Junior Orange Bowl: International players dominate
Mizuki Hashimoto (L) and Andrey Borges (Jr Orange Bowl photo)
The Junior Orange Bowl has long drawn players from around the world to South Florida, but rarely has the international flavor of the game been on display as much as in 2020.
In leaderboards dominated by international players, Andrey Borges of Brazil and Mizuki Hashimoto of Japan took home the boys' and girls' titles, each having to close it out on the final shot of the tournament.
Nine of the top ten places on the boys' side were taken by foreign-born players, led by Borges, who stood in the fairway on the par-5 18th when he saw his friend racing toward him from the green to tell him he needed to birdie the final hole to win. He did just that, leaving his second shot just short of the green and chipping to three feet. He finished at 4-under 280.
Hashimoto's win was no less tight but a little more harrowing. She stepped to the final hole with a seemingly comfortable three-shot lead, but hit a tree with her drive and, despite plenty of people assisting in the search, suffered a lost ball and a return to the tee.
"Panic" was the word she used to describe how she felt, even after finding the fairway with her third shot. She still managed to hole out for a two-shot win at 1-under 283.
The girls' leaderboard was even more internation than the boys', with the top 22 finishers from outside of the United States.
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ABOUT THE Junior Orange Bowl
72-hole invitation-only event. Players must
not
have reached their 19th birthday by the
end of
the tournament and must not be
participating
on a College/University team. The field is
limited to a maximum of 72 Boys and 42
girls
representing US and Foreign
Countries.
There are
no
age categories and there is no cut during
the
Championship. Invitations are sent out in
mid-
September. The tournament's
alumni list includes
current professional players Tiger Woods,
Bubba Watson,
and Lexi Thompson.
The golf tournament
is
just one of 15 competitions among The Junior
Orange
Bowl Festival. This volunteer-led, not-for-profit
organization hosts athletic, academic, and cultural
competitions that draw over 7,500 youth from
Miami,
the State of Florida, across the United States, and
over
76 countries worldwide to compete. The annual
marquee event rounding out each festival season is
the
Junior Orange Bowl Parade, a community based
youth
parade that travels through the historic streets of
Coral
Gables featuring high school and college marching
bands, floats and various youth and community
groups
attracting over 35,000 families, friends, and
neighbors.
It dates back to 1948.
View Complete Tournament Information