Junior Match Play Championship (Boys 13-15 & All Girls)

Strafaci & Hayakawa Capture Titles

Tyler Strafaci and Maho Hayakawa, captured their division titles at the Junior Match Play Championship. Harmony Golf Preserve hosted the Boys’ 13-15 and the Girls' 13-18. The event was held July 24-27.

Second seed, Tyler Strafaci, of Davie, won the Boys 13-15 age division Championship after defeating Zack Justice, of Orlando, 5 and 4. Strafaci got off to a hot start in the final match and never looked back. Tyler was 4 up after six holes, carding birdies on 2, 3, 5, and 6. After winning holes 8 and 9, Strafaci would take a commanding 6 up lead into the final nine holes of the match.  Justice made a slight rally by winning holes 10 and 11 to get the deficit back to 4 down, but Strafaci was too much, making an eagle on the 14th hole to close out the match.  In route to the finals Strafaci defeated, Clayton Osterhout, of Jacksonville, 3 and 1, Chase Cutshall, of West Melbourne, 1 up, and Greyson Porter, of Clearwater, 1 up.

Maho Hayakawa, of Lake Mary, won the Girls 13-18 age division Championship after defeating Athena Yang, of Winter Haven, in 19 holes.  In the final match, Hayakawa would trail 2 down after 12 holes, but after a chip in birdie on 13, the momentum shifted. Hayakawa would win 15 and 16 to take a 1 up lead into the 18th hole. After an uncharacteristic 3 putt from Hayakawa, Yang would capitalize to force extra holes. On the 19th hole Hawyakawa would make a routine par to win the title. After rounds of 70-69, Hayakawa earned the number 1 seed for the match play portion of the event.  In route to the finals Hayakawa defeated Marisa Messana, of Plantation, 2 up, and then defeated the 2013 Girls’ Junior Champion, Taylor Lyle, of Orlando, 1 up to earn her spot in the finals.

This marked the first year that the Junior Match Play Championship featured 36-holes of stroke play before the match play portion of the event. The Boys' 13-15 division featured the low 16 scores and the Girls' 13-18 division was trimmed down to the low 8 players. Full Story

Final Results

Entries Close Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Match play is the oldest and most exciting format in golf, a format that is not commonly used in this day and age.  The Junior Match Play allows juniors a chance that they may not otherwise have to play in this exhilarating format at a terrific golf course. 

New for 2013:

• 36-hole stroke play prior to match play
• Stroke play portion ranked by Junior Golf Scoreboard
• Low 16 scores (boys) and low 8 scores (girls) advance to match play 

Eligibility

Female amateur golfers ages 13-18 and male amateur golfers ages 13-15 as of July 27, 2013.

Entry Fee

$110 ($120 - players who do not have an active FSGA/GHIN Handicap).

Seeding and Championship Format

Wednesday, July 24th & Thursday, July 25th
36 holes of individual stroke play; 18 each on Wednesday, July 24 and Thursday, July 25. Boys 13-15 will be cut to the low 16, while girls 13-18 will be cut to the low 8. A playoff will be held immediately after the seeding round to determine the the last place qualifiers if necessary. All ties for seeds within brackets will be determined randomly.

Championship Field Size

80 players (max)

Course Set-Up

The golf course will be set-up at approximately
6,500-6,700 yards (Boys 13-15)
5,700-5,900 yards (All girls)

Brackets

Boys 13-15 - Championship bracket of 16 players after the 36-hole stroke play qualifying rounds.

Girls 13-18 - Championship bracket of 8 players after the 36-hole stroke play qualifying rounds.

Flight sizes may be adjusted to accommodate entries

Seeding and Championship Format 

Wednesday, July 24th
36-holes of individual stroke play; 18 each on Wednesday, July 24 and Thursday, July 25 to identify the low scores for match play (16 in the boys division and 8 in the girls division). Players will be placed in brackets and seeded based on their seeding round score.

Thursday, July 25th

Players play their 2nd 18-hole seeding round in the morning.  The field is cut to the low 16 (boys) and 8 (girls).  The boys will play their first round match in the afternoon. A playoff will be held immediately after the seeding round to determine the last qualifier's place in the Championship if necessary. Starting times will be posted on the scoreboard, players will have approximately 30 minutes before their matches.

Friday, July 26th

The girls will play their first match (round of 8), and all remaining boys play their second round of matches in the morning. All players winning their round of 8 matches will advance to the semi-final matches in the afternoon. Afternoon starting times will be posted on the scoreboard. Players will have approximately 30 minutes between their second and third round matches.

Saturday, July 27th

The Girl's and Boy's Final 18-hole match will be played in the morning.

Scheduling of matches may be adjusted due to weather and field sizes.

Divisions

All players must compete in the age division commensurate with their age as of the last day of the Championship. No players are allowed to play out of their age division.

Rankings

Stroke play and match play rounds are ranked by the World Amateur Golf Rankings. The 36-hole stroke play portion of the Championship is ranked by Junior Golf Scoreboard.

AJGA Performance Based Entry (PBE)

Boys 13-15

• Champion and Runner-Up receive 2 performance stars

Girls 13-18

• Champion receives 8 performance stars
• Runner-Up receives 4 performance stars
• Semifinalists receive 1 performance star

Practice Rounds

Practice rounds are available one week prior to the championship.  Practice rounds may be played after 12:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday.  The price for a practicee round is $30.00 + tax.  Please call (407) 891-8525 to arrange your practice round. Parents may play for $40.00 plus tax. The proper place to practice your golf swing is on the driving range, hitting multiple shots on the course is unacceptable.

Defending Champions

Tyler Bakich of Valrico captured the Boys 13-15 age division and Lauren Riehle of Wesley Chapel claimed the Girls 13-18 age division.

Exemptions Earned from this Tournament

Winner

• Next year's Boys' Junior Championship

Championship Pace of Play

Click here to read the Championship Pace of Play Policy.

Hard Card; Local Rules and Conditions of Competitions

Click here to read the Hard Card and additional Conditions of Competitions.

Championship Policies

Click here to read the withdrawal, dress code, caddie and spectator and other policies.

Spectators and Caddies

Spectators are always welcome at FSGA Championships. Spectators are allowed to ride and the cost of a spectator cart is $20 plus tax. Spectator carts will be very limited and are on a first-come, first-served basis. Players are not allowed to employ a caddie. 

Click here for spectator policies.

Conditions; Schedules

The FSGA Championships Committee/on-site Rules Committee reserves the right to alter any of the conditions, provisions and/or schedules.  The decision of the Championships Committee/on-site Rules Committee in any matter will be final.

Accommodations

There are a few options, but most hotels are about a 20-30 minute "easy" drive from the club. FSGA staff typically stay in Melbourne (25 minute drive) at either the Fairfield Inn, Holiday Inn Express or the Marriott Courtyard. Another option is staying in Kissimmee which is a little closer, but the drive isn't as easy (more lights) and there are less restaurants.

Click on "Hotels" in the Tournament Link box to the right or use the internet to search for deals. Please note any cancellation policies prior to making reservations.

Payment

Harmony Golf Preserve accepts cash and Visa/MasterCard for method of payment.

Directions

Harmony Golf Preserve
7251 Five Oaks Drive
Harmony, FL  34773

Click here for directions