BOWLING GREEN, Fla. – After three days of intense competition at Streamsong Golf Resort, with 258 of Florida’s best junior golfers battling through heat, pressure, and three separate weather delays, two players emerged at the top: Mingbo Jiang and Ana Boone.
71st Boys’ Junior Championship
168 of the state’s best junior male golfers gathered at Streamsong Resort in hopes of etching their names in the history books. Split in between two courses (Blue and Black) scores during round one were quite low on both golf courses. Mingbo Jiang was the day’s leader carding an impressive nine under 63 with no bogeys on the Black Course. The Black course proved to be the more difficult over the two days, prior to the cut being made. Close behind was Florida State incoming freshman Shawn Coultoff. On a golf course that fits longer players, it was no surprise to see Coultoff at the top of the leaderboard.
Early changes in the leaderboard began with Clark Mason making an aggressive charge towards the top of the leaderboard. After hitting his drive on 8 into the water, Mason hit his third to 20 feet and drained the putt to make a crucial par save to keep his momentum going. William Lisle made a late charge and battled the suspensions to tie Clark Mason at 13-under par and the clubhouse lead. Overnight leader Mingbo Jiang, struggled coming in with bogeys on his last two holes.
With the sun rising over Streamsong Resort and only 73 players remaining after the second round cut, saying the leaders got off to a hot start would be an understatement. In the second to last group, Ambrose Kinnare hit his drive on the first hole to about four feet and drained the eagle to get within one. On the second hole, Coultoff also made an eagle to tie the lead. The final group teed off, with two players making birdie (Jiang and Mason).
Slowing down for the next few hours, Mason hung onto at times a two-shot lead. After bogeys on 12 and 13, Mason, Lisle, and Jiang found themselves in a three-way tie for the lead. All three of them then proceeded to birdie 14. Standing on the 15th tee, the horn blew and play was suspended for about two and a half hours. Coming back out, Jiang separated himself from the pack and birdied the 15th. A clutch two putt on the 17th kept Jiang one shot above Lisle. Coming down the 18th, Coultoff in the group in front found himself one shot back. However, a wayward tee shot and a three putt bogey knocked him out of contention.
Mingbo Jiang hit the middle of the fairway on the last, hit his approach shot with the club twirl of a lifetime, and two-putted to win the 71st Boys’ Junior Championship.
Although Lisle was unable to take down Jiang in the overall division, he was able to secure a win in the 13-15 division with a 16-under par total.
66th Girls’ Junior Championship
The leaderboard remained tightly packed through the opening two rounds of the Girls’ Junior Championship. The course played tough on day one, challenging much of the field, but a more forgiving setup on day two opened the door for lower scores, and several players capitalized.
After posting a 1-over 73 in the opening round, Ana Boone stormed back with a second-round 67 (-5), placing her just one shot off the lead heading into the final day. During the final round, she wasted no time making her move, carding an eagle on the par-5 second hole and adding a birdie on the fourth. That momentum carried throughout the round, as Boone stayed in control from start to finish.
Krishny Elwin, who began the day atop the leaderboard, played steadily until a costly double bogey on the 14th hole dropped her back to 3-under. Meanwhile, Iris Lee was quietly mounting a charge. Back-to-back birdies on the 15th and 16th, followed by another on 18, gave her a 2-under 69 and brought her to 6-under for the championship.
Boone, playing in the group behind, sat at 8-under as she approached the final hole. A bogey on 18 proved inconsequential — she had already built a comfortable cushion to clinch the title on Streamsong Red’s 18th green, a fitting conclusion on a course rich with personal history.
In 2024, Boone narrowly lost in the final match of the Girls’ Junior on the very same course. This year, she returned with purpose, and left with redemption.
With the win, Boone has cemented her name into Florida golf history and punched her golden ticket into the 76th U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Georgia.
Iris Lee captured a second-place finish overall, which secured her the 13-15 Division title. Lee posted round of 70-71-69--210 at just 12 years old. Rounding out the top three was a tie between Ayana Hiranaka and Krishny Elwin, both finishing at 4-under total.
Boys' Junior Results | Girls' Junior Results
