IJGT Tournament of Champions: Furuya wins overall title
5/27/2014 | by
see also: Harbor Hills Country Club
Ryoto Furuya of Wesley Chapel, Fla., led the Boys 15-19 Division all three rounds en route to his championship title
ORLANDO, Fla. (May 27, 2014) -- The IJGT hosted the 2014 Bridgestone Tournament of Champions on May 24-26, 2014 at Grand Cypress Golf Club. The season-ending tournament was sponsored by Bridgestone Golf and featured a field of 129 juniors representing 17 states and 15 countries. Juniors competed in humid weather with temperatures in the 90s for AJGA stars, national rankings and special tournament exemptions.
Ryoto Furuya of Wesley Chapel, Fla., led the Boys 15-19 Division all three rounds en route to his championship title. In his first Tournament of Champions appearance, Furuya began competition play by carding par or better on 17 of 18 holes in his opening round. Using the 4-under-par score in round one as momentum, Furuya returned for round two to post his lowest score of the tournament, a 5-under-par score of 67. He carried his lead into the final round and despite carding his highest score of the three-day tournament, he went on to secure the title of champion with score of 68-67-75 – 210 overall. A staggering 13 total birdies and a scoring average of 70, the lowest average of the tournament, highlighted Fuyura’s victory.
Finishing in second place was Keshav Sharma of New Delhi, India, helped by 12 birdies and one eagle to tally scores of 73-70-71 – 214 overall. Rounding out the Boys 15-19 Division was Geuntae Kim of Daegu, South Korea, with scores of 71-75-70 – 216 overall. Kim’s final-round score of 70 was the lowest in both boys divisions, earning him the Clazic Belts Low Final Round Award. This award is given to the boy and girl who shoot the lowest score in the final tournament round.
“The first few holes I was very nervous. On the first hole, unfortunately I hit it right and went on to make a double bogey but after the front nine, I still had a lead. I didn’t worry about it, stayed strong and hung in there and managed to come out with a victory,” said Furuya.
In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Oishi began the tournament with his best round where he compiled five birdies and an eagle for a round-one score of 67. The 5-under-par score gave him a four-stroke lead going into round two where three birdies were the highlight of his score of 76. After adding two additional birdies in the final round, Oishi totaled 10 birdies to tie for the most birdies in the Boys 14 & Under Division. He finished the tournament with scores of 67-76-74 – 217.
Just two strokes behind him in second was Ryota Furuhashi of Shizuoka, Japan, who carded scores of 73-76-70 – 219 overall. Furuhashi’s 2-under-par score of 70 also made him a Clazic Belts Low Final Round Award winner. In third was Sampson Zheng of Kissimmee, Fla., finishing with scores of 71-75-74 – 220 overall.
When he compared the New Course to the East/North combination he played each of the three days, Oishi said, “The East/North Courses had too much rough which was tricky. That’s why I liked the New Course better.”
In a tight race in the Girls Division, Kornkamol Sukaree of Bangkok, Thailand, edged out second-place finisher Cara Basso of Downingtown, Pa., for first in in her first-ever IJGT event. Basso came out strong to lead the division after round one, posting a 1-under-par score of 71. In a close second, Sukaree posted back-to-back scores of 73 in rounds one and two to position herself tied for the lead with Basso heading into the final round. With the championship in reach for both, Sukaree tallied her tournament-best four birdies and 10 pars in round three to secure the victory. Sukaree finished the tournament with scores of 73-73-72 – 218 overall. Her round-three even-par score of 72 earned her the girl’s Clazic Belts Low Final Round Award.
Carding just one less birdie than Sukaree in round three, Basso finished in second by one stroke with scores of 71-75-73 – 219 overall. Rounding out the Girls Division in third was Yunjie Zhang of Haikou City, China, with scores of 76-73-73 – 222.
“I just tried to play the best I could each day. My approach shots were really good,” said Sukaree.
About the IJGT Bridgestone Tournament of Champions
Season-ending championship of the International Junior Golf Tour (IJGT) series of tournaments for boys and girls. Format is 54 holes of stroke play. Must be IJGT member. All amateur golfers under 19 years of age are eligible for membership, and may p...
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