Lauren Miller and Brooks Rabren win Overall Crowns at the 35th Marvin Debolt Daily News Junior Classic. Kevin Choe, Abby Herrmann, Chase O’Connor, Justin Burroughs and Caroline Covington win their divisions.

Ideal weather conditions, excellent fairways and tough greens required mental fortitude for the players of this year’s edition of the “Daily News” Junior Classic at the Fort Walton Beach Muni – Pines Course. The unfortunate condition of the greens led to the smallest field in many years (100 players last year!), but still allowed those players, who were able to put the condition of the greens aside, to post good scores. All division champions will be awarded FJT STEP exemptions and Lauren Miller wins an AJGA PBE Star.

After the first day 7 players were within 5 shots of the overnight leaders, Jason Rogers and Kevin Choe, who each carded 69, for the Overall Title. After the front nine Brooks Rabren had caught them and proceeded to build a slight advantage that lasted until the end when Kevin’s 15 ft birdie putt missed to give Brooks a one shot win. Bailey Threlkeld shot the low round of the tournament (68) to beat Tyler Cohen (69) in a scorecard playoff for second, while Jason had to settle for fourth. In the Summer Tour Standings Tyler now has a solid lead over Jason, Brooks and Andrew Smith in the Boys 16-18 Division.

The Overall Girls leaderboard was similarly congested, with Abby Herrmann (71) leading seven Girls within 6 shots of her after Day 1. After 9 holes Lauren Miller held a one stroke lead over Abby and proceeded to shoot a personal best 68 to beat Abby by four, with Sarah Pabst also recording a personal best 73 to secure third Overall and second in the Girls 15-18 division behind Abby. Jade Sanders took third in the division. In the Summer Tour, Lindsey Harrison has a commanding lead over Abby with Antonia, Sarah and Jade close behind,

The Boys 14-15 saw Patrick Poate shoot an even par 72 to jump into second behind Kevin Choe and one shot ahead of JJ Raciatti. Kevin holds a big lead in Summer Tour ahead of Patrick and Noah Williams.

The Girls 12-14 division saw a tough battle for second behind Lauren Miller, with Madison Tenore edging Kaide Farne in a scorecard playoff for second with Cameron Fish another stroke back in fourth. Kaide still holds a narrow lead over Lauren and Madison in the Summer Tour race.

The Boys 12-13 division saw Chase O’Connor take a three shot lead over Dylan Hopper and a five shot lead over Brendan Reilly into Day 2. After the front nine Brendan had a two shot lead over Chase and Dylan! With a career best 1 under par 35 (2 birdies, 1 bogey) Chase fought back to tie Brendan with two holes to play. Two pars from Chase to bogeys from Brendan resulted in a two shot win for Chase. The win consolidated Chase’s position atop the overall standings ahead of Blake Rigdon and Jackson Reeves in the Summer Tour.

Justin Burroughs won the Boys 10-11 over Kannon Goodman and Alex Velazquez, while Caroline Covington overcame Taylor Reeves on the very last hole to win the Girls 10-11 division.

Our next event is the season ending Hardee’s/Edwin Watts Summer Tour Championships at Scenic Hills GC in Pensacola, August 23-24. Enter online or download and mail in your entry. Non-members are welcome with a $15 guest fee and we will again be offering separate Boys and Girls divisions in the 10-11 age group. In addition to lunch on Sunday, Edwin Watts will again be donating substantial gift certificates to the podium finishers. FJT STEP exemptions and AJGA PBW Stars will also again be up for grabs.

All scores, scorecards, standings and stats are available online at www.ecjrgolftour.com.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon!

Chris and Michele Poate

deal conditions greeted this year’s participants at the 27^th Annual Rocky Bayou Junior Classic at Rocky Bayou Country Club in Niceville. The competition did not disappoint and the scoring was low and many new personal bests were recorded. In addition to the championships trophies the divisional winners also will receive FJT STEP exemptions, while the Girls Overall Champion will receive an AJGA PBE Star.

After an opening 2-under par 70, Tyler Cohen took a one shot lead over Bryce Geraghty with Christian Bosso another shot back, into the second round. After eight holes these three along with Patrick Poate were tied for the overall lead, with Kevin Choe just one shot back! In the end Tyler and Bryce battled it out down the stretch for the Overall Title with Bryce finishing birdie, birdie to beat Tyler by one stroke. Brian Richards rallied to take third in the division. After three events Tyler now has a commanding lead in the Hardee’s/Edwin Watts Summer Tour ahead of Andrew Smith and Stephen Shephard. The winners of the Summer Tour will receive 4 AJGA PBE Stars.

Kevin Choe took a 2 stroke lead over Patrick Poate into the second round after an opening 1 under 71, with Nolan Remig another stroke back in third place. Patrick and Kevin were tied going into #13 when a birdie from Patrick vs a double bogey from Kevin resulted in a three shot swing. Patrick ended up winning by seven and taking third overall, while Nolan beat Kevin in a scorecard playoff for third in the division. Kevin was able to consolidate a his lead in the Summer Tour standings ahead of Noah Williams and Patrick.

The Girls Overall was equally closely contested with overnight leader Kaide Farne from the 12-14 division leading by 3 shots after a personal best 1 over par 73, over Jade Sanders and three players at 77: Lindsey Harrison, Cameron Fish and Ashley Rogers. After the front nine Lindsey had a one shot lead over Ashley and Jade with Cameron another shot back. In the end the experience of Lindsey carried the day and she was able to win the Overall and the Girls 15-18 division by a stroke over Jade with Ashley taking third. Lindsey now has a commanding lead in the Summer Tour championships with six girls closely grouped for second.

Kaide won the Girls 12-14 by 2 shots over Cameron, with Madison Tenore taking third, and consolidated a large lead ahead of a strong group of chasers lead by Madison Tenore.

Chandler Holloway was in a class of his own in the Boys 12-13 division, following a personal best 77 in round 1 with another personal best even par 72 in round 2!! Chase O’Connor played two solid rounds to take second ahead of Jackson Reeves, Chase and Jackson are currently tied atop the standings with a strong group of four chasers close behind.

Justin Burroughs and Kannon Goodman tied for first in the Boys and Girls 9-11 division, with Kannon winning the Championship on the first playoff hole. Alex Cartwright took third.

Our next event will be the Richard Rogers PA Junior Classic – now in its fifth year! – on July 12 at Eglin GC- Eagle Course. Shortly after that the Dailey News Junior Classic will again bring our largest fields of the year to FWB GC, July 16-17. Register online or complete the attached entry and mail in for Eglin, and you must mail in for The Daily News event, as the checks and all the proceeds go directly to our benefiting charity, the Children’s Advocacy Center.

Enjoy your summer golf!

Chris and Michele Poate

Brooks Rabren, Kevin Choe, Miranda Holt, Lauren Miller, Blake Rigdon and Kannon Goodman win their respective divisions at the Beef O’Brady’s Emerald Coast Junior Match Play Championships.

Perfect conditions greeted the strongest field in the history of this event, May 18, at Bluewater Bay Golf Club. Many matches went the distance and due to the larger fields more players than ever had to play 36 holes! The event was the first event of the Hardee’s/Edwin Watts Summer Tour and earned the players double points.

Brooks Rabren and Stephen Shephard blitzed a very strong 16-18 Division with all their matches ending before the eighth hole, to set up a block-buster final. Brooks prevailed 2 and 1 to win the division. Tyler Cohen and Andrew Smith were all square after 9 holes, with Tyler winning the chip off to take third.

The tightly matched Boys 14-15 division saw 12 of the 20 matches decided on or after the 9^th hole! Kevin Choe beat AJ Panyko in a chip off to reach the final against giant killer, Noah Williams. Kevin won the final 2up, while AJ Panyko beat Levi Kirk 2up for third place.

The Girls 15-18 played two round robins before moving to the positioning matches. Miranda Holt beat Sarah Pabst to secure her place in the final, while Antonia Poate won the last hole and then the ensuing chip off to beat Lindsey Harrison for the right to play Miranda. Miranda was too strong and won the final 2up, while Lindsey beat Abigail Hermann for third.

The Girls 12-14 was a round robin event with five girls. Kaide Farne won all four matches, including a deciding 2up victory over Lauren Miller to secure the Title. Madison Tenore took third.

Two round robin groups in the Boys 12-13 division saw both finalists coming through in chip-offs!! Blake Rigdon won the Hogan Group in a chip off against Chase O’Connor, while Parker Milam won the Nicklaus Division in a chip off against Jackson Reeves. The final saw some excellent golf with Balke beating Parker 2up, while Chase beat Jackson 1up for third place.

Kannon Goodman and Justin Burroughs were able to win their respective divisions in the Boys and Girls 10-11 event, to earn a place in the finals. Kannon prevailed 2 and 1, while Ethan Elders beat Remy Graham 3 and 1 for the third place trophy.

Our next event is June 7 at Tiger Point, followed closely by the Rocky Bayou Junior Classic, June 19 and 20. You can register online until Thursday, June 5, for Tiger Point, but will need to print an entry form and mail in for the Rocky Bayou Junior Classic.

Sarah Pabst and Kevin Choe win the Overall Titles at the 5^th Annual Purestrike Spring Tour Championships. Tyler Cohen, Lauren Miller, Jackson Weatherall and Justin Burroughs win their Divisions.

Windy conditions on perfectly prepared golf courses greeted the contestants of this year’s Purestrike Spring Tour Championships. Regatta Bay provided a majestic backdrop for our annual Spring Tour Championships, with AJGA performance stars on the line for the Spring Series winners and Florida Junior Tour exemptions for the event champions. Every division was hotly contested with the winners only decided on the back nine in every case.

With 27 boys vying for the Overall title, nine players were within five shots of overnight leader, Kevin Choe’s opening round 74. A front nine 35 for Tyler vs a 40 for Kevin, gave Tyler a 3 shot lead at the turn. Tyler faded on the back with a 41, while Kevin played the back nine in even par for the win. Andrew Smith shot a pair of 77’s to take second in the Boys 16-18, while Jason Rogers beat Brian Richards in a scorecard playoff for third. The second place finish was enough for Andrew Smith to win the Spring Series and garner the 4 AJGA Performance Stars, ahead of Jason andTyler.

Patrick Poate followed up his 6 birdie 75 effort at Regatta Bay with an 81 at Santa Rosa to take second in the Boys 14-15 division, with AJ Panyko taking third, a stroke ahead of Chase Hurt. Kevin won the Spring Series ahead of Patrick and AJ

The Overall Girls Title was an equally close affair, with 5 of the twelve girls with six shots of overnight leader, Lindsey Harrison. After a rough front nine for Lindsey, it was left up to Sarah Pabst and Lauren Miller, who both shot matching 77’s at Regatta Bay to duel it out. After still being tied after nine holes and three lead changes, Sarah’s birdie on #10 gave her a two shot lead and catapulted her to a back nine 34 and a three shot win over Lauren. Sarah managed to score her two lowest tournament rounds ever at this event! A strong back nine secured second place in the Girls 15-18 division and a spot in the playoff for the Overall Spring Series Title for Lindsey, while Miranda Holt took third to also secure a spot in the playoff! Miranda won the Playoff for the Spring Series on the first extra hole, with Sarah taking third. Sarah won a AJGA Star for her Championship win.

Cameron Fish took second in the Girls 12-14 division, ahead of Madison Tenore and Catie Craig. With the win Cameron also took the Spring Series Title and one AJGA Performance Star, ahead of Lauren and Madison.

The Boys 12-13 Jackson Weatherall recorded a career low tournament round of 77 at Regatta Bay to take a commanding 5 shot lead over Chandler Holloway, with Chase O’Connor and Brendan Reilly another two shots back. After 10 holes Chandler had cut the lead to one and Brendan was just another shot back. But a back nine 37 secured the win for Jackson, while Chandler beat Brendan in a scorecard playoff for third,

Not to be outdone in the excitement factor the Boys and Girls 10-11 division had three players within one shot of each other with four holes to play! With three holes to play Alia Scotka still had a one shot lead over Justin Burroughs, who then proceeded to birdie #8 and eventually win by 3 over Alia. Ethan Elders had a strong second day 47 to beat Tanner Morlan for third.

Our next event will be the Beef O’Brady’s Emerald Coast Matchplay Championships at Bluewater Bay Resort, May 18. This one of our personal favorites as it is pure golf hole by hole. We guarantee three and in many cases there will be four nine hole matches! This is a double points event for the Hardee’s/Edwin Watts Summer Tour and always provides exciting golf and many surprises.

Bryce Geraghty and Lindsey Harrison win overall Titles and Hardee’s/Edwin Watts Summer Tour Championships. Kevin Choe, Sam Butler, Lauren Miller and Justin Burroughs win divisions at Marcus Pointe. Jason Rogers, Lindsey Harrison, Kevin Choe, Sam Butler and Cameron Fish crowned Summer Tour Champions.

Bryce Geraghty did not leave a doubt that he was the player to beat this weekend, opening with a one under par round of 71 for a three shot overnight lead over Christian Bosso in the Boys 16-18 Division. Bryce backed it up with a 74 on Day 2 to beat Christian, with David McCaskill taking third. Jason Rogers had built a big lead in the Summer Tour and won the Division ahead of Christian and Bryce.

Kevin Choe used a strong second day round of 75 to pass overnight leader Brian Richards and secure the Boys 14-15 division. Tyler Cohen took third. The win also boosted Kevin to the top of the Summer Tour standings, ahead of Tyler Cohen and Patrick Poate. The three were separated by less than 50 points!

Lindsey Harrison capped a strong summer by winning the Girls Overall and Summer Tour double. Antonia Poate came in second in both categories, after overnight leader, Miranda Holt had to withdraw for medical reasons.

Sam Butler also capped a wonderful summer by winning the double in a very tightly grouped Boys 12-13 division. Jack Lavin had a career low tournament round 80 to pass Cameron Bonner for second. Cam Page took second in the Summer Tour, with Brendan Reilly taking third.

Lauren Miller won both titles in the Girls 12-14, beating Jade Sanders and Cameron Fish for the Championship. In the Summer Tour, Cameron took second, ahead of Jade.

The only Championship playoff of the weekend was in the Boys and Girls 10-11 division, where Alia Scotka and Justin Burroughs were tied after regulation play. Both were still tied tied after the first playoff hole and with a storm rolling in the championship was decided in “Clubhouse Puttoff”, which Justin won after 4 holes!! Paola Rosario took third.

A big thank you to all who played, to Marcus Pointe Golf Club for hosting us and especially, to our joint Title Sponsors: Hardee’s and Edwin Watts Golf. Without their support we could not make it such a worthwhile event for our Juniors!

We now begin our Fall Series with four events on great local courses with each event having a different special flavor! See the Fall Schedule for more details.

ECJGT Boys 16-18 Team of Jason Rogers, Christian Bosso and Davis Bowyer, and

Emerald Coast Teams made a big splash this past weekend at the FL Junior Team Championships, taking home 2 of the four titles up for grabs. Enduring tough hot and windy conditions the teams battled through the last day, even though at times it seemed that their dreams were drifting away. Jason, Christian and Davis have now represented at every trip that we have a taken down south and it is fitting that they bring home a State Championship together! Their work ethic and commitment to the game – they played every event with us this year! – gave them the resilience to hang tough when things looked like they may be slipping away. Jason finished as low individual with the only under par two day-total in any division – another indication of how tough the course was playing this year. We wish Davis well as he starts his collegiate career at the University of Montevallo today!!

Brock and Tyler played solidly all weekend, but it was 13 year old Kevin Choe, in his first trip to the event, who truly carried the team and also earned low individual honors at 1-over par. When all seemed lost, the others stumbled and our boys had to get their clubs back out of the car and prepare for a playoff! After Tyler calmly sank his 15 footer for bogey to match his opponent, Kevin barely missed his 12 footer for birdie to give us the edge. In the end Brock had two putts from16 feet to seal the win, but made short work of it by draining his birdie putt!!

August 11, 2013

Junior Team Champions Crowned

JR Schultz and Antonia Poate win Overall Titles at Daily News Junior Classic. Brock Ochsenreiter, Kevin Choe, Lauren Miller, Catie Craig and Justin Burroughs win divisions

The 34^th Marvin DeBolt Daily News Junior Classic at the Fort Walton Beach Pines Course again provided exciting finishes and low scoring in excellent conditions. Jr Schultz dominated the Boys competition with consecutive rounds of 68 to win the Boys Overall, while Antonia Poate’s one shot lead after Day 1 represented the final margin. With exactly 100 entries this event confirmed its status as the premier junior event in Northwest Florida.

JR Schultz took a 3 shot first day lead into the final round and shot five consecutive birdies (!) on the back nine to put the event out of reach of his playing partners, Jason Rogers and Bryce Geraghty. Jason then eagled #17 vs. birdie for Bryce to take second, three shots behind JR and a shot ahead of Bryce.

After Day 1 there were six girls with a credible chance to win within 2 shots of overnight leader, Antonia Poate. After four birdies in the first five holes and a front nine 33, it appeared that the title was secured. But double bogey at 14 and bogey at 15 resulted in four players within 1 shot of the lead with three holes to play. A 20 foot birdie from the fringe on #16 restored the final one stroke cushion and secured the Overall Girls Championship. Miranda Holt matched Antonia’s second day 1-under 71 with two birdies on the back nine to briefly share the lead, while Kayla Bloor and 12 year old phenom Lauren Miller were another shot back in third overall, after even par rounds of 72.

The Boys 14-15 saw Brock Ochsenreiter start with a first round 73 to lead by 2 over Tyler Cohen. His second round 76 was enough to hold off Wil Solomom who carded a career best 1-under par 71 to go with his first round 80 and take second with Tyler birdying #18 to secure third.

Kevin Choe shot a tournament low round of 67 on Day 1 to take a 6 shot lead over Chase Smith (73) and Cam Page (78) another two shots back in third in the boys 12-13 division. A second day 76 secured an 8 shot win over Cam Page (78) and Sam Butler (78, 79) who beat out Chase in a scorecard playoff for third.

The Girls 12-14 division saw Lauren Miller dominate with rounds of 77 -72. Cameron Fish played a career low round of 78 on Day 2 to pass Caroline Craig (81-84) and Kaide Farne (81,84), who were tied for second after Day 1. Kaide secured third in a score card playoff from Caroline after both finished two strokes behind Cameron.

Catie Craig played 2 very solid rounds of 42-42 to win the Boys and Girls 10-11 division. Jackson Reeves took second with Kannon Goodman in third place.

Justin Burroughs took the win in the Boys and Girls 8-9 with Parker Seagle taking second.

Our next event is our season ending Hardee’s/Edwin Watts Summer Tour Championship at Marcus Pointe, August 17-18. With triple points being awarded, all the Summer Tour Titles are still hotly contested with multiple winners possible in each division. The older divisions will be vying for FJT Exemptions at this event, with AJGA Performance Stars up for grabs for the overall Summer Tour winners.

Davis Bowyer and Miranda Holt win Overall Titles at SOAL Academy Spring Tour Championships. Santa Rosa Golf Club provides a challenging final to the Spring Series. Matt Lorenz, Malia Stovall, Thomas Ponder and Parker Milam also winners. Parker Remig records first a Hole-in-One!

Davis Bowyer began the 2^nd day tied for first with Harrison Krause and four shots ahead of Christian Bosso and Matt Lorenz for the Overall Title. After the front, he had a two stroke lead over Harrison and Matt, with Christian still another 2 strokes back. Matt got within a shot at 11 and Christian rode three birdies to get within one after 14, but Davis birdied 17 and 18 for a back nine 2-under 34 to secure the win. After finishing with a one under 71 Christian came second in the Boys 16-18, with Harrison two strokes back in third place. Parker Remig aced the second hole on route an even par 72 and fourth place. Davis also won the SOAL Academy Spring Series, ahead of Christian and Jason Rogers.

Matt Lorenz took a three shot lead over Kevin Choe into Day 2 in the Boys 14-15 Division. His 1-under par 71 almost helped in win the Overall and was sufficient for a comfortable win over Brian Richards (73) and Kevin. The win secured Matt the SOAL Academy Spring Series ahead of Tyler Cohen and Kevin.

The Girls 15-18 Division Miranda Holt mastered the tough first day conditions best and built a built a five shot lead over Madison Pacheco and Lindsey Harrison. A one under 35 on the front on the way to a 74 sealed the win for Miranda, with Madison beating Lindsey by a stroke for second place. Miranda also won the SOAL Academy Spring series ahead of Lindsey and Antonia Poate.

Overnight leader Cameron Fish and Malia Stovall were separated by only two strokes after Day1 of the Girls 12-14 Division. A very solid Malia prevailed over Kaide Farne and Cameron for the win. Malia also secured the SOAL Academy Cup ahead of Lauren Miller and Cameron.

On Day Thomas Ponder built a 3 shot advantage over Brendan Winters , with Sam Butler another stroke back in third in the 12-13 Boys Division. A very strong 3-under par 33 on the back nine took away any hope his playing partners had of catching him. His rounds of 76-71-147 were good for a runaway win. Due to his very consistent play throughout the season Sam won the SOAL Academy Spring Series, ahead of Brendan and Cam Page.

The Boys and Girls 9-11 Division went 2 extra holes before Parker Milam was crowned winner! Blake Rigdon played the most solid event of his young career to secure second place ahead of Kannonball Goodman, with Alia Scotka taking fourth.

5/1/2013

Davis Bowyer, Antonia Poate, Kevin Choe, Sam Butler, Lauren Miller, Parker Milam, Matthew Streitman and Emilia Smith take home the Hardware at Camp Creek!

Camp Creek presented itself in perfect but tough condition this weekend. Winds of up to 35 mph welcomed the largest one day field annually assembled in Northwest Florida and again proved that it is not all about the score, but the lowest score!

With six players within 2 strokes after nine holes, Destin’s Davis Bowyer used his experience in difficult conditions to tough out a back nine 39 to go with his front nine 42 to beat Jason Rogers, also from Destin, by a stroke in the Boys 16-18 division. Panama City’s Jeremy Senterfit bested Niceville’s Stephen Shephard in a scorecard playoff for third.

Tied for the lead at the turn with a front nine 41, Niceville’s Antonia Poate finished one over on the last six holes to distance herself from the field to win the Girls 15-18 division with a total of 82. Lindsey Harrison from Panama City took second, with Teresa Conroy from Tallahassee in third place.

The Boys 14-15 division boasted the largest one day field in our Tour history with 36 players! Destin’s MJ Goodman posted an excellent score of 85 in the very first flight of the day. It was not until the last flight came in an hour later that he was joined by Panama City’s Samuel McLane. But it Samuel’s playing partner, Pensacola’s Kevin Choe, who had a par on the last hole, vs. a bogey by MJ and a double bogey from Samuel, to take the win by one stroke!!

Sam Butler from Fairhope, AL won his first ECJGT event in style. Erasing a four shot deficit at the turn with two back nine birdies for a 38 and total equaling low score of 81, good for a three shot win over his practice partner and ECJGT first-timer, Brendan Reilly in the Boys 12-13 division. Destin’s Kooki Hurt was another shot back in third.

The elements did not bother Destin’s Parker Milam at all, as he rode 7 pars and two bogeys to a one shot win in the Boys 10-11 division. A stroke back in second was Tallahassee’s Patrick McCann, with Payne Elkins from Valdosta, Ga. taking third.

Emilia Smith from Enterprise, AL shot a 43 to win a keenly contested Girls 10-11 division, two shots ahead of Pace’s Elise Schultz, with Niceville’s Catie Criag another stroke back in third.

The Boys 8-9 division saw Dothan boys take the top 3 places! Matthew Streitman sank two birdies en route to a one-over par 37 and the best nine holes of the day! He finished two shots clear Brantley Scott, with Mason Crowder, taking third.

A big thank you to Camp Creek and it’s very supportive ownership group and staff – above all Bert Hill and Marci Brock - for allowing us “take over” one of the best courses in Florida for a day! Also, many thanks to our Starters, Dunkin McLane and John Panyko, who forwent watching their boy’s play to start for us, Lori and David Guthrie, as well as John and Abigail Baker of the Red Hills Junior Golf Tour for their tireless effort all day.

The initial SOAL Academy Spring Tour Standings have been posted online. Some divisional winners will again receive AJGA PBE Stars. Winners of our 2-day events will receive FJT STEP Exemptions.

Michele and I look forward to seeing you again soon, perhaps at Pensacola CC this coming Saturday!?

This course, too, is in excellent condition, but less demanding, and will again provide for exciting play.