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
Klenor, Zheng, Kobayashi, Tucker Victorious at TPC Prestancia
Alan Klenor wins in exciting playoff in Boys 15-18 Division
SARASOTA, FL - The IMG Junior Golf Tour’s first October event was held at TPC Prestancia (Club Course) in Sarasota, FL this past weekend with a field of 65 players representing 7 states and 12 countries. Saturday’s first round started out nice, until a short, heavy rain came in the early afternoon causing players to stand in place until it passed.
The rain didn’t seem to affect the top of the leaderboard after round one, with Pone Pyae Han (Myanmar) and George Mead (Wayland, Massachusetts) both carding (-3) 69’s to tie for the lead heading into Sunday’s final round in the Boys 15-18 Division. Natheethorn Teacharuangchit (-2, 70) and Shuhei Takahashi (-1, 71) both stayed under par as well to stay within striking distance going into Sunday. Alan Klenor (Longboat Key, FL) rounded out the top five in the division with a steady (E) 72 on the day.
In the Boys 11-14 Division, Jim Cai (China) was at the top on Saturday after shooting a (+1) 73 and held a one-stroke lead over fellow competitors David Hu (Bradenton, FL) and Sampson Zheng (Orlando, FL). Phu Pwint Khine (Myanmar) paced the Girls 15-18 Division with a (-3) 69 to take a comfortable 6-shot lead over Chinatsu Kobayashi (Japan) after the first round. Lacey Tucker (St. Augustine, FL) led the Girls 11-14 Division, shooting (+14) 86 on Saturday.
Sunday’s final round saw a few players surge into leader spots. Sampson Zheng fired a (-3) 69 to overtake Jim Cai and win the Boys 11-14 Division by three strokes. In the Girls 15-18 Division, Phu Pwint Khine fell off the lead while Chinatsu Kobayashi shot up the leaderboard with a final round (-2) 70 to win the division while also taking home low final round honors. Lacey Tucker held on to the Girls 11-14 Division, shooting (+13) 85 in the final round.
The story of the day came from the Boys 15-18 Division. At the end of 36 holes, Pone Pyae Han and Alan Klenor were tied at the top, both finishing at (E) 144. A sudden death playoff was in place with both players striking great tee shots on the Par 5 10th hole in front of a handful of onlookers. Klenor put his second shot on the green while Han was left with a short chip to get on in three. Klenor sealed the deal after sinking his putt to eagle the hole and take first place.
The IMG Junior Golf Tour heads north to The Golf Club at Mansion Ridge (Monroe, NY) on October 17-18 and is back in Florida on October 24-25 at Rio Pinar Country Club (Orlando, FL).
To view complete results from the event, click HERE
To view the tournament photo album, visit our Facebook page by clicking HERE
For more information and to register for events, click HERE.
