OCALA, Fla. – The FJT Stone Creek Open (16-18), hosted by Stone Creek Golf Club, provided strong winds on Saturday and cooler temperatures on Sunday. A great test for these talented juniors. In the end, Layla Pedrique and Parker Severs emerged victorious.
Boys (16-18)
Despite the strong winds, the first round saw some great golf from some of the most talented juniors in the state. Anthony Monteleone, Parker Severs, and Rowan MacDonald all fired opening rounds of 1-under par to sit in a three way tie for the lead. Severs carded five birdies on the day, while Monteleone carded four. However, it was Rowan Macdonald who provided fireworks on his final stretch of holes. Sitting at 2-over through 15 holes, the 2025 graduate from Cantley, FL eagled the par-5 16th hole, then followed it up with a hole-in-one on the 17th. A bogey on 18 would drop him back to a share of the lead. Three players sat one shot off the lead at even par, looking to make a charge on Sunday.
One of those players was Lorenzo Rodriguez. The Miami native looked to take the lead early, which he did. Going out with a 3-under par 33 on the front nine. Severs and MacDonald kept the momentum going as well. Both carding a 1-under par 35 on the front nine. It would be a battle until the end. Rodriguez’s lead increased as both Severs and MacDonald would bogey the par-5 11th hole. But in the end, it was Parker Severs who would birdie three of his last six holes to finish at 4-under par for the tournament. Good enough for a two shot victory over Lorenzo Rodriguez, Rowan MacDonald, Mingbo Jiang, and Luke Balaskiewicz.
Fun fact: this was Parker’s second ever tournament at Stone Creek Golf Club. The last time he played there, he finished in last place. An incredible redemption story for the future Florida Gator.
Girls (16-18)
Valentina Marie Guertin, Layla Pedrique, and Krishny Elwin all started round one hot. Each carding a 2-under par 34 on their opening nine. However, the back nine really showed its teeth as the wind picked up later in the day. Guertin would double bogey the 10th hole, but bounced back with back-to-back birdies on 15 and 16. She would finish the back nine with a 3-over 39, for an 18-hole total of one-over par 73. Both Elwin and Pedrique would card three bogeys on the back nine, tying Guertin at the top of the leaderboard at 1-over par. Chloe Chang, Maggie Potash, and Lauryn Finley all would sit one shot back, looking to take advantage of better scoring conditions on Sunday.
Round two would prove to be just as exciting as round one in the Girls Division. Layla Pedrique continued her steady play with an even-par 36 on her opening nine. The FSU commit then birdied two of the first three holes on her second nine to take a comfortable 3-shot lead. However, Ann-Sophie Borgault got the putter going late. She would card four birdies in her final seven holes to cut Pedrique’s lead down to one. Needing a par on the 36th hole to secure the win, Pedrique crushed her drive, leaving only a wedge into the green. She hit a great approach shot to 15 feet, where she would two putt for her par, claiming victory at 1-under par. This was Layla’s first FJT win of the year. Borgault finished solo second at even par, and Chloe Chang secured third place at 2-over for the weekend.
