DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - It was Miles Russell who prevailed under difficult conditions to capture the victory on Sunday. Russell overcame a one-shot deficit to take the win. Braydn Smith took home the Girls Division victory by three strokes. Both players brought home well-deserved trophies after persevering through tough playing conditions on Sunday.
Boys Division
The Saturday forecast looked bleak; however, the playing conditions proved to be quite favorable. The wind was very calm and the rain moved through early morning before play started. As a result, five boys carded under par rounds. Reggie Zhu held the lead through the first round posting a bogey-free 68. Zhu carded two birdies on each nine to take the lead heading into the final round. Miles Russell trailed Zhu by only one shot, posting a 3-under par 69 on Saturday. Russell made the turn at even par and finished strong on his second nine carding four birdies for a back nine score of 33. William Jun, Douglas Gugel, and Theo Koulianos also carded under par rounds on Saturday.
Sunday brought strong winds and on and off rain. The conditions were very challenging, but Russell persevered to shoot a two-over par 74. He took the lead early with only one bogey on his first nine to make the turn at one-over. Russell posted the only under-par tournament total and captured yet another win. Taneesh Sirivolu posted a two-over par 74. Sirivolu carded the most birdies of the day with four over 18 holes and moved up six places to secure a solo second finish. Reggie Zhu and Anthony Monteleone shared third place with a tournament total of three-over par.
Girls Division
Braydn Smith fired the only under par round with a three-under 69 and held the lead by three strokes after the first round. Her round highlights included six birdies, which was the most over 18 holes for both divisions. Siuue Wu and Staci Pla headed into the final round only two strokes behind Smith both carding even par rounds of 72 on Saturday. Despite the tough conditions, Smith held the lead and ultimately captured the win on Sunday after carding a five-over par 77. Lisa Copeland made a charge carding a four-over par, 76 and securing a solo second place finish. Mi Li and Siuue Wu shared third place both posting tournament totals of six-over par.
