Kondal and Xu Battle Winds to Victory
WINTER GARDEN, Fla. – Jaspreet Kondal and Zilin (Grace) Xu each captured a first Florida Junior Tour victory at the Stoneybrook West Open. This tournament consisted of two-days and thirty-six holes of a stroke play competition including a Boys Division and Girls Division of ages ranging between 13-15 years old.
Boys (13-15)
The first round brought gusting winds that made playing conditions difficult. Jaspreet Kondal and Eddie Gu shared the lead after the first round each firing a one-over par, 73. Kondal and Gu had almost identical rounds each posting four bogeys and three birdies. Nolan DeForest and Brady Barnum shared second place after the first round, only two shots behind the leaders with rounds of three-over, 75.
Once again, the winds were howling during the second round with gusts reaching twenty-five miles per hour. The winds did not bother Maxwell Morgan as he made a charge up the leaderboard moving ten spots to share the lead with Kondal and Gu for the majority of the second round. However, rain began to fall and Kondal broke away from the group after a birdie on the fourteenth hole, followed by another birdie on the sixteenth hole. Kondal ultimately posted a two-over par, 74 to capture the victory by one stroke over the field.
In addition, Morgan posted the low round of the day with a one-under par, 71. Morgan and Gu tied for second place with a tournament total of four-over par.
Girls (13-15)
Zilin (Grace) Xu and Nicole Sardinha finished the first round tied for the lead after firing an even-par, 72. Xu posted one eagle and only two bogeys, whereas Sardinha posted four birdies during the first round. Emma McKoan trailed the leaders by only two strokes posting a two-over par, 74.
McKoan made a charge in the second round and fought for the lead with Xu. The two players traded the off the lead all the way to the final hole. McKoan birdied her sixteenth hole of the day to hold the lead by one stroke over Xu. With two pars on the seventeenth hole of the day, the two players headed into the final hole with McKoan holding a one stroke lead. However, McKoan bogeyed the final hole while Xu made a clutch birdie putt to grab her first ever Florida Junior Tour victory in only her second event played this season.
In addition, Sardinha finished in third place after posting a 76 for a tournament total of four-over par.
