THE VILLAGES, Fla. – Four juniors claimed titles at the Futures Championship at Glenview Champions Country Club. In the Boys (11-12) division, William Richards won in a 7-hole play-off. Boys (9-10), Reed Abdelnour prevailed by four shots. In the Girls (11-12) division, Alexandra Snyder won on the 6th play-off hole and Harper Zhai won the Girls (9-10) division by five shots.
Boys (11-12)
William Richards tied the low round of the day in round 1 after opening the championship with an impressive 5-under par, 67. Richards stood on the 16th tee tied for the lead at 2-under par. He would then go on to birdie holes number 16, 17 and 18 to finish three shots clear of his nearest competitor. Jeremy Castellanos would find himself in second place after day 1 after firing a 2-under par, 70. Castellanos played steady throughout his round making four birdies and two bogies. Rounding out the top three at 1-under par was Shane Frasure.
Round 2 was a tight race between William Richards and Jeremy Castellanos. Castellanos came out swinging as he went 3-under through three holes with a birdie on hole 2 and an eagle on hole 3. The Windermere native continued his birdie streak with another two birdies on the front nine, shooting an impressive 5-under par, 31. After the turn, Castellanos was very consistant with only one birdie and one bogey. William Richards didn't start off as hot as Castellanos as Richards recorded a 2-over par, 38, for his first nine holes. Richards regained his confidence as he made the turn by making one birdie on hole 10 and having a birdie streak on holes 13, 14, and 15. After 18 holes, the two boys would be tied for the title. Extending their battle to 7 extra holes, Richards battled and came out victorious as the Boys (11-12) Futures Champion.
Girls (11-12)
The Girls (11-12) divison would see some stellar play on the first day after five players shot in the red numbers. Leading the way, equaling the low round of the day was Catalina Dolan at 5-under par. Dolan's opening round 67 was highlighted by an impressive nine birdies. Three shots back heading into the final round were the duo of Mila Zalsman and Qiaoyi Lyu. Both players shot an opening round of 2-under par, 70. Lyu's opening round was highlighted by three birdies in a row from holes seven to nine and an eagle on the par five, 12th hole. Zalsman would aim for the top spot in the final round with hopes of joining her older sister as a state champion.
With the final round commencing, the Girls (11-12) division was a tight nit race until the very end. Iris Lee, Catalina Dolan, Alexandra Snyder, and Victoria Feng would all finish within two shots of each other. In the end, Feng and Snyder would finsh 18 holes both at 5-under. They would continue on to a six hole play-off, where both girls would match each others energy and score. It wouldn't be until the sixth play-off hole Alexandra would make a 6-foot birdie putt to secure her title and be crowned the Girls (11-12) Futures Champion.
Boys (9-10)
Reed Abdelnour would have the lone under par round on day one in the Boys (9-10) age division. The West Palm Beach native made five birdies throughout his opening round to finsih at 1-under par, 71. Abdelnour would take a four-shot lead into the final round over Benny Minter. Minter opened up the Championship with a 3-over par, 75 and would have some work to do on Sunday to catch the leader. In third place was Jonathan Castellanos at 5-over par.
The final round, Reed Abdelnour would continue with his four-shot lead as he battled the course. With four bogies on the front and only one birdie on the back, Abdelnour would allow his fellow competitor, Benny Minter, to close the gap. Minter, with one bogey and one birdie, was able to secure an even-par front nine, 36. After the turn, Minter would then fall behind by a few strokes due to a double on hole 16. Abdelnour would then fire off four birdies on his back followed by two bogeys on holes 16 and 18. After a battle with the course, Reed Abdelnour would then secure the title as Boys (9-10) Futures Champion shooting a 71-73-144.
Girls (9-10)
After three top 3 finishes in FJT's this year, Michelle Lu would seek her first victory at the Futures Championship. After an opening round of 2-over par, 74, she would put herself in a good position to do just that. The Orlando native would have to battle it out on Sunday with Harper Zhai who sat only one shot back at 3-over par. Rounding out the top three at 8-over par were the pair of Chelsea Lang and Leila-Alexis Pouncy.
The final round would see Michelle Lu and Harper Zhai contend with eachother for the champion title. Lu played consistent golf throughout the final round making 14 pars along with four bogies. Her 4-over par total in the final round would put her at 6-over par total. Starting the day in second place, Harper Zhai would set her sights at the top after opening her final round with a 1-under par, 35. Zhai would make four birdies along with two bogies in the final round to fire a 2-under par round of 70. This would vault her to the top of the leaderboard and allow her to claim the title.
