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| PREMIER JUNIOR TOUR |
| E-mail: karen@premierjuniortour.com Phone: 239.822.8590 |
| 2011 RIO PINAR JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT STORY |
Simpson and Stone Claim Victories in Men 16-19 and Women 14-19 Divisions
Jenkins, Yuan, Penny, Li, Chen and Zhang Also Division Champions
October 1-2, 2011
Orlando, FL - A cooler fall weather pattern awaited PJT competitors at Rio Pinar Country Club this past weekend. The cooler
weather and plenty of sunshine provided perfect playing conditions on this historic track. Rio Pinar was home to the PGA Tour’s
Citrus Open which was succeeded by the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The competitors were able to experience a course that
challenged Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Hale Irwin, and Julius Boros to name a few. Rio Pinar also plays host to both the University of Central Florida and Rollins College golf
teams.
For the Men 16 – 19 division, the tournament started with a close race. Joseph Simpson, Tyler Howes, and Devin Eatmon each shot 76 to open the tournament. The excitement didn’t stop after 18
holes though. The three competitors all finished within two strokes of each other at the end of 36 holes with Joseph firing a 74 to pick up his first PJT victory in as many tries. Tyler and Devin shot
75 and 76 respectively to fill out the top three. Devin received 800 points in the season long points chase which moved him into the top 10.
Keeping with the theme of close finishes, the Amateur Men’s division also saw great competition coming down the stretch on Sunday. After a first round 73 Jonathan Jenkins had a 4 stroke lead
over season points leader Patrick Fisher. That 4 stroke lead was quickly caught by Patrick and the two also finished within one stroke of each other with Jonathan edging Patrick in the end.
The closest of the divisions was the Women 10 – 13 year old division. After 36 holes of tough battling, Mimi Chen and Amy Zang were tied. As per the tour procedure, the two headed out onto the
course to start a sudden death playoff. After 37 holes the two still were even and had to continue the playoff. After two drives into the right rough, the competitors both missed the green on the par 4
12th hole. Amy played out of the bunker first and Mimi second. Where Mimi’s chip would finally end would end the weekend at 38 holes. As Mimi picked the ball up out of the hole after chipping in
she would record her 6th win of the year.
In the Men 13 – 15 year old division Carl Yuan was in control of his game this weekend. After a first round 77 he came back on Sunday to shave two strokes off of his first round score posting a 75.
Michael Harjani and Brandon White finished second and third respectively in their first tournament of the 2011 PJT season.
The Women 14 – 19 year old division saw 10 year old Latanna Stone play amazing golf this weekend. In her 4th tournament in this division Latanna shot a 4 over par 76 the first round and shot
the lowest round by a girl in the tournament on Sunday by taking only 71 strokes. She finished the tournament 3 shots clear of Taylor Lyle and Celine Harjani who both shots a two day total of 152.
The ensuing chip and putt playoff saw an exciting swing of momentum between the two competitors. Taylor finally won on the second location on a day that saw the top 3 women of this division all
shoot in the 70’s.
The lowest score of the tournament belonged to Jacob Penny of the Young Men 11 – 12 division. Firing a first round 68 Jacob had a substantial lead going into Sunday. Jacob followed up the
strong first round with a 75 on Sunday to post a two day total of 143. Robby Stockard and Will Ginter finished second and third respectively.
In the Boys 7 – 8 division Aaron Zhang shot a consistent 36 and 38 on each of the two days which is right in line with his season long average. Siddharth Chackravarthy came in second place in
his fourth tournament with PJT this year.
Liz Li of China won the Amateur Women division with a consistent showing shooting 79 Saturday and 78 Sunday. Liz’s average for the season in now set at 79.
See the Rankings pages to see the 2011 Points Race standings, and don't forget, the PJT will give trophies for the first several place finishers at the Tour Championship in December!
Premier Junior Tour's next tournament is October 15-16, 2011 at The University of South Florida's "The Claw" Golf Course, home of the Men's and Women's USF Golf Teams! See you there!
Tournament Stats:
18 Hole Per Day Divisions
Low 36 Hole Score: 68-75-143 - Jacob Penny (YM11-12)
Low 18 Hole Score: 68 - Jacob Penny (YM11-12)
9 Hole Per Day Divisions
Low 18 Hole Score: 36-38-74 - Aaron Zhang (Boys 7-8)
Low 9 Hole Score: 36 - Aaron Zhang (Boys 7-8)