BOWLING GREEN, Fla. – History was made today as the Boys’ and Girls’ Junior began at Streamsong Resort with 258 players teeing it up on the Red (Girls), Blue and Black (Boys) courses. Low numbers were flying in the first round of the 71st Boys’ Championship, while the difficult Red Course prevailed in the 66th Girls’ Junior Championship. Read below to see how it all went down!
What Happened
71st Boys’ Junior Championship
Fireworks erupted on the first day of the 71st Boys’ Junior Championship at Streamsong Resort. Mingbo Jiang fired a first round 63 (-9) to lead the way by two shots over Florida State incoming freshman Shawn Coultoff who shot 65 (-7).
Jiang caught fire during his second nine of play making four birdies in a row. Hitting iron shot after iron shot close was the key to Jiang’s success today as he looks to keep it going into the second round on the blue course.
On the Blue Course, Shawn Coultoff finished at seven-under par (65) to begin his quest for a second Boys’ Junior Championship. A golf course like this fits Coultoff’s game extremely well, where he is able to capitalize on his length. It truly showed as he made two eagles within his first 11 holes.
Sitting a few shots back at six under are four players, two of them being on Team Florida. Parker Severs, Clark Mason, Vlad Alexander Bercea and Cameron Baez all look to strike tomorrow to catch Mingbo Jiang.
66th Girls’ Junior Championship
The 66th Girls’ Junior Championship provided a tightly contested opening round at Streamsong’s Red Course, setting the tone for what promises to be an exciting week.
Leah Gram came out firing, reaching 5-under before making the turn. A bogey on the 11th dropped her to 4-under, and a double-bogey on the challenging 16th hole eventually brought her back to a 2-under 70. Despite the stumble, Gram held the early lead and stayed well within contention.
Joining her atop the leaderboard early was Youyang Li, who also carded a 2-under 70. Li’s round featured five birdies and showcased consistent play, earning her a share of the clubhouse lead as scores began rolling in. Iris Lee also was among those sitting in tied for second place after firing a 2-under 70.
As the afternoon progressed, Evyn Cannon and Sofia Rivera surged ahead. Both players posted rounds of 3-under 69 to take the outright lead over Gram and Li. Rivera tallied five birdies on her nearly flawless card, with her only blemish coming on the 15th. Cannon’s round was equally composed, highlighted by four birdies.
The leaderboard remained crowded throughout the day, with numerous players just a few shots off the pace.
What’s Next
In the Boys’ Junior Championship, players will swap between the Blue and Black courses for the second round, with tee times starting at 7:30 AM. Meanwhile, the Girls’ Championship will continue on the Red Course, also with tee times starting at 7:30 AM. By the end of the day, the boys field will be cut to the low 70 and ties, while there is no cut for the girls.
Notable (Boys)
- Bryce Napier holed out for eagle on the signature “punch bowl” green on the Black Course.
- Thirteen eagles were made, two of them coming from Team Florida member Shawn Coultoff
- Three players (Matthew Marigliano, William Lisle and Jack Mokris) are atop of the 13-15 leaderboard with rounds of 67 (-5)
Notable (Girls)
- Only two players, Evyn Cannon and Sofia Rivera shot below a 70, and only nine players shot below par.
- The 18th hole on the Red Course played the easiest while the 15th hole played the most difficult.
- Evyn Cannon sits atop both the 13-15 Division and the overall leaderboard, while Leah Gram and Iris Lee are tied for second in both categories.
Quotable (Boys)
“I stuck to my swing thought. On an open course like Streamsong it is crucial to do that. I used my length to my advantage and was able to make a lot of birdies” – Clark Mason describes how he was able to stay patient and consistent on Black today.
“The Blue Course wasn’t playing too easy today– the pins were kinda hard. Got off to a solid start, had a really great up and down on my second hole and kind of stayed really steady throughout the rest of the day.” – Shawn Coultoff on his first round 7-under 65.
Quotable (Girls)
“I played really well today, my driver was on point and my irons and wedges I was hitting pretty close all day. I had a lot more birdie opportunities throughout the day that I could have made, but I think that it's my ball striking that got me to 3-under.” – Sofia Rivera on her first round 3-under 69 .
“The Red Course is a beautiful course and it's gettable but you definitely have to play smart and in the right spots and stay out of the bunkers. My round was pretty consistent and I made a lot of good birdies and pars. I had one bad hole, but it’s all good.” – Leah Gram on Streamsong’s Red Course.
