PALM COAST, FLA. – Cold and windy conditions were the theme of this weekend’s tournament. Alexandra Snyder would continue her streak of excellent play and Brooks Colton would capture his first FJT (13-15) Division victory in wire-to-wire fashion.
Boys (13-15) Division
Narrowly escaping a frost delay, Palm Harbor Golf Club would be a demanding 36-holes for our competitors. The lone under-par round of the day belonged to Brooks Colton, who shot a 1-under 71, highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 twelfth hole. Colton, a freshman from Riviera Beach, said the key to playing in these conditions is to keep it in the fairway. “Keeping the ball in the fairway is key to shooting a good score, especially on a tight course like this”. Two shots behind Colton were two players that shot 1-over 73, including Jaspreet Kondal and Ryan Woodward. Six other players sat within four shots of Colton’s lead heading into Round 2.
Slightly colder temperatures and swirling winds meant that the final round would be an even tougher test for the field. Colton hoped to keep the momentum going early in the round. However, he would bogey the first hole. Brooks didn’t let that opening stumble affect him for very long. He would go on to birdie holes 4 and 5 and get right back on track. After starting 6 shots off the lead, Seunghwa Baek looked to make a late Sunday charge, firing the low score of the day at 1-over 73. But Colton was able to battle the harsh conditions and post a day two score of 2-over 74. Good enough for a 5 shot victory and his first in the (13-15) division. Baek and Giancarlo Aguirre Jr. finished at six-over par and a tie for second.
Girls (13-15) Division
After Round 1, two girls sat atop the leaderboard shooting a two-over 74, Alexandra Snyder and Lisa Copeland. Playing in her first FJT in nearly a year, Copeland started off a little shaky but performed well down the stretch in order to share the Round 1 lead. Sitting in solo third place, just two shots back, was Claire Liu, who would join Snyder and Copeland in Sunday’s final pairing.
Round 2 would be a fight until the end in the Girls division. Lisa Copeland and Alexandra Snyder began their round on the back nine. An early bogey from Copeland would give Snyder the momentum after Snyder made birdie. They would remain neck and neck for the rest of the round. Snyder held the momentum down the stretch with a birdie on hole 4, but a double bogey on hole 5 opened the door for Copeland and they went into the 36th hole tied at 7-over par for the tournament. After a bogey from Copeland, Snyder needed just two putts two sink her par and secure her 6th FJT title in her last 8 starts. Copeland finished solo second at 8-over par and Claire Liu secured solo third at 10-over par.
