Aaron Leach | Jessy Huebner | Morgan Rodriguez | Gloria Nip
Florida Junior Tour (9-12 Division)
- Santa Lucia River Club - Port St. Lucie
- Boys' 11-12: 5,510 yds. 67.4/134
- Boys' 9-10: 4,856 yds. 64.6/121
- Girls 11-12: 4,856 yds. 69.7/127
- Girls 9-10: 4,285 yds. 66.5/120
Weather
- Saturday: Sunny & Breezy, 74 Degrees
- Sunday: Partly Cloudy and Windy, 81 Degrees
Boys 11-12 Division
In the Boys 11-12 Division, Aaron Leach played a remarkable second round to capture his first Florida Junior Tour victory of the year over past champion Nicolas Bencomo. Leach, of Windermere, shot a first round 77 and trailed Bencomo, of Lakewood Ranch, by three shots after the first round. In round two, Leach played a nearly flawless round, shooting 1-over par and besting the rest of the field by three shots. So far this year Leach has not finished outside the top-5, so look for him to be a regular atop the FJT leader boards! Asher Joseph, of Melboune, rounded out the top three with consistent scores of 77-79. Joseph has also had a very strong start to the 2018 season, finishing no worse than third in his past three events.
Boys 9-10 Division
Although strong winds caused tough conditions at the Santa Lucia River Club, Jessy Huebner was able to navigate the field to win his second FJT event of the 2018 season. Huebner, of Port St. Lucie, is a very strong contender on the FJT circuit, with a scoring average of 75.3 so far this year. In the past three events, Huebner has finished first, second and first. This weekend was a little different than his past two events however. This week, Huebner needed some additional magic to get the win over Jiacheng Xu, of Winter Garden. After the two players tied for first place after 36-holes with scores of 159 respectively, they headed to the 10th tee box to settle the winner. After tying the first hole, Huebner hit his approach shot on the par-4 11th hole to just a foot! He would tap in for birdie and secure his second win of the year. Clipper Salmon, of Tampa, rounds out the top three in this division with his second consecutive third place finish.
Girls 11-12 Division
Gloria Nip, of Port St. Lucie, records her third consecutive victory after rounds of 79-76 for a 155 total. Nip is a staple on the FJT circuit, finishing in the top-three in each of her last four events played. With a 2018 scoring average of 74.5, it is easy to see Nip continues to put herself in position to win tournaments. Arenui Faana, of Lake Mary, finished second after consistent rounds of 79-78. Faana also has a stellar FJT record, finishing no higher than fourth in her last four events. Rounding out the top three in the girls 11-12 division was Alessandra Lorenz, of Plantation, with scores of 79-81.
Girls 9-10 Division
Morgan Rodriguez, of Delray Beach, wins her second event of the year. Rodriguez is off to a great start in the 2018 season, already winning twice and finishing second in the other event she played in. Angela Nip, of Port St. Lucie, finished second after rounds of 77-80 found her six shots back of Rodriguez after 36 holes. Nip previously finished third at the FJT at Ocala event. Remi Bacardi, of Coral Gabels, finished in third place after grinding out two tough rounds. This is Bacardi's first time placing in an event, as she has previously finished just outside the winners circle in the previous three events.
The next Florida Junior Tour 9-12 event will be held at Buckhorn Springs Golf & Country Club in Tampa, April 21-22. Read more about the event and enter here.
