The IMG Junior Golf Tour was developed to fill a key niche in junior golf, the IMG Junior Golf Tour provides an elite setting for junior golfers to compete and gain exposure to college golf, professional golf, national junior rankings and athletic excellence.
Held in Florida every December, and open to boys and girls ages 11-18, the the IMG Academy Junior World Florida Challengeis a qualification and invitation only event featuring an international field of over 200 players.News
IMG Junior Golf Tour gets back to the links in 2013 at Laurel Oak Country Club West Course
14-year old Tony Jiang wins Boys 15-18 Division; South Korea's Yesong Park rolls over competition in Girls 11-14 Division; Slovakia's Teddy Tetak scores second win of the season
The IMG Junior Golf Tour got underway for its first event of in 2013 with a 54-hole event at Laurel Oak Country Club – West Course in Sarasota, Fla., Jan. 19-21. Winds created difficult playing conditions throughout the long weekend, but a full field of 84 players from 12 U.S. states and 18 different countries rose to the challenge. The Boys 15-18 Division was tightly contested between 18-year old Clark Robinson of South Windsor, Conn., and Tony Jiang of Lake Mary, Fla. Robinson jumped out to an early lead with a 71 (-1) on Saturday, but a 78 (+5) on Sunday cost him the win. Robinson rallied late, shooting the low round of the day on Sunday with a 70 (-2), but it was not enough. Jiang took home the victory, finishing with a three day score of 74+70+73=217 (+1). It was the first IMG Junior Golf Tour win for Jiang, who moved into a tie for 5th in the overall points standings following his top-10 performance at Grand Cypress in November.
South Korea’s Yesong Park, a first time player on the IMG Junior Golf Tour, cruised through the event for the win in the Girls 15-18 Division. Park was mostly unchallenged, and won by an 11-stroke margin after shooting 80+74+72=226 (+10). Second place finisher Lexie Long of Dublin, Ohio led the entire field with eight birdies on the weekend. She improved her score each day to finish with a 21-over 237 to secure second place.
Slovakia’s Teddy Tetak scored his second victory on the IMG Junior Golf Tour season in the Boys 11-14 Division. Tetak overtook second place finisher Tyler Carlson, shooting 82+77+73=232 (+1) to secure a two-stroke win. With the win, Tetak pulled into second place in the season points standing for the Boys 11-14 Division, trailing Brandon Wang of Houston, Texas by 35 points.
The event was held at Laurel Oak Country Club’s West Course, a challenging course designed by world-renowned course architect Rees Jones, and ranked by the Golfweek/Sagarin Junior Rankings and Junior Golf Scoreboard. Jiang and Park received four stars for AJGA Performance Based Entry, while the top-five in the Boys 15-18 division earned one star. The IMG Junior Golf Tour returns to action at the Nicklaus Course at Reunion Resort in Kissimmee, Fla., Feb. 2-3.
For full results, visit the IMG Junior Golf Tour leaderboard by clicking HERE.
