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
2014-15 Season kicks off in Florida, New Jersey
Over 150 players tee it up in SE and NE Kickoff events
IMG Junior Golf Tour tees off 2014-15 season with Southeast Kickoff at Sara Bay
Shuhei Takahashi wins Boys 15-18 division; Jaravee Boonchant victorious in Girls 15-18 division; Kyohei Takahasi conquers Boys 11-14 division; Alyssa Mercado takes Girls 11-14 division
Bradenton, Fla. (September 25, 2014) – The IMG Junior Golf Tour officially teed off for its fifth season at the Southeast Kickoff at Sara Bay Country Club in Sarasota, Fla., Sept. 20-21. The event attracted a field of 84 players from seven states and 15 countries. Notably, brothers Shuhei and Kyohei Takahashi won the Boys 15-18 and 11-14 divisions, respectively. The Toyokawa, Japan natives were the talk of the first round, creating a buzz around their impressive play during the first day. The elder Takahashi, Shuhei, pulled away early with a 4-stroke lead heading into Sunday after carding an impressive 3-under 69 in the first round.
Shuhei Takahashi had been on the rise after winning Japan’s 40th annual Central Junior Golf Championship over the summer. The sixteen-year-old entered the Southeast Kickoff with 21 career starts and two previous Tour victories. Younger brother Kyohei, 14-years old, finished with a 3-over 147 to win his division in his first-career IMG Junior Golf Tour start. Kyohei held off 14-year old Skyler Eubank of Bradenton, Fla. for the win. Shuhei’s win also meant a milestone for the Takahashi family, because Shuhei also won his first-career Tour start at the LPGA International in October 2012, making the Takahashi brothers the only set of siblings to each win their first-ever starts on the IMG Junior Golf Tour.
On the girls’ side, the IMG Junior Golf Tour Girls 15-18 Player of the Year Jaravee Boonchant, a native of Thailand, picked up right where she left off a season ago. Boonchant won Player of the Year honors by a landslide, but she faced a tough test from Chinatsu Kobayashi of Chiba, Japan. Boonchant and Kobayashi entered the scoring tent on Sunday tied at 3-under 141 to force a playoff. The playoff was played on the 10th hole, with Boonchant walking away as the winner.
Rounding out the list of winners was Alyssa Mercado of Bradenton, Fla., who won the Girls 11-14 division.
The event marked the third time for the IMG Junior Golf Tour to get underway on the links of the Sara Bay Country Club. AJGA Performance Based Entry was awarded to the top five boys and girls champion in the 15-18 divisions. The top three players in each division have qualified for the inaugural IMG Academy Junior World Match Play event, to be held at the Longboat Key Country Club in Longboat Key, Fla., and IMG Academy Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla., Dec. 11-16.
For full results from the Southeast Kickoff, visit the IMG Junior Golf Tour website, HERE.
IMG Junior Golf Tour ventures north for Northeast Kickoff presented by Visit Sarasota County
Ryan Rodriguez wins Boys 15-18 division; Kelly Sim cruises to Girls division title; Stephen Sul captures Boys 11-14 division
Bradenton, Fla. (October 2, 2014) – The IMG Junior Golf Tour got underway for the Northeast Kickoff presented by Visit Sarasota County at the Flanders Valley Golf Course in Flander, N.J., Sept. 27-28. The event attracted a field of 78 players from New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Maryland. It was a warm, dry weekend that made for hard and fast greens, but that did not stop players from turning in under-par performances. In the Boys 15-18 division, it was Highland Mills, N.Y. native Ryan Rodriguez that came up with the win after carding a 2-under 142 through two rounds. Rodriguez finished five strokes ahead of runner-up Justin Lane of Woodstock, N.Y. Rodriguez, making his first appearance on the IMG Junior Golf Tour cited his confidence as a key factor to the win.
Notably, IMG Junior Golf Tour veteran John Shay of Chatham, N.J. turned in his best performance on tour with round of 74-74—148 for a solid third place finish.
In the Girls division, 14-year old Kelly Sim of Edgewater N.J. was untouchable, winning the division by 11 strokes over Megan McLean of Lebanon, N.J. Sim carded rounds of 70-71—141 (-3).
Finally, in the Boys 11-14 division, Stephen Sul of Old Bridge, N.J. edged out Kyle Speilman of Dumont, N.J. and Jake Homan of Kingston, N.Y., by a single stroke. Sul finished with a solid 8-over 154, while Speilman and Homan finished T-2 with scores of 155 (+9).
The Northeast Kickoff presented by Visit Sarasota County marked the first event of the six-event Visit Sarasota County Northeast Series. The event was held at the Flanders Valley Golf Course – White/Blue Course, a Billy Casper Golf managed facility in Flanders, N.J. The event was recognized by AJGA Performance Based Entry status and the Golfweek/Sagarin Junior Golf Rankings for the Boys 15-18 division. All division winners earned an invitation to participate in the inaugural IMG Academy Junior World Match Play Chanmpionships, to be held at the Longboat Key Country Club in Longboat Key, Fla., and IMG Academy Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla., Dec. 11-16.
