OCALA, Fla. - Despite a cold Sunday morning, conditions were perfect at Ocala Golf Club and four champions captured Florida Junior Tour victories. Chase Bauer, Leonie Tavares, Carl Hitchner and Bryn Krosse would all be victorious in their respective divisions.
Boys (11-12)
Through the first round of play on Saturday the leaderboard in the Boys (11-12) Division was very tight. With eight players within three shots of the lead, every shot was going to matter. Leading the way was Shayaan Kim with a 2-over 74, which included an opening birdie on the first hole. Carson Sisler, Chase Bauer and Maxwell Morgan all would enter the final round only one shot behind, after their respective 75s. The shot of the day would come from Maxwell Morgan as he recorded an ace on the par-3 5th hole, his ninth of his career!
The final round would see the contenders behind Kim given the opening they were waiting for as Kim made a double-bogey on the par-5 second hole. Chase Bauer and Nemo Tsai would both birdie their opening hole of the day and prove to be the biggest contenders to Kim throughout Sunday. Bauer and Nemo finished the front nine at 1-over to jump into a tie for the lead. Kim would rebound though with birdies on the 11th and 14th to get back at the top.
Tsai would go on to make four birdies to just one bogey on the back nine for a total of 2-under 70 on Sunday. Kim would also make three birdies to one bogey on the back nine to finish at 1-over 73 for the day. However, the story in the Boys (11-12) Division was Chase Bauer who would use an eagle on the par-5 17th hole along with 3 more birdies on the back nine to take the victory. Bauer’s 2-under 70 on Sunday would give him a two-day total of 1-over 145 and a two shot victory. Nemo Tsai and Shayaan Kim both finished at 3-over 147 for a tie for second.
Girls (11-12)
Four birdies in the opening round would be the key to Leonie Tavares success on Saturday. The Davenport native would end the day with the lead in the Girls (11-12) Division as her even-par 72 would give her a two shot lead over Marley Pedrique. Nicole Sardinha and Neely Kight would also be within three shots as they both finished at 3-over 75 after round one.
Tavares would pick up where she left off with a birdie on her fourth hole of the day. Meanwhile, Sophia Christy was making her way up the leaderboard in a hurry after four straight birdies on her opening nine. Tavares wouldn’t allow her to catch up as she finished her opening nine with two straight birdies on 17 and 18 for an opening 3-under 33.
Tavares would continue her solid play on the back nine to finish with a 3-under 69 which would be good for a two-day total of 3-under 141 and a nine shot victory. Sophia Cristy’s final round 71 saw her move up four spots into a tie for second with Nicole Sardinha at 6-over 150 for the weekend. The shot of the day in Sunday’s final round came from Miranda Borges. She recorded the second hole-in-one of the weekend on the 14th hole at Ocala Golf Club!
Boys (9-10)
In the Boys (9-10) Division Carl Hitchner would find himself atop the leaderboard after round one. His opening 78 focused on keeping the big numbers off the scorecard as he managed to keep anything worse than a bogey at bay. Juan Lucas Mariatti birdied his final two holes of the day to finish within striking distance of Hitchner just three shots behind.
Round two would prove to be a tougher day for the players as both Hitchner and Mariatti stumbled out of the gates. Through nine holes on Sunday, Hitchner would remain four shots ahead of Mariatti as they entered their final nine. It would be a lead he would hold not relinquish for the remainder of the day. A two-day total of 162 was enough to win the division by two shots over Juan Lucas Mariatti. Gerald Basteiro finished third with two rounds of 83.
Girls (9-10)
Through 18 holes Bryn Krosse and Xiyao Zhang were tied at the top of the Girls (9-10) Division after opening rounds of 79. Krosse’s round was highlighted by a birdie-eagle stretch on the 12th and 13th holes while Xiyao found birdies on two of the par-5s at Ocala Golf Club.
A bogey on the second hole of Sunday’s final round by Krosse allowed Zhang to take the lead, which she would add to with a birdie on the par-4 16th. However, a bogey on the 17th by Zhang and a birdie on the 18th for Krosse found them back where they started the day tied at the top with nine holes to play.
The 4th hole at Ocala Golf Club would play a large role in determining the Girls (9-10) Division. With both players still tied for the lead, Krosse’s birdie on the par-5 would prove to be a three shot swing when Zhang made a double-bogey. Kross would go on to win by 2 shots after her rounds of 79 and 74. Xiyao Zhang’s rounds of 79 and 76 was good enough for second place while Kinley Mills would capture third with her two-day total of 162.
