Naples, Fla. - As the 2025 FJT season winds into the final month, players looked to book a ticket to the FJT Tour Championship in October. Kaden Latreille and Lily Wachter seized the opportunity at Eagle Creek Golf & Country Club with their victories.
Boys (16-18)
In Round One, all eyes were on the hometown kid, Kaden Latreille, as he got off to a blazing start with birdies on two of the first three holes. The 2028 graduate from Naples is coming off a 3-0-0 appearance for the victorious South Team at this year's Junior Florida Cup, also held in Naples. Even with a bogey on his fourth hole, Latreille held steady at or near the top of the leaderboard all day Saturday, finishing at 1-under. The only player to best Latreille would be senior Geoffrey Laklak. Laklak's opening birdie was complemented with another on the par-5 15th to turn in bogey-free two-under. A steady even-par back nine would give him the one shot lead heading into the final round.
For all of Sunday, Laklak and Latreille would continue to trade birdies. Latreille got it going early with a birdie on the 3rd and the 6th hole to take the lead, but Laklak would secure back-to-back birdies on 7 & 8 to take it back. However, bogeys on the 9th and 13th would see him trailing Latreille by two shots as he birdied the 10th hole as well.
An unfortunate double-bogey for Kaden Latreille came on the par-5 15th to square the two yet again. Latreille would bounce back quickly on the 17th hole with a birdie to go to 18 with a one shot lead. On the dog-leg left par-4, both players tee shots would drift too far left and find the penalty area. Geoffrey Laklak would steady himself to make bogey even with the penalty shot and when Latreille missed his bogey effort the two would be headed to a playoff.
The playoff would begin on the 10th hole with both players making par. More of the same came when the duo went to the par-5 11th, as each player managed to make a par to continue the battle. Kaden Latreille would seal the deal as he drained a 10-footer for birdie on the third playoff hole. The win is Latreille's first in the (16-18) Division while Geoffrey Laklak would finish solo second and Jack Cook would take third.
Girls (16-18)
A field absent a (16-18) Champion on the season, it was anyone's tournament to go out and capture. Darci Wagner was the first one to take charge, with four birdies on her opening nine holes, she set the pace for the Girls Division. At one point, the Vero Beach native had a four shot lead as she got to 3-under for the day. Meanwhile, Lily Wachter was turning the tides to get herself into position with a back-nine 1-under 35. Wachter, a Champion in the (13-15) Division this year, would finish at 2-over 74 and as Wagner stumbled into the gates on Saturday afternoon she would see herself just one shot back looking to pick up her first (16-18) win at just 13 years old. Darci Wagner would finish at 1-over 73, her best round of the year on the Florida Junior Tour, to hold the solo lead into Sunday.
On Sunday, it would continue to be a battle between Wagner and Wachter with the two seperating from the pack. Both players would make a birdie on their first three holes, but a bogey by Darci Wagner on the 13th would tie the two, which is where they would find themselves going into the final nine.
Each player would make one birdie and one bogey on their back nine and come to the 9th hole all tied at the top. Darci Wagner's tee shot would drift right, putting Wachter in the driver's seat as she stood over her second in the fairway. When the Saint Augustine native would find the green on her approach, she would have at least two putts to win the event. A closing par to Wagner's double bogey would see the 13-year old lift the trophy after a closing 1-under 71. Darci Wagner's two day total of 3-over 147 would leave her in solo second while Sofia Rivera would move up the leaderboard into solo third.
