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
Three first-time winners at the IMG Junior Golf Tour's ArmourBite Open in Orlando
The IMG Junior Golf Tour played its third event of the season this weekend at the Eagle Creek Golf Club in Orlando, Fla, with three of the four divisions won by golfers without a previous IMG Junior Golf Tour win.
BRADENTON, Fla. (October 24, 2011) – The IMG Junior Golf Tour played its third event of the season this weekend at the Eagle Creek Golf Club in Orlando, Fla, with three of the four divisions won by golfers without a previous IMG Junior Golf Tour win.
Jeffrey Meltzer, a 17-year-old from Bradenton, earned the Boys 15-18 title, posting a 72-67=139 (-7), while Kristine Odaiyar from Ocala, won the Girls 15-18 title with a 72-70=142 (-4). Odaiyar was in a back and forth battle with 12 year old Mika Liu (who was playing up to the 15-18 division) before winning on the final hole.
Meltzer broke the tour’s 36-hole scoring record (to par) with his -7 total, 3-stroke victory over James Yoon, ranked No. 18 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index for junior boys. Said Meltzer of his final round performance, “Today, I started out playing solid golf. The first 9, I shot 2-under. The back 9, I really played well. I really started hitting shots, my targets.” Michael Mattaice made eight birdies in the final round to become the third first-time winner of the tournament with a victory in the Boys 11-14 division with a 81-72=152 (+7). Symba Xu, emerged at the top of the pack in the Girls 11-14 division.
For complete results, visit: www.imgjuniorgolftour.com.
Meltzer and Odaiyar earned Performance Based Entry exemptions from the AJGA for their wins. The top five finishers in the Boys 15-18 division each also earned a Performance Based Entry star.
The Tour will resume next month at the Grand Cypress Golf Club in Orlando, Fla., November 25-27, for the Thanksgiving at Grand Cypress. Each week, ArmourBite awards the two players (boy and girl) who improve the most between rounds one and two with an ArmourBite performance mouthpiece. This week’s winners are Manqi Jia of Bradenton, FL and Beatrice Smith of Lake Forest, IL, both with 13-stroke improvements in the final round. Registration remains open for both Tour membership and individual events. Tournaments are open to boys and girls ages 11-18 (11-14 & 15-18 age divisions for both boys and girls). A new lower pricing option ($184, excluding meals, practice round) is now available for members.
