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Girls' Junior Amateur Championship

Kim, Stone, & Castaldi Rise to Victory

With a day guaranteed for excellent golf, it was Jenny Kim and Latanna Stone who put on the best show to claim the 2017 Girls' Junior State Amateur Championship in the 16-18 and 13-15 age divisions, respectively. Playing the Oaks Club in Osprey, the field was cut yesterday and left Jenny Kim and Alyssa Lamoureux leading in the 16-18 division whereas Katie Yoo held the 36-hole lead in the 13-15 division. 

The stage was set as Kim and Lamoureux headed to the first tee today and Yoo was the one to beat in the 13-15 age division. 

In the 13-15 age division, it looked like Katie Yoo had complete control over the field after the first nine holes. Starting off with a birdie, Yoo increased her lead with another birdie on the eighth hole to get to eight-under par for the tournament. Yet coming down the stretch, Yoo made uncharacteristic mistakes with bogeys on the 11th and 16th and a double bogey on the 15th to drop to four-under for the tournament and shoot a two-over par, 74 today. With the door open, Latanna Stone made a charge for the top spot on the leaderboard. Beginning her day with a birdie at the first, Stone added eight more pars to her scorecard and made the turn at one-under par. With a bogey at the 14th, Stone dropped to four-under for the championship. Her crucial moment of the round came at the 17th, a 475-yard par 5, when she rolled in a putt for birdie to get to five-under. With a par on the final hole, Stone finished the day at one-under par and finished the championship five-under par, one shot ahead of Yoo. 

In the 16-18 age division, it was a battle to the finish for Jenny Kim and Alyssa Lamoureux. Both started out with a bogey on the first, however it was Lamoureux who bogeyed the second hole to put herself one-shot back of Kim. However, Lamoureux fired back with two birdies while Kim could only scrape one, so after six holes, both were tied at the top of the leaderboard again. Two costly bogeys on the eighth and ninth holes left Lamoureux with a two-shot lead at the turn. Yet while Lamoureux was the player who fired on the front nine, it was Kim on the back nine who managed to get back to even par after birdies on the 11th and 12th holes. When both players reached the par-five 15th hole, both were tied for the lead at even-par, but after a bogey by Lamoureux on 15, Kim regained solo lead of the championship. With a one-shot lead on the final hole, Kim had the opportunity to seal the deal and become the champion. However, a devastating double bogey dropped Kim to two-under for the championship and into a tie with Lamoureux, who bogeyed her final hole to drop another shot. 

While the players had completed their 54 holes, the competition was still not over yet. With Kim and Lamoureux sitting again at the top of the leaderboard tied, it was time for a playoff to determine who would walk away a champion. With a tie on the first hole, Lamoureux and Kim went to the second playoff hole in hopes of crowning a new champion. With a par at the second, Jenny Kim outlasted Alyssa Lamoureux to win the championship. 

After 54 holes of excellent golf from the best junior girl golfers in the state, Jenny Kim and Latanna Stone will forever have their names etched in history as a Florida Girls' Junior Amateur State Champion. 

16-18 & 13-15 Final Results

The Girls' Junior Amateur Championship features an additional age division, 12 & under. Those competing in the 12 & under participated in two, nine-hole rounds that took place Tuesday and Wednesday at the Oaks Club. After the first round on Tuesday, Brianna Castaldi of Port Saint Lucie dominated the field with an even-par, 36. Next closest to her was Eliza Kodak and Addison Klonowski, both from Naples and both of which shot 40. As round two unfolded, Brianna stood strong and did not let the rest of the field come near her. Shooting a one-over par, 37, Brianna finished the competition with a one-over par, 73. Her score of 73 was good enough for a five shot victory over Eliza Kodak, who shot a two-over par, 38 for round two. 

The Girls' Junior Amateur Championship features an additional age division, 12 & Under. Those competing in the 12 & Under participated in two, nine-hole rounds that took place Tuesday and Wednesday at the Oaks Club. After the first round on Tuesday, Brianna Castaldi of Port Saint Lucie dominated the field with an even-par, 36. Next closest to her was Eliza Kodak and Addison Klonowski, both from Naples and both of which shot 40. As round two unfolded, Brianna stood strong and did not let the rest of the field come near her. Shooting a one-over par, 37, Brianna finished the competition with a one-over par, 73. Her score of 73 was good enough for a five-shot victory over Eliza Kodak, who shot a two-over par, 38 for round two. 

12 & Under Final Results

Round 2 Story |  Photos 

Championship Format

• 156 player field size
• Regular (16-18) and Junior (13-15) Age Divisions
  • 54 holes of individual stroke play
  • All players play 18 holes each on the Eagle and Heron courses on Tuesday, June 27th and Wednesday, June 28th. 
  • After 36 holes, the field will be cut to approximately the low 70 players and ties. The exact cut size for each division will be proportional to the number of players entered in each division.
  • The final 18 holes will be played on Thursday, June 29th on the Heron Course. The lowest score for 54 holes will be the Champion.
• 12 & Under Division:  18 holes of individual stroke play; 9 holes played on Tuesday & Wednesday
• Players may play up from the 12 & Under Division to the 13-15 Division with permission from the FSGA (see eligibility below); however, players may NOT play up into the 16-18 Division.

Eligibility

• Female amateur golfers
• Florida resident
• Entrant must be no older than 18 as of the last day of the Championship and not attending college if graduated from high school. See exception here.
• Entrant is not required to be a member of the FSGA
• All players will compete in the age division commensurate with their age as of the last day of the Championship. See following exception:
• Players 12 and under may play up to the 13-15 age division if they have been granted permission to play in the 13-15 age division of the Florida Junior Tour

$120 (ages 13 to 18) $60 (ages 12 & Under) - Entry fee includes all competitive rounds of golf, tee gift, and a player lunch after each round. Late entries will be accepted subject to a $10 late entry fee should the entrant gain acceptance into the field.

Schedule of Events

Tuesday, June 27th

Entry Priority

Entries will be accepted based upon the order of receipt. Entries received after the competitive field is full or after the close of entries, will be placed on an alternates list. Alternates will be contacted in the order of receipt of entry, if and when, a spot becomes available in your respective division.

Approximate Yardage

• Regular Division (16-18 years) - 6,000 yards
• Junior Division (13-15 years) - 5,700 yards
• 12 & Under Division - 2,500 yards (9 holes)

AJGA Performance Based Entry (PBE)

Girls 13-15

• Top 3 finishers receive 2 performance stars

Girls 16-18

• Top 3 finishers receive fully exempt status
• 4th and 5th place finishers receive 12 performance stars
• 6th to 10th place finishers receive 8 performance stars
• 11th to 15th place finishers receive 4 performance stars

Practice Rounds

Practice rounds are available ONLY on Saturday-Monday, June 24-26th (after 12:00 PM on the weekend) on a space available basis. Players are allowed ONE practice round on both the Eagle and Heron courses at the rate of $30.00 + tax. Any additional practice rounds will be at the rate of $95 + tax. Please call (941) 966-2191 to arrange your practice round. The proper place to practice your golf swing is on the driving range, hitting multiple shots on the course is unacceptable.

Defending Champions

An impressive low round of the day in the 16-18 division gave Alyssa Lamoureux a four-stroke victory! Lamoureux was runner-up in the 13-15 division last year and came back to seek redemption in the 16-18 division this year. Despite a double bogey on the second and 13th hole, Lamoureux never ran out of positive energy. In her final nine holes she carded four birdies to finish with a two under-par, 70 to seal her win.

Siyan Chen went wire-to-wire to win the 13-15 division by one-stroke after a final round two under-par, 70, tournament total 211 (-5). Chen was challenged by Alexa Pano, who posted the same two under-par final round score, but held tight to her lead. Starting out strong, Siyan birdied the first, third, and sixth hole to make the turn at two under-par. Pano played tough starting out her front nine with two back-to-back birdies followed by two more birdies on holes four and seven to make the turn at three under-par, one shot behind Chen. Consistent straight pars on Siyan’s final nine holes allowed her to remain in first place. For a look at the 2016 Championship Results click here. 

Other Policies

• Caddies - Caddies are not allowed.
• Transportation - Players must walk and carry their bag (push carts are allowed).
• Spectators and Spectator Cart Policy - Click here.
• 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 Championship.
• 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.

Host Hotel and Accommodations

Holiday Inn Express - Sarasota East
5730 Gantt Rd
Sarasota, FL 34233
(941) 925-0631

Click here to book online

$115 +tax per night - Must book by June 9th

Hampton Inn Sarasota - I-75 Bee Ridge
5995 Cattleridge Blvd
Sarasota, FL 34232
(941) 371-1900

Click here to book online

$105 +tax per night - Must book by May 27th

Method of Payment

The Oaks Club accepts Visa/MasterCard as methods of payment.

Directions - The Oaks Club

301 Macewen Drive
Osprey, FL 34229
(941) 966-2191

Click here for directions