Perfect weather on Saturday led to an impressive six scores under-par in the boys’ division. Andre Leveque, of Windermere led the pack by one stroke after round one at six under-par, 66. 2015 Boys’ Junior Amateur Champion, Alberto Martinez, of Weston sits one stroke back after a 67 on day one. Colin Kresl and Tim Graham finished the day tied for third after carding a three under-par 69. The remaining under-par scores of the day were posted by Han (Harry) Xue and Leo (Shiryu) Oyo. Han finished in fifth place with a 70 and was followed by Leo in sixth place with a 71. There would be a tight race to seize victory in Sunday’s final round!
As the leaders teed off in the final round, the wind gusts picked up to about 20-25 miles per hour, which made for tougher course conditions.
The final group of the day battled through the winds to finish in the top three spots of the boys’ division. Leveque and Martinez went back and forth fighting for the outright lead but after both making pars on their final four holes, finished tied for first with a 141 tournament total. Martinez posted a second round two over-par, 74, while Leveque carded a three over-par, 75. The tied leaders went back to the 18th hole, which was playing 433 yards straight into the strong winds. The 18th hole played as the hardest hole both days of the tournament. Alberto missed the green left with his second shot and Andre landed his second shot 15 feet from the hole. With two putts, Andre secured his par and victory! Colin Kresl, of Lakeland fired a final round 74 for a 143 tournament total and third place finish.
In the girls’ division, Windermere resident, Wenyan Ma played a steady first round to take the early lead at one over-par, 73. Familiar names chased Wenyan after round one! Ailsa Clark, Alyssa Lamoureux, 2015 Women’s Amateur runner-up, and Alexa Pano, recent winner of Amelia Island FJT in February, tied for second with a three over-par 75. Three strokes back, tied for fifth, was Julia Towne and Lara van Staden after a round one 76.
The second round of the girls’ division narrowed down to a fight between Lamoureux and Ma. Lamoureux finished her first nine holes with a 36, while Ma went out in 38 strokes creating a tie at the top going into the final nine holes. Alyssa made birdies on her 11th and 13th hole to take the outright lead that she never let out of her sight. Finishing with an even par round, Alyssa recorded her first FJT victory of 2016 with a tournament total 147. Wenyan came in second place, two strokes behind, with a second round 76, tournament total 149. Julia Towne and Lara van Staden seemed to be twins this tournament posting the exact same scores both rounds to tie for third place with a total 151 (76-75).
The next stop for the 16-18 juniors is Duran Golf Club in Viera, April 16-17. Click here to view the full schedule!
