HOMESTEAD, Fla. – In the hot conditions at Redland Golf & Country Club, two first-time winners emerge as victorious over some tough competition. Jacob Menard’s consistent rounds of 71-71 earned him a one-stroke victory while Jaime Baker won the Girl’s Division by two strokes.
Boys (13-15)
On Saturday morning, our competitors were off to a hot start when a couple of players captured multiple birdies to begin their round. No one started better than Jacob Menard, who birdied four of his first five holes. Lawson Ford eagled his first hole and was four-under through eight holes to sit tied with Menard in the early stages of round one. As the day progressed and all players made their way through round one, only a few found their way under par. At the conclusion of round one, Ford and Haoting Zhou sat atop the leaderboard at three-under par. One-stroke back in solo third place, was Buffalo, NY native Joseph Bueme. The only other two players who finished under par after round one were Menard and Spencer Shropshire, shooting one-under 71 on the day.
Sunday proved to be tougher for our players, with slightly warmer temperatures and higher winds. Our top three in the Boy’s division struggled on their front nine holes, which created a tight leaderboard heading into the final stretch. Menard separated himself from the field, with two birdies in his final nine holes. The class of 2027 graduate held on to a one-shot victory, his first on the FJT, over Ford, who finished in solo second. Bueme rounded out the top three, finishing the weekend at one-over par.
Girls (13-15)
Birdies were a little harder to come by for the Girl’s Division Saturday morning. Our leader after round one was Jacksonville native Chloe McGrath. Three bogeys and a lone birdie on her second hole gave way to a round of two-over 74 and a two-shot lead. Sitting in solo second place was Fernanda Carrion, who shot a four-over 76. In a three-way tie for third place, Jaime Baker, Catalina Dolan, and Sophia Christy, all sat three shots back of the lead after round one.
Similar to the Boy’s Division, the top performers from Saturday in the Girl’s Division got off to a slow start on Sunday. This gave way for an opportunity to seize the lead, which was taken by Jaime Baker. The Lake Worth native was even on her front nine and finished with two birdies in her last four holes to secure her first FJT victory. Dolan finished in solo second place after shooting a four-over 76 on Sunday. Solo third place was claimed by Carrion, who was ten-over for the weekend.
