IMG Junior Golf Tour caps off busy January with trio of central Florida events

Bradenton, Fla. (February 9, 2015) – The IMG Junior Golf Tour wrapped up a busy month of January with a series of events at top central Florida courses at Laurel Oak Country Club, Jan. 17-19; IMG Academy Golf Club, Jan. 24-29; and Rio Pinar Country Club, Jan. 31-Feb. 1.

Laurel Oak Country Club (East Course), Sarasota, Fla., Jan. 17-19:

Laurel Oak marked the second event of 2015 following the Junior Honda Classic, and was the second 54-hole event of the 2014-15 season after Thanksgiving at Grand Cypress. Zach Bariso of Boca Raton, Fla. kept under par all three days, shooting 71-69-71 en route to a 5-under 211 total and the win in the Boys 15-18 division. Bradenton, Fla.’s Michael Butler finished runner-up in the Boys 15-18 division with an even-par 216 over three days. Meanwhile in the Girls division, Zoe Collins of Maidenhead, England came away with her first win on the IMG Junior Golf Tour with a solid 4-over 220 total. Rounding out the competition was Japan’s Kyohei Takahashi who notched his second Tour victory of the season in the Boys 11-14 division. AJGA Performance Based Entry was awarded to top finishers and the event was ranked by Junior Golf Scoreboard.

 For full results from Laurel Oak, click HERE.

IMG Academy Golf Club, Bradenton, Fla., Jan. 25-25:

The IMG Junior Golf Tour returned to IMG Academy Golf Club for the second time in Tour history and attracted a competitive field of 75 players from nine states and 16 countries. In the Boys 15-18 division, Japan’s Shuhei Takahashi led the way with an even-par 144 to take home his third Tour title of the season. Japan would sweep the 15-18 divisions when Rino Sasaki paced the Girls division by three strokes to earn her first Tour victory of the season after runner-up finishes in her last two starts. The Boys 11-14 division would go to local player Max Coutsolioutsos of Lakewood Ranch, Fla., who held on to a one-stroke win over Japan’s Kyohei Takahashi, who won the previous week at Laurel Oak.

For full results from IMG Academy Golf Club, click HERE.

Rio Pinar Country Club, Orlando, Fla., Jan. 31-Feb. 1:

The IMG Junior Golf Tour closed out January at Orlando’s Rio Pinar Country Club, and featured a diverse field of 87 players from 15 states and 18 countries. The United Kingdom’s Lucas Stewart carded the low round in the Boys 15-18 division on the first day, but it would not be enough to fend off Japan’s Shuhei Takahashi who overtook Stewart on the second day with a 2-under 142 weekend total for his second straight win, and fourth for the season. Takahashi maintains a sizeable lead in the Boys 15-18 Player of the Year standings with 590 points, nearly 300 ahead of the nearest competitor. In the Girls division, Alexandra Wright of Midlothian, Va., shot the low final round to secure a 2-over 146 total and bring home her first Tour win of the season. Wright overtook China’s Cindy Kou for a three-stroke win. Finally, China’s Jason Hu was the victor in the Boys 11-14 division after shooting solid rounds of 80-79. AJGA Performance Based Entry was awarded to top finishers, and the event was ranked by Junior Golf Scoreboard and Golfweek.

For full results from Rio Pinar Country Club, click HERE.

The IMG Junior Golf Tour resumes on Valentine’s Day weekend when it tees off at Omni Amelia Island Plantation in Amelia Island, Fla., Feb. 14-15. The Tour will wrap up its February events at Juliette Falls Golf Club in Dunnellon, Fla., Feb. 28-Mar. 1. The Juliette Falls event is an official qualifier for the IMG Academy Junior World Championships, to be held in San Diego, Calif. this summer.