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Graham and McChrystal Win at Disney

November 28, 2005

Wesley Graham battled it out in a playoff to win the boys 16-18 age division as Megan McChrystal goes wire-to-wire winning the girls 16-18 age division in the Florida Junior Tour (FJT) event at the Walt Disney World Golf Resort in Orlando on November 25-27, 2005. Blayne Barber captured the boys 13-15 age division while Alexis Thompson overcame a two stroke deficit to win the girls 13-15 age division.

In the boys 16-18 age division, Wesley Graham, 15, from Port Orange, made par on the fifth playoff hole to win his first FJT title. Graham and J.C. Horne advanced to a playoff after each posted a tournament total of 5-under par 211. Graham, the 2004 and 2005 Boys’ Junior Champion of the 13-15 age division, led after the second round with scores of 71-70. Graham then blasted another 70 in the final round to put him in the playoff versus Horne. Horne, 18, from Ormond Beach, fired a 3-under par 69 in the final round and combined with his first two scores of 70-72 put him in contention. Jacob Davidson, 18, from Jacksonville, finished with a tournament total of 2-under par 214 for third place while Zachary Walters, 16, of Clearwater, was also under par for the tournament recording a 215 to finish in fourth place.

Megan McChrystal, 17, from Stuart, came out on top in the girls 16-18 age division shooting a tournament total of 225 to win her first FJT title. McChrystal fired a 1-under 71 in the first round and two 77's to lead the division of 12 girls. Jaime Brabb, 17, of Maitland, shot a pair of 77’s in the first two rounds and then posted a 74 in the final round to finish in second place with a tournament total of 228. Sandra Changkija, 16, from Orlando, last season’s FJT girls 13-15 Player-of-the-Year, took third place posting 81-74-75--230.

Blayne Barber, 15, from Lake City, led all rounds to win the boys 13-15 age division and his first FJT title. Barber’s 76 in the final round gave him a tournament total of 218 to win by two strokes. Barber shot even par in the first round and 2-under par 70 in the second round to stay in front in the division. Tyler Herndon, 15, from Davie, finished in second place with scores of 76-72-72--220 and Julian Suri, 14, from St. Augustine, jumped into third place shooting a final round score of 74 to give him a 223 total.

In the girls 13-15 age division, Alexis Thompson, 10, of Coral Springs, came back from two strokes down to win by two strokes over Madison Pressel. Thompson, playing under a special exemption, posted a tournament total of 224 for the overall low of the two girls divisions. Thompson recorded rounds of 75-73-76. This win adds to Thompson’s first place finish at the PGA Golf Club event in October. Pressel, 14, from Boca Raton, finished in second place after her final round score of 80. Pressel shot a 1-under par 71 in the first round and 75 in the second round to lead after the first two rounds. Christina Miller, 13, of Bradenton, took third place with a tournament total of 227.

More than 250 entries were received for the 90 player field. The field consisted of 71 exempt players which left only 19 spots for non-exempt players. This is the only event of the 2005-2006 season that featured both age divisions playing 54-holes over three days. For the first time, both age divisions played from the same set of tees on Disney’s Palm Course to be eligible for the Golfweek/Titleist ranking and because this event is considered a major for the FJT. Boys played 6,772 yards while girls played 6,090 yards.

Conducted by the Florida State Golf Association, the Florida Junior Tour (FJT) is a junior golf tour offering highly competitive and affordable competitions for juniors in Florida. The 2005-2006 season consists of 15 events for juniors, male and female, ages 13-18. Beginning September and running through May, the FJT schedule will play at some of the state’s top courses including PGA Golf Club and the Walt Disney World Golf Resort. This year will feature a 54-hole event for both age divisions as well as the first four-ball event. The FJT’s focus is on quality, affordability and integrity. Tournaments consist of 36 holes conducted over 2 days, typically weekends, with an entry fee of $95. Scholarship entry is available to junior golfers unable to afford the entry fee.

Working closely with the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA), FJT top competitors will receive exemptions and performance points towards AJGA events. The FJT is the only Florida tour to participate in the AJGA’s Performance Based Process. In addition, all FJT events will be ranked by Golfweek/Titleist and Junior Golf Scoreboard. The FJT will maintain a points list to assist in determining Junior Player-of-the-Year and invitations to other tournaments.

To view complete pairings, tee times, and results, please see www.floridajuniortour.org.