Written by Andrew Strom
The 2010 TCGA Junior Season came to a close today at Vestal Hills Country Club, the site of the final round of the TCGA Junior Tour Championship. There were 45 golfers in all who braved the tough course conditions over the two days. I'd like to congratulate everyone who played over the two days. This championship really showed how far the TCGA Junior Tour has come, with a live leaderboard and some great golf. With double player of the year points on the line, all three point races were wide open. The season flew by this year, and we'd like to take the time thank our sponsors, the parents, as well as all of the area professonal who allowed us to play their courses. I hope everyone had a lot of fun, and continues to work on their games the rest of summer.
In the 10-12 age group, Hogan Bendert once again pulled out a victory with a two day total of 91. Hogan used a strong first round (39) at Traditions at the Glen en route to a two shot victory over Zach Sitzman. With this win, Hogan also secured player of the year honors, with a total of 1,193 points! We wish Hogan good luck next week, as he will try to make the Union Endicott High School golf team as a 7th grader.
Nate Wrighter pulled off a 1 stroke victory to claim medalist honors in the 13-15 age group. After being tied with Nathan Cavaluzzi to start the final round with a score of 81, Wrighter remained calm throughout the final round to secure the victory. Nate's cool and calm demeanor is certainly impressive for being just 14 years old. After a 43 on the front nine at Vestal Hills, Wrighter birdied 11 to take a five shot lead. However, Cavaluzzi bounced back with pars on 13 and 14 to pull within one. After going back and forth over the next three holes, Cavaluzzi had a 8 footer on 18 to tie Wrighter at 170 total. The putt just missed, giving Wrighter his first win of the season. Although Cavaluzzi lost the tour championship, he still won the player of the year point race, with a grand total of 800 points. Both Cavaluzzi and Wrighter along with playing partner Jake Loew put on a great show, as myself, Trevor and TCGA President Thomas Hackett watched on.
First round leader Chris Stricek recovered from a tough start to win the 16-18 age group by five strokes with a two day total of 151. After a font nine 41, Chris was neck and neck with Pat Milkovich, who shot a 40 on the front. However, a birdie on 10 got Chris back on track, helping him shoot an impressive 38 on the back nine. This win also sealed the player of the year point race for Chris, who had a grand total of 920 points. Also, Chris will receive a $500 scholarship from the TCGA for his outstanding play this summer. Chris finished in the top 2 five out of the six tournaments he competed in. Windsor High School is lucky to have such a talented player like Chris on their team.
We'd like to thank Tony Saraceno of Vestal Hills and Greg Bendert of Traditions at the Glen for allowing us to use their golf courses for this great event. Both Trevor and I have really enjoyed working with everyone this year and want to thank all players who participated in our tournaments and made the TCGA Junior Tour a success. Good luck to everyone trying out for their high school golf teams, and we are looking forward to another successful season next year!
| 10 - 12 Age Group | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hogan Bendert | 39 | 52 | 91 |
| 2 | Zach Sitzman | 47 | 46 | 93 |
| 3 | Colin Sabitus | 49 | 56 | 105 |
| 4 | Jordan Wheeler | 57 | 50 | 107 |
| 5 | Kyle Norton | 54 | 54 | 108 |
| 6 | Jareed Reester | 53 | 56 | 109 |
| 7 | Lucas Heenan | 55 | 55 | 110 |
| 8 | Connor Schutt | 53 | 58 | 111 |
| 9 | Jonah Bennett | 55 | 58 | 113 |
| 10 | Alex Surowka | 61 | 57 | 118 |
| 13 - 15 Age Group | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nate Wrighter | 81 | 89 | 170 |
| 2 | Nathan Cavaluzzi | 81 | 90 | 171 |
| 3 | Jake Loew | 86 | 89 | 175 |
| 4 | Adam Blackwell | 87 | 90 | 177 |
| 5 | John Pedro | 90 | 89 | 179 |
| 5 | Richard Pedro | 91 | 88 | 179 |
| 7 | James Zhang | 94 | 87 | 181 |
| 8 | Matt Ploutz | 92 | 91 | 183 |
| 9 | Adam Cox | 104 | 88 | 192 |
| 10 | Zach Norton | 100 | 95 | 195 |
| 10 | Eli Simeon | 93 | 102 | 195 |
| 16 - 18 Age Group | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Stricek | 72 | 79 | 151 |
| 2 | Pat Milkovich | 75 | 82 | 157 |
| 3 | Chad Baxter | 77 | 82 | 159 |
| 4 | Dillon MacGregor | 83 | 77 | 160 |
| 4 | Kyle Nedlik | 77 | 83 | 160 |
| 6 | Brandon Gaydorus | 83 | 81 | 164 |
| 6 | Cole Wheaton | 82 | 82 | 164 |
| 8 | Josh Jimenez | 82 | 86 | 168 |
| 9 | Zach Niedettiter | 83 | 87 | 170 |
| 10 | Jordan Smith | 86 | 86 | 172 |