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Exciting Finish to FJT Tour Championship

December 16, 2012

There was plenty of action in the Florida Junior Tour's inaugural Tour Championship at TPC Sawgrass.

It took extra holes to decide the winner of the girls' 13-15 division.  Local player Nicolette Donovan came from to behind to claim victory over Athena Yang of Winter Haven.  Donovan trailed by 2 after Saturday's first round. However, she birdied holes 1 and 2 to shoot 77 and tie the first round leader Yang, and force a playoff.  The sudden death playoff went to the par-5 16th hole where they tied.  Yang then found the water on the famous par-3 17th hole and that was enough for Donovan to claim the title.

The Boys 13-15 division saw equally as much action in declaring a champion.  Robin Wang of Lake Mary was able to capture his second FJT win of the season in a playoff over Carl Yuan.  Yuan, who started the final round two shots behind, made 2 birdies to shoot 72 in the final round.  On the 8th hole in the final round, Wang assessed himself a two stroke penalty, after confirming with an Official, for accidently improving his lie. As he went to address the ball lying in the rough, he gently touched a mushroom near his ball and the mushroom broke off which improved his area of intended swing. Despite the penatly, Wang ended with a 74 to finish tied at 144 to go to a sudden death playoff.  Wang negotiated his way to a par on the 18th hole at TPC Sawgrass' Stadium course to win the sudden death playoff.

The Girls 16-18 division saw the largest comeback of the Championship.  Dylan Kim overcame a 4 shot deficit over Yueer Feng to win the event. Kim birdied holes 2, 3 and 7 to shoot a final round 74. That was enough to overcome the deficit and capture her first FJT victory.  Feng, however won the FJT points title, something of which she is not unfamiliar.

There was only one under par round shot in the Boys 16-18 division and it belonged to the champion Jordan Batchelor of St. Johns, FL.  Batchelor birdied holes 1, 9, 11, 12 and 15 to fire a final round 69 and claim the title.  It is Batchelor's first FJT win.