South Secures Dramatic Comeback to Clinch Golf Championship with Third Consecutive Victory
The South team came through with a dramatic turnaround, clinching the Championship after trailing 5.5 to 10.5 at the start of the singles matches. This victory marked their third consecutive win.
Four-Ball Matches
The wind made for challenging conditions during the morning matches, courtesy of tropical storm Debby. However, the players managed the adversity well and were able to put together some exciting play. South got off to a hot start during the morning four-ball matches, but the North clawed their way back to square it up at the end, finishing with the North and South teams tied at 4-4.
Some highlights included Mingbo Jiang, who holed out from the bunker on the 18th in a dramatic finish. Yet, it was still the North side of Adam Hovermale and Jackie Ryan Donovan who took the point for the South team. In her final efforts, Ana Boone birdied her 18th hole to close her match 2-up, leading to a tie overall.
Foursome Matches
The afternoon foursomes faced even stronger winds, adding to the anticipation as both sides entered the matches tied. The South team initially took the lead again, but there was plenty of golf still to be played. In the first foursome, William Lisle and Layla Pedrique competed against Henry Robards and Alexandra Snyder. Robards and Snyder managed to erase a four hole deficit and ended their match in a tie, while the other groups continued to battle it out.
The scoreboard gradually shifted in favor of the North, who ended the day with a 10.5-5.5 lead over the South. All but one of the foursome matches were completed before a brief weather delay, which affected the match between Ana Boone / Luke Balaskiewicz and Marley Pedrique / Wylie Inman. After a 30-minute rain delay, Boone and Balaskiewicz finished 1-up to add another point for the North, pushing their total into double digits.
Single Matchplay
In a turn of events, it was the North team who got off to a hot start in the morning. However, blue started overtaking the scoreboard as the first six matches ended in a point for the South team. Dannika Hines of the North team outlasted Claire Lu 5 & 4 to bring a point for the North team while eight matches were still battling it out. As roughly half the matches turned in, it was 12.5-11.5 in favor of the South team.
Critical matches, including Maggie Potash (North) versus Natalie Angelo (South) and Palmer Haynes (North) versus William Lisle (South), went all square after the South took control midway through the back-nine. Angelo outlasted Potash with a birdie on the 18th hole to win 1-up. Palmer would breathe some life back into the North team after birdieing the 18th hole, winning his match against Lisle. However, the decisive point was clinched by Jack Ryan Donovan, who defeated Henry Robards 3 & 2.
Three players went undefeated in their matches: Palmer Haynes (North), Dannika Hines (North), and Xin Wang (South). The overall record for the Junior Florida Cup matches are 11-6-1 in favor of the North, however the South Team has won three in a row to cut into the deficit.