PALM HARBOR, Fla. – The Florida Junior Tour will head to Innisbrook Resort this weekend for the 2019 Tour Championship. Here are five things to know before the championship begins on Saturday.
Boys’ and Girls’ Amateur Champions in the Mix
Justin Ross and Kaitlyn Schroeder, the 2019 Boys’ and Girls’ Junior Amateur Champions, are set to compete this weekend and will look to add to their already impressive resumes this season.
Schroeder had a breakout 2019 season, capturing her first FSGA Championship and two Florida Junior Tour wins. She raised the trophy in the 13-15 Division at the Girls’ Junior Championship in June, while also picking up FJT victories at Stone Creek Golf Club and Country Club of Winter Haven.
The Jacksonville native had a Round of 16 appearance at the Florida Women’s Amateur Championship in June. She also advanced to the Round of 32 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship with her partner, Celeste Valinho.
Ross also put together a standout year, securing an FSGA championship title and one top-ten FJT finish. The Boca Raton native took home the win at the Boys' Junior Amateur Championship in July at Streamsong Resort. He will look to continue his impressive play this season and lock up the 2019 FJT Points List Champion accolade in the Boys 16-18 division.
Junior Player of the Year in Field
The 2019 Boys' Junior Player of the Year, Nicholas Gabrelcik looks to close out his tremendous season with a win at this year’s Tour Championship.
Gabrelcik became a two-time FSGA champion in June, when he captured the Amateur Public Links Championship at Orange County National Golf Club. He added a Florida Junior Tour win this season, taking first place at Black Diamond Ranch in May.
The University of North Florida commit teed it up in the Florida Open Championship in June, where he was the third youngest player in the field. He earned low-amateur honors with a tie-for-sixth finish.
Gabrelcik’s best finish at the Tour Championship was a tie for fourth back in 2016, he looks to improve upon that when he tees it up on Saturday.
A Field Full of Winners
Thirty-six FJT winners from the 2019 season will be competing later this week at Innisbrook, including Schroeder and Gabrelcik. Eight of those 36 winners have captured more than one FJT or FSGA Championship win in 2019.
Shawn Lalmoni earned five FJT wins this season: Trump National Doral, Bear Lakes Country Club, Heritage Oaks Golf and Country Club, Country Club of Winter Haven and East Lake Woodlands Country Club.
Sam Kodak is the only defending champion playing in this year’s Championship. The Naples native is coming into the championship with three FJT top-ten finishes this season, including two second-place finishes.
Innisbrook Resort Set to Host
Innisbrook Resort will play host to the Tour Championship for the first time this year. The Palm Harbor course is no stranger to FSGA events, as they hosted the Florida Open Championship in 2018 and the Mixed Shoot-Out Championship earlier this year.
Home to the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship, Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course is home of the famous Snake Pit, which is composed of the 16th, 17th and 18th holes and will ensure an exciting finish to the Tour Championship.
The first two rounds of the championship will be played on the Island course, with the final round on the Copperhead course.
One Points Champion Yet to be Determined
As the 2019 FJT season comes to an end, three out of four of the Points List Champions have been determined.
Skylee Shin has clinched the Girls 16-18 division with 7,776 points, while Shawn Lalmoni has locked up the Boys 13-15 with a total of 5,050 points. Schroeder has added to her resume by winning the Girls 13-15 division with 7,335 points.
The Boys 16-18 division is still up for grabs as there are three players who are within reach of Ross.
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