Strong Comebacks Propel Davis & Schroeder to First-Time Victories
Champions - Jake Davis & Kaitlyn Schroeder
Florida Junior Tour (13-15)
- Cimarrone Golf Club (Jacksonville, FL)
- Yardages & Rating
- Boys - 6,677 yds., 73.3/137
- Girls - 5,832 yds., 74.8/136
Weather & Conditions
- Saturday - Partly cloudy with temperatures reaching the low 80's
- Sunday - Cloudy with temperatures in the mid-70's to low 80's
Boy's Division
With perfect golf weather, the Boy's Division produced numerous respectable scores, however, it was Brendan Valdes who sat at the top of the leaderboard after the first round. After a few pars to start off his round, Brendan made a birdie on the par-five, 14th before unfortunately making a bogey just two holes later. Finishing up his first nine holes at even-par, 36, Valdes' putter got hot on his next stretch of nine holes. Starting his back nine off with two birdies, Brendan doubled the fourth hole before carding two additional birdies on his final five holes. 
Shooting two under-par on his back nine, Valdes would finish the first round with a two under-par, 70, to take a two stroke the lead over Luke Clanton and Matthew Yamin. With a tight race to the finish, Sunday's final round would require well executed shots and excellent putting. Sunday's final round produced a little breezier conditions, making it a little more difficult to find the bottom of the cup for some players. After the front nine, while the group of leaders turned at even-par, 36, it was Jake Davis who was making a charge for the top spot. Shooting a three under-par, 33, on his opening nine, Davis sat one off the lead heading into the final stretch. Despite making two bogeys on the back nine, Jake went ahead and birdied both the 12th and 14th holes to remain at three under for the day. On the final hole, Jake capped off his impressive run to the top with a birdie to finish the final round with afour under-par, 68, and a two day total of 142. Luke Clanton, of Miami Lakes, finished his final nine holes with a single birdie to cap off another impressive round this year, a one under-par, 71. Yet, it was Jake Davis who captured the FJT event at Cimarrone title with a two under-par, 142, total. Finishing in a tie for third was Siyuan Lyu and Matthew Yamin who both finished the tournament at even par.
Girl's Division
After round one in the Girl's Division, it was Lisa Colee who separated herself from the competition. After carding two bogeys early on in her round, Lisa went on to birdie the seventh and ninth holes to make the turn at even-par. Taking advantage of the unique back-to-back par fives Cimarrone offers, Lisa birdied both to move to two under-par with four holes to play. The par-four 16th hole was proved its difficulty, eventually leading to a double-bogey for Lisa, dropping her back to even-par. With pars on the final two finishing holes, Lisa would post an even-par, 72 for the first round, which was good enough for a five stroke lead heading into the final round. Sitting in second place after the round one was Amelia Williams, of Gainesville and Kaitlyn Schroeder, of Jacksonville. Sunday's final round shuffled around the leading board, leaving Kaitlyn Schroeder at the top to claim her first Florida Junior Tour victory. First round leader, Lisa Colee, struggled coming out of the gate Sunday by making the turn at seven over-par while Kaitlyn Schroeder carded just one bogey and two birdies to shoot a one under-par, 35 on her opening nine holes. With an eight shot swing in just nine holes, Kaitlyn Schroeder was the new leader in the Girl's Division. After a double bogey blemish on the score card on the fourth hole, Kailtyn bounced back with a birdie on the sixth to maintain her lead. Lisa Colee attempted to fight back and fired an impressive 37 on her finishing nine to shoot an eight over-par final round of 80. However, it was Kaitlyn Schroeder who held on to her lead and finished with a one over-par 73 to win by two. With a two day total of 150 (77-73), Kaitlyn Schroeder went on to win her first Florida Junior Tour event.
Upcoming Events
The Florida Junior Tour heads southwest as the next 13-15 event takes place next weekend (February 17th & 18th) at Palm Aire Country Club in Sarasota. Entries are open for both the 2018 Girls' Junior Amateur Championship and Boys' Junior Amateur Championship. The Girls' Junior Amateur Championship will take place in Vero Beach at the challenging Bent Pine Golf Club, co-host of the 2017 Boys' Junior Amateur Championship. The 2018 Boys' Junior Amateur Championship will head to Sarasota to the beautiful Laurel Oak Country Club. Entries for the Boys' & Girls' Junior Amateur Championships close May 30th and June 13th, respectively.
