BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. – The Florida Junior Tour headed to Bonita Springs, where Copperleaf Golf Club played host to our juniors over a weekend of beautiful weather. Liam Fernandez was crowned as our champion in the Boys (16-18) division, while Sophia Dyer took the title in the Girls (16-18) division.
Boys (16-18)
At the end of the first round, Liam Fernandez held the solo lead after a great round of four-under par 68. His round was highlighted by five birdies and a lone bogey on Saturday. Behind Fernandez sat six players at two-under par, all tied for second place. These players included Gabriel Prisciandaro, Tommy Wang, Jack Cook, Jack Newell, Amine El Omari, and Dalton Wilkes. Two other players finished the day under par, Finley Foster & Kaden Latreille. With so many players in the mix, we were set up for an exciting finish for our final round on Sunday.
On Sunday morning, our Boys’ division leaders got off to a hot start. Our round one leader, Liam Fernandez, was three under through his first nine holes but was now tied for the lead at seven-under par total. Jack Cook, a senior from Tallahassee was five-under on his front nine, including three birdies and an eagle. As our players turned to their final nine holes, round one leader Fernandez began to pull away from the rest of the field. With three birdies in a four hole stretch, his lead would grow to four shots entering his final hole. With an routine par on the 18th hole, Fernandez would claim victory at nine-under par total and earn his first Florida Junior Tour Victory! Jack Cook and Tommy Wang would finish in a tie for second place at six-under par.
Girls (16-18)
Sophia Dyer, the 95th Women’s Amateur Champion, was the lone player under par in the Girls division on Saturday. Her one-under par 71 was good enough for a three-shot lead heading into Sunday. Sitting in a tie for second place were Phoenix Scanlan & Taryn Nguyen. Victoria Feng, the youngest player in the girls’ field, rounded out the top four at three-over par, finishing strong after going two-under par in her final seven holes.
On Sunday, Dyer would continue her great play early. She started her final round with three birdies on her first five holes to extend her lead to six strokes. Making the turn, Dyer was up by five strokes over Nguyen, a two-time FJT Champion. The St. Petersburg native would pull away down the final stretch and further extend her lead. She finished the day at four-under par total, which was good for an eight-stroke victory over Nguyen, who finished in solo second place. Rounding out the top three in the girls division were two players, Abigail Lee & Phoenix Scanlan.
