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 makes stop in Orlando for Thanksgiving at Grand Cypress
Carl Yuan wins Boys 15-18 Division; Ailin Li captures second win of season in Girls 15-18 Division; Qi Ming Wong wins playoff in Boys 11-14 Division
The IMG Junior Golf Tour got underway for Thanksgiving at Grand Cypress in Orlando, Fla., Nov. 23-25. It was the second consecutive year for the Thanksgiving weekend event at the club. The event drew a full field, including players from as far away as Guatemala and Russia. Carl Yuan of Lake Mary, Fla. cruised to a comfortable victory in the Boys 15-18 Division, shooting 69+70+71=210 (-6). He finished four strokes ahead of Singapore’s Qi Wen Wong (-2).
“Being ahead in the last round did not change my mental approach – I just played my best,” said Yuan on entering the final round with a four-stroke lead. “I got through quite a few tough hole locations … I just had to be precise.”
After winning the Tour’s LPGA International event in October, Ailin Li of Windermere, Fla. earned her second victory on the season in the Girls 15-18 Division by shooting 74+72+73=219 (+3). The win brings her within 10 points of Yvonne Zheng in the Symetra Tour exemption race. Zheng finished third in the event (+11), while Austria’s Lisa Unterganschnigg finished second with a 225 (+9).
“The pin locations were difficult out there,” Li remarked about the course difficulty. “You couldn’t afford to be short or long – you had to be just right.”
Singapore’s Qi Ming Wong shot a 17-over 233 to win the Boys 11-14 Division after a three-way playoff. Wong bested Harry Xue of Lake Mary, Fla. and Tyler Carlson of Bradenton, Fla.
Grand Cypress’s New Course, a Jack Nicklaus Signature Design, is ranked in the top-20 courses you can play in Florida by Golfweek. It is Jack Nicklaus’ tribute and homage to the famed Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland. This Scottish links masterpiece is complete with double greens, stone bridges and walls, gorse mounds, burns and pot bunkers as deep as 12 feet.
Carl Yuan and Ailin Li received 4 stars for AJGA Performance Based Entry, while the top-five in the Boys 15-18 Division earned one star. The IMG Junior Golf Tour will return to action at Laurel Oak Country Club in Sarasota, Fla., Jan. 19-21, for another 54-hole event recognized by AJGA Performance Based Entry and Golfweek/Sagarin Junior Rankings.
For full results, visit the IMG Junior Golf Tour leaderboard by clicking HERE.
