Phung and Sinha Shine Through the Storms
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – The Florida Junior Tour headed to Coral Springs where Eagle Trace Golf Club hosted its first FJT event over Labor Day weekend. With many weather delays over the three days, the event was shortened to 36 holes and two champions were rightfully crowned.
Boys (16-18)
It would be a marathon weekend of golf with the first round lasting a combined 46 hours with two overnight suspensions. With inclement weather constantly threatening play, the event was shortened to 36 holes. Fifty boys would tee it up on Saturday looking to end their Labor Day weekened with a win and all its spoils. After the first round was finally complete on Monday morning it would be bunched at the top with 5 players tied for the lead after opening rounds of 1-over par, 73's. Those tied at the top would include Hampton Beebe, Ethan Parish, Liam Ly, Clipper Salmon and Wylie Inman. With 18 other players within four shots of the lead, it would be anyone's trophy for the taking as players began their second rounds.
After an opening round of 2-over par, 74, Arth Sinha would sit one shot back of the leaders heading into the second and final round. Sinha would come out firing, making birdies on holes 10 and 14 to turn at 2-under par on the day. The 2025 grad would play flawless golf from there on and never look back, making birdies on holes 4, 8 and 9. Sinha would post a final round 5-under par, 67 to leap ahead of the field and win by three shots at 3-under par. After a number of top 3 finishes Sinha would finally breakthrough to pick up his first FJT victory to go along with his Boys' Junior Championship (13-15) title in 2023.
Ethan Tak would make a run for the lead after making five birdies in his first 13 holes to get to 5-under par on the day and 1-under par total. Bogies on 14 and 18 would drop the 2025 grad out of contention for the title but still having a successful weekend finishing tied for second. Accompanying Tak at even par would be Clipper Salmon after rounds of 73-71--144. Salmon would play steady golf throughout the weekend, making 5 birdies, 3 bogies and 1 double bogey.
Girls (16-18)
The Girls (16-18) drew a stellar field to Eagle Trace with the hopes of taking home the title. Yvette O'Brien would jump out to the early lead after birdieing three of her first four holes to get to 3-under par. An untimely double-bogey on the par five, 5th hole would set the 2025 grad two shots back. O'Brien would follow that up with two more birdies on the front side and a lone bogey on the back nine to post a 2-under par, 70.
Amelie Phung would be O'Brien's nearest competitor after shooting a first round even par, 70. Phung's round would start quite the opposite from O'Brien after finding herself at 3-over par through her first five holes. The Boca Raton native would birdie 5 of her next 11 holes to get to red figures. A bogey on the last would drop Phung to two shots back of O'Brien heading into the final round.
The final round got underway and the battle between Phung and O'Brien continued. Phung would play steady golf to start her round with birdies on 5 and 11 to get to 2-under par on the day. O'Brien on the other hand would make four bogies on the opening 10 holes to fall back to 2-over par and four shots back of Phung. O'Brien would close with two more birdies and one bogey to post a final round 75 and take the clubhouse lead at 1-over par. Phung would make bogies on 15 and 18 to make things interesting but would ultimately win by one shot after rounds of 72-72--144 for an even par total. The Boca Raton native would add this title to her other FJT Major win this year at Seminole Legacy in January.
