VALRICO, Fla. – Four were crowned champions on Sunday in the final 9-12 Florida Junior Tour event of the year. Shayaan Kim and Elyse Meerdink took home the win in the 11-12 division, while Josiah Joseph and Alexandra Phung were victorious in the 9-10 division at River Hills Country Club.
Kim and Phung were the only two players in the field to finish the weekend under par, posting a 3-under 141 an 2-under 142, respectively.
Boys (11-12)
Kim earned his first FJT victory of the season, going wire-to-wire and carding a 3-under 141 for the weekend. He got the tournament started with an even-par 72 in the first round, finishing the day with two eagles and two birdies.
Beginning the final round with two-shot lead over the field, Kim birdied four of five holes on Nos. 2-6 and finished the front nine at 3 under. The Rockledge native finished the day with an even-par back side to take home the seven-shot victory.
Kim’s final-round 69 was the low round of the tournament. Patrick Pinkey finished runner-up at 4-over 148, while Nicholas Brown carded a 5-over 148 to finish third.
Girls (11-12)
Meerdink captured her second FJT win of the season, ending the weekend with a 10-over 154. She got the weekend started with a first-round 75, finishing the day with three birdies to hold a two-shot lead over the field.
The Tampa native got the final round started with a 6-over front side. Meerdink turned it around with an even-par back nine to earn the one-shot victory. Callie Nelson and Leonie Tavarae both took a share of second place at 10-over 154.
Boys (9-10)
Joseph went wire-to-wire to capture the 10-shot victory in the Boys (9-10), finishing the weekend with a 3-over 147. He got the weekend started with a first-round 73, birdieing back-to-back holes on Nos. 12-13 and added another on the 15th.
Heading into the final round with a six-shot lead over the field, Joseph got the round started an eagle on the par-5 second hole. The Sarasota native finished with a 1-over front side. He ended the day with a 1-over back nine to secure his first FJT win.
Niko Gordic-Ronderos took home a runner-up finish at 13-over 157, while Cyrus Joseph finished the weekend with an 18-over 162 to earn third place.
Girls (9-10)
Phung picked up her third FJT win of the season with a 10-shot victory, posting a 2-under 142 for the tournament. The Winter Garden native got the weekend started with a 2-under 70, finishing the day with three birdies.
She got off to a strong start in the final round, carding a bogey-free first nine with a birdie. The New York native kept it rolling on the final nine with two birdies to finish with an even-par 72 and take home the win.
Xiyao Zhang finished second place at 8-over 152, while Claire Yang earned third place at 13-over 157.
Results
