Tavares & Hipp Weather the Winds at Jax Beach
JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. - This weekend, the 13-15 Division headed northeast to compete in the FJT Jacksonville Beach Open. Players were met with difficult conditions both days as high winds challenged their ability to manage the golf course and stay collected under pressure. When all play had been completed, Charlie Hipp and Leonie Tavares proved that the wind would not affect their games as they walked away from Jacksonville Beach with victories.
Boys (13-15)
At the end of Saturday's first round, two players had separated themselves from the field to hold a share of the lead with scores of even-par, 71. Ambrose Kinnaire, a 2028 graduate from Saint Augustine, completed his final 11 holes of the round bogey-free, a stretch that included three birdies in five holes. Jaxson Weese, a 2028 graduate from Sebastian, would match not only Kinnaire's score, but also his birdie streak with three birdies in five holes. Those two would be joined by Jack Cole, a 2029 graduate from Jacksonville, in the final pairing on Sunday with Cole two strokes behind the leaders. Four other players would head into Sunday's final round within four strokes of the lead.
On Sunday, the three players in the final grouping were joined at the top of the leaderboard by Charlie Hipp, a 2027 graduate from St. Johns, as he completed the front-nine bogey-free at 2-under par. With nine holes remaining, Hipp and Kinnaire shared a tie for second place at 2-over par, trailing Weese by one stroke. Throughout the final nine holes, the lead would be exchanged and shared multiple times. With three holes to play, Hipp would break through to hold a one-stroke lead, ultimately extending it with birdies on his final two holes. The St. Johns native would walk away with a -stroke victory victory, his first ever victory on the Florida Junior Tour. Second place would be claimed by Kinnaire with a total score of 3-over par, while two players, Weese and Cole, would finish in a tie for third at 6-over par.
Girls (13-15)
Through 18 holes, Neely Kight, a 2028 graduate from Watersound, took hold of the lead after an impressive round that included four birdies en-route to a score of even-par, 71. Leonie Tavares, a 2028 graduate from Saint Jerome, AB, Canada, and Reese McMillan, a 2029 graduate from Jupiter, would join the final pairing in a tie for second place, trailingl Kight by two strokes with scores of 2-over par, 73. Four other players would head into Sunday's final round within four strokes of the lead.
In the second round, Kight and Tavares would separate themselves from those looking to contend as the pair would hold a share of the lead at 3-over par with just nine holes remaining. Over the course of the next few holes, the two would trade birdies and the lead multiple times, ultimately coming back into a tie for the lead at 2-over par with just five holes to play, and later at 1-over par with two holes left. On the par-4 eighth hole, Kight would make triple-bogey, clearing the way for Tavares to take home the victory. A par on the par-3 ninth would secure the Canadian native's victory by three strokes, her second of 2025 and third overall in the 13-15 Division. Kight would finish in solo second place at 4-over par. Two players, Harlow Brogdon and Avery Banfill, finished in a tie for third at 7-over par.
