Next 100 Junior Invitational

Rudometkin & Clark Prevail at Next 100

HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. – Andrew Clark and Lisa Marie Rudometkin prevailed against tough competition, at the second Next 100 Junior Invitational hosted by Mission Inn Resort & Club, Jan. 4-5.

The Next 100 Junior Invitational was established in 2019 as a way for junior golfers to gain experience and find their college golf home. Players and parents had the opportunity to attend a college coaches panel on the evening prior to round one. Due to inclement weather causing a three hour delay during round one, the event was shortened to 18 holes on both day one and two. The juniors faced tough competition, weather, and colder temperatures to kick start the New Year.

College Coaches Panel 

• 100 players and parents attended the panel
• Thank you to Steve Napoli (Head Men’s Golf coach at Holy Cross) and Heather Wall (Head Women’s Golf coach at Nova Southeastern)
• College Coaches on Site: Central Florida, Dayton, Holy Cross, Kent State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Nova Southeastern, Rollins, South Alabama, Texas Southern, UNC Charlotte, West Virginia

Boys' Division

A tight leaderboard concluded round one, with Yuze Zhang, of Windermere, at the top. Three birdies on the back nine earned Zhang the round one lead at even par 72. Reggie Zhu and Stephen Hickham started round two one stroke behind.

Andrew Clark, of Winter Park, climbed up the leaderboard, erasing a two stroke deficit, due to a final round 75.  A strong finish with birdies on holes 15 and 16 moved Clark into a tie for first place with Zhang. Despite a rough second round start, Zhang, previous FJT champion, finished with a birdie on the 14th hole to tie Clark at five over-par 149. Clark and Zhang continued to the 18th hole to determine the champion. Hitting his second shot to four-feet, Clark finished the first playoff hole with a one putt birdie to be crowned victorious.

Girls' Division

Lisa Marie Rudometkin, Emily McLatchey, and Jordan Fischer finished round one tied for the lead at five over-par 77. The three juniors fought back and forth in round two making for an exciting finish. Rudometkin, of Wesley Chapel, started strong out of the gate with a birdie on the first hole to turn at 37. Fischer, of Cape Coral, and McLatchey, of Winter Park, fell behind after front nine scores of 40 and 41 respectively. Despite Fischer’s birdie on the 13th hole and eight pars in her final nine she could not overcome Rudometkin’s lead. Rudometkin birdied hole 14 to finish with a 75 and secure her first place victory at 152. Fischer finished one stroke behind in second place with a final round 76.

Third place was claimed by Caiyi (Flora) Zhang, of Bradenton, after a near flawless final nine holes. Zhang started the second round two strokes back after a round one 79, and finished with eight straight pars for a 75 and 154 total. Despite back to back birdies on holes 10 and 11, McLatchey fell to fourth place, three strokes back, at 155.
 

$325 entry fee
No membership is required

The Next 100 Junior Invitational was established in 2019 as a way to help junior golfers find their college golf home. This event is strictly for juniors who are not in their senior year of high school, who have yet to verbally commit to a college or university, and are outside of the top 100 ranking overall on the Junior Golf Scoreboard. Along with 54-holes of individual stroke play competition, there will be an accompanying College Coaches Panel. The concept of this tournament has been enthusiastically received by college coaches who will be able to attend between semesters at their college/university and who will come to evaluate talented players not already committed. As a result this Invitational is a great way get out of the cold and come down to sunny Florida to showcase your game on a national level. 

Tournament rounds are being played on the El Campeon Course at Mission Inn Resort & Club. Mission Inn has played host to the Florida State High School Championships, the NAIA National Championships, The Florida Senior Open and many other prestigious championships. Built in 1917 by George O'Neil, this parkland design will prove to be a challenge with it's rolling fairways and undulating greens. A sound strategy is need to successfully maneuver around this Central Florida track expected to draw the attendance of  several men’s and women’s college coaches.

Over 20 college programs on site in 2019.

Click here to view the club's website.

Format

• 54 holes of individual stroke play (no cut)
• 72 total players (Approximately 52 boys & 20 girls)
• Boys & Girls of all ages (size of field will be determined based on the amount of entries per gender)

Eligibility Requirements

• Male or female junior golfer with a Junior Golf Scoreboard ranking
• Players must NOT be a senior in high school (2021 graduate or younger)
• Entry is for players ranked outside the top 100 overall on the Junior Golf Scoreboard as of November 13, 2019
• If you have committed or verbally committed to a college or university, you are NOT eligible

Divisions and Approximate Yardages

• Boys Division - 6,700 - 6,900 yards 
• Girls Division - 5,800 - 6,000 yards 

How Entries are Accepted

• After the close of entries, the field will be determined by the golfers standing on Junior Golf Scoreboard, www.juniorgolfscoreboard.com. The better ranked players will be placed in the tournament field until the limit is reached.
• Players not making the field will be placed on the alternates list in order of their Junior Golf Scoreboard ranking.
• An alternates list will be posted on the Florida State Golf Association website under Junior Golf - "Tee Times & Player Information".
• Entries submitted after the entry deadline (late entries) will be added to the bottom of the alternates list or used to fill any current openings in the field.

How to Enter

Entries must be submitted through the FSGA website. To enter, each player must have an account on this website (free to setup). Click the  "Enter" button above.

Entry Fee

The entry fee of $325 includes tournament rounds, range balls prior to tournament rounds, crystal trophies, opportunity to attend the college coaches panel, practice rounds, and a tee gift. 

Late Fee:  A late fee of $10 will applied to entries received after the entry deadline. The entry fee and late fee will only be charged if the player gets accepted into the tournament field.

Schedule of Events

Friday, January 3rd - Practice Round  

10:30 AM - 1:30 PM - Practice Round window (paid for in tournament fee)
6:00 PM - College Coaches Panel at Mission Inn Resort (Serra/Coronado Room)

Saturday, January 4th - Round 1 & 2 (36-holes)

6:15 AM - 9:00 AM - Player Registration
7:20 AM - 9:10 AM - Round 1 tee times off of the 1st and 10th tees
- Boxed lunch to be provided at scoring
- Round 2 tee times to begin immediately following the completion of Round 1

Sunday, January 5th - Round 3

7:30 AM - 9:20 AM - Final Round tee times off of the 1st & 10th tees
Awards ceremony immediately following the close of the competition

Practice Rounds

Practice rounds are available on a first come first served basis on Friday, January 3rd between the times of 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM. This practice round is covered in your entry fee. Please call 352-324-3885 to arrange your practice round. Should you wish to schedule a practice round outside of this block, it is your responsibility to book and pay ($50 + tax). The proper place to practice your golf swing is on the driving range, hitting multiple shots on the course, not filling divots, and not repairing ball marks are unacceptable and may cause removal from the tournament without a refund.

AJGA Performance Based Entry (PBE)

Boys

• Champion will receive four performance stars
• Top 10% will receive one performance star

Girls

• Champion will receive four performance stars
• Top 10% will receive one performance stars

National Rankings

• Ranked by Junior Golf Scoreboard & World Amateur Golf Rankings

Other Policies

• Spectators & Carts - Spectators are allowed. Spectators carts are available first-come, first-served at $25 + tax per day, per cart.  Click here
• Caddies - Caddies are not allowed
• Range Finders (Electronic Measuring Devices) - are allowed (see Local Rules link below)
• Championship Pace of Play Policy - Click here
• Local Rules and Conditions of Competition - Click here
• Championship Policies - Click here to read the withdrawal, dress code, and other policies.
• Procedures for Alternates - Click here for information on how alternates may gain entry into this tournament.
• Conditions/ Schedule - The FSGA Championships Committee/on-site Rules Committee reserves the right to alter any of the conditions, provisions and/or schedules.  The
  decision of the Championships Committee/on-site Rules Committee in any matter will be final.

Hotel & Accommodations

$129 + tax & resort fee ($16)
Call Mission Inn Reservations at 1-800-874-9053 to reserve.
Reservation cutoff date - Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Directions

Mission Inn Resort
10400 County Road 48
Howey-in-the-Hills, FL 34737

Click for Map