Hurricane Junior Golf Tour stops by Cog Hill Junior Classic
May 30, 2015 - The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour stopped by the iconic Cog Hill Golf & Country Club in Lemont, Illinois to host the Cog Hill Junior Classic.
The first day was filled with horrific conditions that included cold temperatures, wind speeds of up to 20 mph, and rain that started in the morning and only got worse as play continued. The second day was still cold, but the rain held up making conditions much more bearable for the players.
Competition was extremely close in the Boys 15-18 division making the action exciting during the final round.
Winners in each division received an exemption into the 2015 Tour Championship December 5-6, 2015, the top 3 in each division will receive an exemption into the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational at Chateau Elan June 20-22, 2015, and the top 10 finishers receive points toward year end honors which include state teams, ALL HJGT teams, and the Hurricane Cup.
Some players struggled on day one trying to navigate gruesome conditions, but the competition was tough nevertheless.
In the Boys 15-18 division there were seven players within three strokes of each other on day one which set the stage for fierce competition on day two. Matthew Clark of Westchester, IL and Josh Turich of Centerville, OH led the pack on day one by shooting a 79, +7 respectively.
Jake Kennedy of Henry, IL was close behind with an 80, +8 on day one which set up the final pairing for the final round.
Kennedy then came out on day two and shot an excellent score of 75, +3 for a two-day score of 155. Despite Kennedy's solid performance during the tournament, his one stroke deficit during the treacherous conditions ended up costing him.
This was because Clark came out hot on day two by birdieing four out of his first six holes of the round, including knocking it on the green on his first shot on the par four first hole. Clark cooled off after that and actually matched Kennedy's 75, +3 which gave him a two day score of 154 and the slight edge in the Cog Hill Junior Classic.
In the Girls 15-18 Emily Cosler of Orland Park, IL led the pack throughout the weekend, but not without a good fight from Grace Curran of New Lenox, IL. Curran shot an 85, +13 on day one while battling the tough conditions that only worsened throughout her round. She followed that up with an 83, +11 on day two, which was the best score in her division that day.
In spite Curran's efforts, she couldn't best Cosler who shot an extremely impressive 75, +3 in the blustery conditions on day one without any bogeys on the front nine and a nice birdie on the 8th hole. Cosler struggled a bit on day two shooting an 84, +12, but it ended up being enough to beat out the competition with a two day score of 163 to garner the title on course 3 of the Cog Hill Golf and Country Club.
In the Boys 13-14 division Dominic Scaletta of Inverness, IL and Michael Hauer Jr. of Woodbury, MN impressed by shooting 75, +3 and 77, +5 respectively even though the weather wouldn't cooperate.
Garrett Tighe of Algonquin, IL was close behind with a score of 80, +8 in the stormy weather, and fought on during the final round with a 76, +4 to finish with a two day score of 156 and second place in his division. Hauer Jr. ended up shooting an 82, +10 in his final round to finish with a two day score of 159 to claim third place in the division.
Even though his competitors put in a strong effort, Scaleeta stole the show by continuing his superb play on day two with a 72, even par to give him a two day score of 147 to win his division handily by eleven strokes, the best score of the entire tournament, and of course the first place trophy at the one and only Cog Hill.
In the Boys 11-12 division there were some very good scores despite the weather barely holding up for their rounds.
Sean Curran, whose sister fought it out earlier, put up a nice score on day one of 78, +6, which included an extraordinary eagle on hole 6. Curran equaled his competitors score on day one, Logan Zurn of Elkhorn, WI, to set up a clash for the final round.
Zurn shot an admirable 80, +8 on day two to give him a two day score of 158. Curran held his own out there during the final round and ensured his victory by rolling in two birdies on the back nine, ultimately giving him a 77, +5 and a two day score of 155 and a three-stroke victory here at the Cog Hill Jr. Classic.
The Girls 11-14 division included only two competitors; Emily Duan of Buffalo Grove, IL and Rocky Simpson of Chicago, IL. Simpson struggled mightily in the pouring rain on day one by shooting a 126, +54, but then followed it up with a much more respectable 102, +30 on day two to give her a two-day score of 228 on this tenacious course.
Duan won the division by shooting a solid 92, +20 on day one followed by a notable 85, +13 which included a very impressive eagle on the 14th hole to give her an easy victory at the epochal Cog Hill Golf and Country Club.
Weather:
Day One: Low of 45 to high of 55, rainy, winds of 10-20 MPH
Day Two: Low of 50 to high of 65, cloudy, winds of 10-20 MPH
Yardages:
Boys 15-18- 6295 yards
Boys 13-14- 6068 yards
Girls 11-18/Boys 11-12- 5485 yards
About us:
The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour (HJGT) was founded in 2008 with the intent of providing junior golfers between the ages of 11-18 an opportunity to play exceptional courses in a competitive environment. Golfers who participate on the tour will compete in one of four age divisions: Boys 15-18, Boys 13-14, Boys 11-12, Girls 15-18, and Girls 11-14. Based out of Jacksonville, Fla., the HJGT administers events all across the nation, with stops in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Connecticut.
For more information regarding the 2014 HJGT Tour, please visit our website at www.hjgt.org, call the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour headquarters at (904) 379-2697, or email info@hjgt.org.
Experience #TheHurricaneDifference