretton Mackiewicz led her team to success in the first round by sharing the low-round in the division with a score of 1-under par, 71. In second place, four shots back, was Emerald Coast Junior Golf Tour, whose score of 5-over par was powered by Savannah Goodman’s share of the low-round in the division at 1-under par, 71. Gold Coast Junior Golf Foundation and North Florida Junior Golf Foundation were in a tie for third at 7-over par.
In the second round, Mike Bender Golf Academy, consisting of McKenna Murphy, Mara King, and Mackiewicz, continued to perform well as they held the lead throughout Sunday on their way to a six-shot victory at 6-over par. Emerald Coast Junior Golf Tour (12-over par) would find themselves in second, while North Florida Junior Golf Foundation (13-over par) finished in third. Murphy and Savannah Goodman, playing for Emerald Coast Junior Golf Tour, finished in a tie for the individual lead at 4-over par.
Boys (13-15)
With a score of 5-over par, Gold Coast Junior Golf Foundation held a one-shot lead over three other teams. Trevor Tingle led Gold Coast Junior Golf Foundation by sharing the low-round of the day at 1-over par, 71. North Florida Junior Golf Foundation, Junior Golf Association of Broward County, and Indian River Golf Foundation were all tied for second with scores of 6-over par. Henry Crowe, playing for Junior Golf Association of Broward County, Blake Reed, playing for Indian River Golf Foundation, and Riley Sillaway, playing for Claret Junior Golf Tour, all tied Tingle’s low-round of 1-over par, 71.
On Sunday, the four teams at the top had dwindled down to just two vying for the title. Gold Coast Junior Golf Foundation and North Florida Junior Golf Foundation battled all throughout the second round, trading the lead multiple times. Ultimately, Gold Coast Junior Golf Foundation, consisting of Trevor Tingle, Cristian Scradeanu, and Hudson Fee, hung on for a one-shot victory. Tingle would claim low individual for the weekend with a score of 1-over par.
Girls (13-15)
At the conclusion of the first round, North Florida Junior Golf Foundation had built a significant lead of 10 shots following after recording a score of 2-over par, highlighted by Sahana Chokshi’s division-low round of 2-under par, 70. Emerald Coast Junior Golf Tour and Junior Golf Association of Broward County had a share of second place with scores of 12-over par.
During the second round, North Florida Junior Golf Foundation, consisting of Chokshi, Sofia Rivera, and Danielle Dailey, continued to extend their lead on their way to victory, ultimately defeating their competition by 15 strokes. Chokshi would also take home low-individual honors, completing the weekend with a cumulative score of 2-under par. At 20-over par, Junior Golf Association of Broward County would finish in second, while Emerald Coast Junior Golf Tour finished in third at 21-over par.
Sunday, August 6th
