Tallahassee, Fla. – Payton Cowhey and Gloria Nip captured the win for the Boys and Girls (16-18) Divisions, while Cameron Baez and Lauren Barned took home the trophy for the Boys and Girls (13-15) Divisions. The sun was shining bright on Saturday and it was a beautiful day in Tallahassee for the first day of the tournament. However, the conditions on Sunday proved to be more challenging with strong and gusty winds and overcast skies. Each champion battled the elements to earn a well-deserved trophy.
Boys (16-18)
The leaderboard was tight through round one with George Goff holding the lead after carding the only under par round of the day in his division with a one-under, 71. Payton Cowhey carded an even par 72 during the first round to sit only one off the lead heading into the final round. Cowhey’s first round highlights included four birdies and a hole-in-one on the seventh hole. Cowhey battled the wind on Sunday to shoot a two-over par, 74 and capture the victory by one stroke. George Goff secured a second place finish and Patricio Gonzalez finished in third only two strokes off the champion.
Girls (16-18)
Gloria Nip not only went wire-to-wire to capture the victory, but this is also her second consecutive FJT victory in only a three-week span. She carded the only under par round in her division with a one-under, 71 to hold the lead by six strokes heading into the final round. Nip then carded a final round of 76 to secure the win by seven strokes. Her tournament highlights included seven birdies over the two days. Additionally, Alexandra Remaklus finished in second place and Abigail Sheldon secured third.
Boys (13-15)
The leaderboard was tied after the first round with Cameron Baez and Gabriel Hull both carding even par rounds of 72. Nemo Tsai held second place only two strokes behind the leaders. Consistency was key for Baez as he carded another 72 in the final round to capture the victory by three strokes. Nemo Tsai secured a second place finish and Bryce Napier finished in third. Napier fared well in the winds as he carded a 75 to move up five spots to capture the third place finish.
Girls (13-15)
Wendy Xizhao Wei fired a five-over par, 77 to hold the lead by two strokes after the first round. However, the final round was an exciting one as Wei tied for the victory with Tiffanie Tran and Lauren Barned. A three-way playoff inevitably ensued and Barned came out as the champion. After Wei was eliminated on the first playoff hole, Tran and Barned continued onto the second hole. Barned outlasted Tran and took home a well-deserved trophy.
