OCALA, Fla. – It was Nathan Drummond and Dannika Hines who outlasted the field and the weather and emerged as champions at the FJT Candler Hills Open (13-15). This 36-hole event saw adverse playing conditions in the final round as rainy weather evolved into high, gusty winds as the round progressed.
Boys (13-15)
Nathan Drummond posted a 71-70 to secure the victory by two strokes over the field. Drummond shared the lead after the first round with Shayaan Kim and Seunghwa Baek. Drummond carded four birdies in the first round en route to a one under par. The second round brought challenging playing conditions as morning rain turned into gusting winds. However, that proved to be no problem for Drummond as he proceeded to shoot a two-under par 70 to grab the victory. Drummond birdied three out of his first four holes of the final round to extend his lead quickly. He then went on to post three birdies on the back nine including a birdie on the 18th hole to end his tournament in style.
In addition, Seungwa Baek finished in second place posting scores of 71-72. Baek posted five birdies over the 36 holes and hung close to Drummond’s lead all the way to the last hole. Nolan DeForest finished in third place shooting consistent scores of 72-72.
Girls (13-15)
Dannika Hines secured her wire-to-wire victory with scores of 68-75. Hines outlasted the field by three strokes. Her 68 in the first round was the lowest round across the entire field. She carded an impressive seven birdies in the first round and then added one more in the final round for eight total birdies over 36 holes.
Moreover, Emma McKoan finished in second place shooting rounds of 74-72. Even though the weather added a level of difficulty, McKoan managed to improve by two strokes in the final round.
In addition, there was a six-way tie for third place between, Emma Sanabria, Krystine Basteiro, Stella Moritz, Callie Nelson, Maya Fujisawa Keuling, and Elli Chon.
