Bear Lakes CC (13-15)

Kline and Hammer Earn First FJT Wins

Mother nature may have interrupted this weekend's FJT event at Bear Lakes CC in West Palm Beach, but that didn't keep two players from earning their first FJT victories.  Jacob Kline of Saint Augustine and Alexa Hammer of Boynton Beach each captured their first Florida Junior Tour victories in the weather-shortened event. 

Continuous heavy rains as well as menacing lighting strikes made the Links course at Bear Lakes Country Club unplayable for Saturday's first round.  However, Saint Augustine's Jacob Kline was ready to go on Sunday.  Kline made four birdies en route to a 1-under par 71 which left him in a tie with Sachin Kumar of Trinidad & Tobago.  Kline had a chance to claim the victory on the 18th hole but lipped out his birdie putt.  The two would square off in a sudden death playoff on hole 10.  After both players split the fairway, Kumar hit a mid iron to approximately ten feet.  With the pressure on, Kline pulled his approach shot slightly left but deftly used the slope to his advantage, and watched the ball roll almost go in before it came to rest less than a foot from the hole.  After Kumar narrowly missed his birdie attempt, Kline was able to tap in for the win.

 In the girls' division, Alexa Hammer of Boynton Beach was able to handle the soggy conditions the best to claim her first FJT title.  Hammer fired a one over par round of 73 which included 4 birdies and 5 bogeys.  Hammer was able to give herself some breathing room as she won by 3 shots over Athena Yang of Winter Haven, Kendall Griffin of Sebring, and Latanna Stone of Valrico.   

Entries Open - Wednesday, July 25th at 8:30 AM
Entries Close - Wednesday, August 8th at 4:30 PM

Cash is NOT excepted at Bear Lakes Country Club. All purchases in the clubhouse must be made with a credit card (Visa, MasterCard, or Discover).

Tournament rounds will be played on the Links Course.

Bear Lakes Country Club, located in the heart of West Palm Beach, Florida, was established in 1984 and features two championship courses designed by Jack Nicklaus. The Links Course is designed as a tribute to Scottish golfing tradition, with its grass bunkers, pot bunkers and narrow fairways complemented by native plantings. From the elevated green on the twelfth hole, to the two-tiered fairways on the fifteenth, the Links captures the special character of Scottish courses.

Bear Lakes has played host to both Florida State Men’s and Women’s Amateur, sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open for both men and women as well as the 1995 and 2001 PGA Tour Qualifying Finals.

Click here to visit the club's website.

Entry Fee

The entry fee of $95 (for GHIN handicap members) or $115 (non-GHIN handicap members) includes tournament rounds, range balls prior to tournament rounds, crystal trophies for the top three finishers, and a tee gift.

To receive the GHIN handicap price, the player, or one of the players' parents must have an active GHIN handicap at a club in Florida. The seven digit GHIN number must be submitted with the entry.

Schedule of Play

• Saturday, September 15th:  12:00 PM - 1:57 PM off the 1st and 10th tees
• Sunday, September 16th:  8:00 AM - 9:57 AM off the 1st and 10th tees

Practice Round

Players can set-up a practice round at a special discounted rate of $30 plus tax which includes a cart by calling 561-478-0002. Times are available on a space available basis. Parents can play for $50 plus tax.

During practice rounds, players are not allowed to play multiple shots off tees or into greens. The playing of multiple shots or slow play may result in the player's removal from the course without a refund.

Bear Lakes Country Club is hosting the PGA Tour Pre-Qualifier the week before the FJT tournament. Practice rounds will be available as follows:

• Thursday, Sept. 6th - Saturday, Sept. 8th:  after 1:30 PM
• Sunday, Sept. 9th:  Tee times 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM off #1 and #10 tees
• Monday, Sept. 10th:  Course closed
• Tuesday, Sept. 11th - Thursday, Sept. 13th:  after 2:00 PM
• Friday, Sept. 14th:  after 1:00 PM

Walking and Pull/Push Carts

Players must walk and carry their clubs during the competition rounds (pull/push carts are permitted). Caddies are not permitted.

Tees To Play

Tees are not selected until the tournament staff arrives on site. Tournament set-up may change, including yardages, to offset inclement weather or other course conditions (i.e. wet course conditions). Typical yardages are below:

• Boys 13-15 will play approximately 6,700 yards
• Girls 13-15 will play approximately 5,800 yards

National Rankings

This event is ranked by Junior Golf Scoreboard.

AJGA - PBE (Performance Based Entrance)

Boys

• Champion - 1 Junior All-Star Exemption

Girls

• Champion - 1 Junior All-Star Exemption

Spectator Carts

Spectators will be authorized to rent carts, but must follow the Spectator policies. Spectator carts will cost $20 a day, plus tax. Spectator carts may be limited, and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Eligibility

Male or female amateur golfers that are members of the FJT may apply for entry. Entries are subject to rejection at any time, including during the event. The reason for rejection may include unbecoming behavior. Please see the Code of Conduct for further details.

Application Procedure

• Tournament applications must be submitted through the website with valid payment. Telephone and fax requests will not be accepted.
• Applicants must have a current FSGA/FJT membership.
• Entries must be received by 4:30:00 PM EST of the closing date.
• Players should read the Tournament Policies and Pace of Play policy.
• Players will receive an e-mail that their entry has been received and a second e-mail will be sent if the player is accepted into the field. As a player is not automatically confirmed into the tournament, travel arrangements should not be made until the second confirmation e-mail is received. Review Tournament Policies for further details.

Field Determination Summary

• Players with an unused FJT exemption will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Players without an FJT exemption - all other entries are held until the entry closing date.  Shortly after the closing date, a computer-generated, random draw is performed to determine which entries are accepted, and the order of the alternates.   All players are notified of their status after the random draw is conducted,
• An alternates list will be posted to the FJT website under "Tee Times & Player Information".

Click here for further details.

Registration

Registration will be available prior to the first round. ALL players are expected to register. General tournament information will be distributed at registration.

Tee Times & Pairings

First round tee times and pairings will be available on the website. After the completion of the first round, all competitors will be repaired by score, within their age group, for their next round. Final round pairings will be available approximately one-hour after the final score has been posted. Pairings will be available on the website, at the club, and will be sent via text message. It is the player's responsibility to be at his/her respective starting tee at least 10 minutes prior to teeing off. We recommend that you always see your tee time in black and white (in print), and if you still have questions, please contact an FSGA Official at the host facility.

Rules

USGA Rules of Golf will govern play. Review the FSGA Hard Card and Pace of Play Policy. The Notice to Players (local rules and hole locations) will be distributed on the starting tee.

Range Finders - Electronic distance measuring devices are NOT allowed.

Music - Phones and other devices that play music should not be used at the tournament site.  Listening to music during a competitive round will generally result in disqualification under the Rules of Golf.  This is true for all types of competitions - not just FJT.

Pace of Play

The FJT uses a checkpoint pace of play policy that provides no verbal warnings throughout the round. Each group is responsible for playing under the allotted time or finishing each checkpoint hole within 15 minutes of the group ahead of them.

Pace of play will be strictly enforced with anticipated rounds to be less than 4 hours and 45 minutes. We strongly recommend that all players and parents read and understand the Pace of Play Policy.