Martinez holds on for the win; Hirai’s record 66 sets pace
January 23rd, 2012 | Published in News Feed
Hilton Head National Jr. Classic
Martinez holds on for the win
Hirai’s division record 66 sets pace
HILTON HEAD, South Carolina (January 22, 2012) – As the season gets into full swing the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour had another successful event this past weekend at Hilton Head National. The weather was picture perfect during the 1st round on Saturday which allowed players to start off on a positive note. However, as round two got under way the clouds brought along misting rain and colder temperatures. Fortunately, players were able to maintain their scores to post back to back successful and competitive rounds. The entire staff at Hilton Head National was willing and able to help when needed. Their course played beautifully and they were once again a tremendous host.
Gonzalo Martinez from Myrtle Beach, SC led after round one firing a 69 and was able to hold of Toks Pedro out of Bowie, MD for the win. Martinez finished the tournament at +1 (69+74 =143) whereas Pedro was two shots behind at +3 (73+ 72= 145). Martinez’s 69 was the lowest score of the tournament for the boys 15-18 division and trailed only Reona Hirai’s 66 for the tournament low. After scoring a double bogey on the first hole Sunday Martinez birdied 3 of the 7 next holes to stay right ahead of Pedro who birdied 2 of his first 6 holes. What seemed to help Martinez out was his ability to dominate the par 3’s throughout the tournament. Martinez led the field with a 2.75 average on all par 3’s. He also came in third on the par 4 average with a respectable 4.14. Pedro led the division on total birdies with 10, three more then his nearest competition. Bryson Nimmer rounded out the boys 15-18 division’s top three posting a +4 (75+71= 146), one shot behind Pedro. Nimmer led the division on par 4 performance with a 4.09 average.
The Girls 15-18 Division also played very smoothly. Reona Hirai from Summerville, SC shot an astonishing 66 through the first 18 which put her at a six shot advantage going into day two and set a new HJGT division record in the process. She was able to maintain her lead throughout round 2 to finish at +2 (66+78= 144). Momo Sakuragi out of Tokyo, Japan didn’t let her competitors 66 intimidate her at all. Sakuragi came out of the gates strong on day 2 to put the pressure on Hirai and finished only two shots back at +4 (72+74=146). Hirai’s key to success was her birdie total
of 8 which led her division by 3. Sakuragi stayed in the hunt by posting the best par 5 percentage at 4.67% and leading the division with 23 pars. Rounding out the top 3 was Brandi Hammonds from Bluffton, SC who finished at +15 (79+78= 157) while posting 3 birdies and 19 pars.
Alec Weary from Bluffton, SC stroked a division best 73 for the Boys 11-14 Division. Weary finished at +6 (73+75= 148) which was good enough to beat out his competition by 4 strokes. Weary led his division with 5 birdies, the best par 3 average (2.62), the best par 4 average (4.23) and the most pars or better percentage at 69.4%. Finishing second was Hunter Dunagan from Martinez, GA with a very competitive +10 (76+76=152). Dunagan was able to stay in the mix by having by far the best par 5 average in his division posting a 4.67. Drew Orischak finished third posting a + 13 (78+77=155) with 23 total pars to his name for the tournament.
Anita Uwadia out of Lagos, Nigeria had an impressive eagle on 6th hole during round two to help her maintain a slim lead over Emilie Paltrinieri from Casier, Italy. Uwadia (80+73 = 153) started round 2 six shots off the lead but was able to come through in the clutch on Sunday and shoot a 73 to take the trophy. Paltrinieri ended at +15 (74+83 = 157) which was good enough to finish behind Uwadia for second place. Kasidy Beckel from Bluffton, SC finished in third place, two shots behind Paltrinieri at +17 (78+81 = 159).
Special thanks goes out to our tournament sponsors: Bridgestone Golf, Loudmouth Golf, Living Fuel, ShedRain, Bobby Grace, and many others.
For more information from the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour please visit the HJGT fan page on facebook.com or follow our twitter page at twitter.com/HJGT. Also, be sure to check out our website (hjgt.org) for video updates on division winners and tournament play by play.
Birdie Challenge Winners:
Boys 15-18: Toks Pedro
Girls 15-18: Reona Hirai
Boys 11-14: Hunter Dunagan and Alec Weary
Girls 11-14: Emilie Paltrinieri
Seaforth par 4 challenge winners:
Boys 15-18: Bryson Nimmer
Girls 15-18: Reona Hirai
Boys 11-14: Alec Weary
Girls 11-14: Anita Uwadia
Coolhead par 5 Challenge winners:
Boys 15-18: Jose Aguilar
Girls 15-18: Momo Sakuragi
Boys 11-14: Hunter Dunagan
Girls 11-14: Emilie Paltrinieri
Tournament Weather:
Saturday – 66 degrees and partly cloudy with a
mild breeze
Sunday – Cloudy with a light morning mist and
a high of 56
Tournament Yardage:
Boys 15-18: 6730
Girls 15-18: 5628
Boys 11-14: 6160
Girls 11-14: 5628
