Gainesville, Fla. - On a weekend where players saw all types of weather conditions, from rain to wind to near freezing temperatures, two players stood above the rest. Chase Bauer was victorious in the Boys Division by nine shots while Miranda Lu took home the trophy in the Girls Division.
Boys (16-18)
Two players would start the 54-hole major with plenty of birdies to see themselves at the top of the leaderboard. Chase Bauer after an opening double-bogey would make three birdies in a row from Holes 12 to 14 on his way to an opening 1-under starting nine. Adding two more birdies on the back nine, the 2028 graduate from Gotha would open with a 3-under 67 to lead the way. Not to fair behind was Lawson Ford as he recovered from his own double-bogey on his fourth hole of the day with four birdies to sit two-back at 1-under 69.
With a two-shot lead, Chase Bauer looked to extend it on Sunday. Following a 45 minute rain delay, the Freshman would make four birdies on his front nine and turn in 31. With two more birdies on the back nine, Bauer would card a 5-under 65 which is one of the lowest rounds in the Florida Junior Tour history at Mark Bostick. What was a two shot lead to start the day had ballooned to eight shots heading towards Monday.
The three players who made the biggest move on Sunday would be Bryson Hughes, Logan Leistner, and Jaspreet Kondal. Kondal’s 3-under 67 would move him up 18 spots on the leaderboard into the final group. Leistner and Hughes, both past Florida Junior Tour Champions, finished under-par on Sunday to set them up in position to make a move on Monday should Bauer falter. Hughes, no stranger to Mark Bostick as the 2022 FJT University of Florida Champion, would look to add another trophy to his resume.
After a frost delay, play began with a shotgun and every player was looking to chase down Bauer. Logan Leistner would strike first from the final group as he would birdie two of the first three holes. Undeterred, Bauer would stay steady as he plotted his way around the front nine at 1-over and make the turn with a seven shot lead.
Bauer would hold on to that lead throughout the back nine, never giving an opening for his competitors. With a final round even-par round, Chase Bauer would capture the first Major of the season at 8-under for the weekend. Logan Leistner held on to second place at 1-over par while Rowan MacDonald, Lawson Ford, and Christian Koehn all tied for third. Christian Koehn’s final round 3-under 67 propelled him 12 spots up the leaderboard into a podium finish.
Girls (16-18)
Making the trip from Pensacola, Abby Vernier would sit atop the leaderboard through 18 holes. With four birdies to combat four bogeys on Saturday, her even-par round would be one better than her three closest chasers. Those three players would include University of Florida commit and reigning Women’s Amateur Champion Sophia Dyer, Team Canada member Miranda Lu, and multiple-time FJT Champion Angela Chu Po Nip.
In Round 2, the aforementioned Miranda Lu would take charge of the tournament. On her opening nine, she would card two birdies and turn in 1-over. A steady back-nine would put her at 3-over for the tournament and a one shot-lead. Her nearest competitors heading towards the final round would be Rice golf commit, Amelie Phung, who’s 1-over 71 would tie for the best round of the day in the girls division putting her in position just one shot back going into the final round. Right behind Phung, Eva Lye’s 2-over 72 would plant her in the final group going into Monday’s final round.
In the final round, Miranda Lu would drop three shots through their opening nine leading to a tie at the top with Amelie Phung as the final group made the turn. Lu would take command of the tournament as they made their way to the front nine. Birdies on Holes 2 and 5 would give her a three shot lead with four holes to play. It would be a lead she would not relinquish, as she went on to win the first Major of 2025. At 5-over for the weekend, she would cruise to a two shot victory over the pair of Phung sisters, Amelie and Alexandra. They would tie for second as Alexandra moved 5 spots up the leaderboard with a final round 3-under 67.
