Sugar Mill FJT (16-18) Champions
Boys' Champion - Brandon Mancheno | Girls' Champion - Siyan Chen
RECAP - The Florida Junior Tour was in New Smyrna Beach at Sugar Mill Country Club on September 10-11. Beautiful weather conditions and pure greens allowed players to attack the course all weekend resulting in numerous low rounds.
In the boys’ division, there were a total of 7 under-par rounds after the opening round. Jake Grula, of Winter Park, and Cole Castro, of Homestead, led the field after posting rounds of four under-par, 68, on Saturday. Not far behind sat Thomas Allkins, of Lake Mary, and Brandon Mancheno, of Jacksonville, tied for third at three under-par. Jacob Penny, of Valrico, would start round two in fifth place after a first round two under-par, 70.
This year’s Girls’ Junior Champion and Girls’ Junior Match Play Champion, Siyan Chen, of Howey-in-the-Hills, had the early lead by three strokes after a first round four under-par, 68, in the girls’ division. Tied for second place with opening rounds of 71, were Macy Somoskey, of Sandford, and Alyssa Lamoureux, of Seminole. Alone in fourth place was Saint Augustine resident, Katherine Jakeway, with an even par first round.
Sunday’s final round crowned Brandon Mancheno victorious for the third time this year on the Florida Junior Tour. Mancheno scored one stroke better in his second round for a 137 total and a win by two strokes! Brandon was two over-par through five holes but started to turn it around with three back-to-back birdies on holes six through eight. Finishing with a second round total of seven birdies, 2015 Junior Player of the Year, Brandon Mancheno finished first. Thomas Allkins carded a final nine holes of two under-par, 34, to finish with a second round 70, tournament total 139. Allkins tied Mancheno in the Boys’ Junior this year and finished two strokes shy of his first FJT victory at Sugar Mill Country Club. Cole Castro rounded out the top three, finishing with an even par 72 for a 140 tournament total.
Siyan Chen is no stranger to winning at Sugar Mill Country Club and with two rounds of 68, she earned her first FJT victory in only her second FJT start. Chen won the Girls’ Junior Match Play at Sugar Mill CC in July and with an eight under-par 136 total won the FJT by eight strokes. Ramya Meenakshisundaram, of Jacksonville, tied the tournament low with a final round 68 to finish tied for second place with Brittany Shin, of Cape Coral. Meenakshisundaram and Shin finished with a 144 even par total. The top three girls posted an under-par final round but Chen was the only girl with an under-par total.
