FORT MYERS, Fla. - Estero Country Club would play host to the FJT Estero (13-18) *Non-Exempt* event, with 80 juniors seeking to claim their breakthrough victory. The Non-Exempt event provides a crucial opportunity for players to earn FJT exemtpions heading in the Fall and Spring of 2026.
Boys (16-18)
The Boys (16-18) division would see some tight competition during round 1. Santiago Navarro would separate himself from the rest as he looks to earn his first FJT victory. Navarro would play consistent and flawless golf on day 1, en route to a bogey-free round of 2-under par, 70. The 2026 grad would pick up birides on the par 5, 2nd hole and par 4, 16th. Navarro would hold a two shot lead over Keaton Fannin with 18 holes to play.
The winds would pick up on Day 2 as some players saw this as an opportunity to pick up some shots on the field. Starting the final round three shots back of the lead, Benjamin Muecke would have to play some exceptional golf to challenge Santiago Navarro. Muecke would be up for the challenge as he would birdie five of his opening seven holes to get to 4-under par for the event and two shots clear of the overnight leader, Navarro. Davis Daigle would insert his name into the conversation as well as he would sit at 4-under par on the day thru 11 holes, and 2-under par total for the event. The back nine would play tough for all competitors as players at the top of the leaderboard began to make errors. Daigle would make bogies on holes 13, 15 and 16 to fall to 1-over par for the event. Muecke would have a tale of two nines, making four bogies on the back to post 31-40--71 in the final round to finish in 2nd place at even par. Edwin Fenton would find himself at the top of the leaderboard when it mattered the most. Hovering around even par for most of the event, the Bradenton native would make four birdies on the back nine and six total for a final round of 4-under par 68. The 2027 grad would jump 6 spots up the leaderboard on the final day to claim his first FJT victory.
Boys (13-15)
Thomas Hess III would find himself at the top of the leaderboard at the conclusion of round 1 after an opening round of 1-over par, 73. Similar to Navarro, Hess would make birdies on the 2nd and 16th holes, along with three bogies throughout his round. Only two shots back, the duo of Charles Sundermeier and Nanxi Ren would look to make a move to the top come Sunday.
Sundermeier would take matters into his own hands on day two. Starting his round on the 10th hole, the Lake Worth native would make birdies on holes 17, 1 and 3 to get to 3-under par on the day and even par for the event. The 2029 grad would make a bogey on the 4th hole and then par in to fire a final round of 2-under par, 70 and post a 1-over par total for 36 holes. Thomas Hess III would put together rounds of 73-75 to finish in 2nd place at 4-over par. The duo of Drew Brink and Nanxi Ren would finish at 6-over par and a tie for third place.
Girls (16-18)
This event would prove to be a real opportunity for players to earn crucial FJT exemptions heading in the Spring of 2026. Olivia Gagliardi would have her sights set on just that. Starting her round with a bogey on her first hole, the Clearwater native would quickly bounce back with biridies on holes 3 and 5 to get to 1-under par on the round. Three bogies on the back nine, would culminate in a 2-over par, 74 in round 1. The 2026 grad would sit atop the learboard by two shots over Phoenix Scanlan and Kaitlyn Hummers at 4-over par.
Hummers would start of stong in round 2, making birdies on the 13th and 15th holes to get tot two over par for the event and grab the lead from Gagliardi after an untimely bogey would drop her back to 3-over par. However, Gagliardi would continue to play consistent golf on day 2 making one bogey and one birdie on her opening nine holes to turn at 2-over par for the event and grab the lead back from Hummers after a trio of bogies to close her opening nine holes. Gagliardi would slowly make her way back to the field on the final nine holes, making an untimely double bogey on the par 3, 5th hole.Two further bogies on holes 6 and 7 would give her a one-shot lead over Hummers with two holes to play. A birdie on the 8th hole by Phoenix Scanlan would put the 2027 grad in a tie for second place, also one shot back. Gagliardi would ultimately make par on the final hole to earn her first FJT victory by one shot at 6-over par. Scanlan and Hummers would finish one shot back in a tie for second.
Girls (13-15)
A past FJT winner in the (11-12) division, Michelle Lu would look to make her mark in the older division. The Orlando native would play very consistently golf in round 1, making 15 pars along with three bogies. Sitting in a tie for the lead with Lu would be Sarah Earle. The Jupiter native made birdies on holes 5 and 16 en route to her 3-over par, 75.
Michelle Lu would separate herself from the rest early in the second round after making a birdie on the 11th hole. The 2030 grad would turn at even par and take a comfortable four shot lead into the final 9 holes. Lu would eventually fire a final round of even par, 72 to post a 3-over par total for the event. Jade Macfarland would jump one spot up on the leaderboard to finish as runner-up at 8-over par while Sara Valentine would round out the top 3 at 10-over par.
