Final Results - IJGT at Savannah Quarters

Comeback Victories for Ogawa, Shimoji

Strong Play and Hole-in-One Propels Valdes to Second Straight Win

POOLER, Ga. -- The International Junior Golf Tour (IJGT) hosted the Georgia Open at Savannah Quarters on Oct. 19-20, 2013, and the field of gifted junior golfers did not fail to provide some exciting moments throughout the Event. Held on the famed Greg Norman signature course, the beautifully-designed course had its fair share of open fairways and strategically-placed water hazards, while also featuring an alluring par-3 island green. The field of 77 players, representing 20 countries and 18 states, competed for National Rankings, AJGA Performance Stars, and IJGT Merit Points.

In the Girls Division, Ana Paula Valdes of Morelia, Mexico, built a strong lead quickly and never looked back, tallying a final 6-under-par 138 to record her victory in the Girls Division. Her final score was the best in the entire field and six strokes ahead of runner-up, Rei Nakatani, of Tokyo, Japan. Valdes shot a , bogey-free round of 5-under-par 67 in the first round, complete with five birdies. Holding onto a comfortable lead going into the final round, Valdes immediately opened up with a birdie on the par-4 No. 1, and followed that up with two pars. The highlight of her performance (and possibly the entire Event) came on the par-3 No. 4, where Valdes sank a hole-in-one from 144 yards. Valdes finished her round with two birdies on the back nine's par-5s, carding a total 1-under-par 71.

Looking back on her final round Valdes was humble, saying, "[It was] not as good as the first round, but I had an interesting day today," playing coy to her incredible second career hole-in-one performance.

This is Valdes's second straight victory of the 2013-2014 season, where she most recently came out with a convincing 12-stroke win at the Florida Junior at Black Diamond Ranch on Oct. 12-13.

Rounding out the top three for the Girls Division were Nakatani, who shot a tournament total of even-par 144, and Isidora Quevedo of Santiago, Chile, who tallied a final 1-over-par 145.
Nakatani's final-round score of 3-under-par 69 earned her the Clazic Belts Low Final Round Award, which goes to the player who records the lowest score in the final round of every IJGT tournament.

The Boys 15-19 Division featured one of two exciting comebacks of the Event, where Tennoshin Ogawa of Ichinomiya-shi, Japan, battled back from a five-stroke deficit to take home the trophy with a 75-68--143. In an admirable final-round performance, Ogawa opened up with a front-nine score of 3-under-par 33 to put the pressure on the leaders.

Ogawa held another of the tournament's notable moments came on the par-5 No. 13, where he sank a 150-yard shot from the bunker for an eagle. Even with the eagle, Matt Cheng of Taipei, Taiwan nearly matched Ogawa shot for shot until the final few holes, where Ogawa ultimately prevailed. He finished the day with a division-low 4-under-par 68, preventing a playoff and securing a one-stroke win over Cheng.

This was the first win of the season for Ogawa, who most recently placed second in a playoff at the IJGT Junior at Hilton Head National on Sept. 7-8. Ogawa is in his third season with the IJGT and racked up six notable victories last season as a competitor in the Boys 14 & Under Division.

Landing a second-place finish in the Boys 15-19 Division was Cheng, who carded a final even-par 144. Austin Maher of Bracebridge, Canada, was two shots back of Ogawa, notching a 1-over-par 145 for the Event.

In the Boys 14 & Under Division, another near-playoff created suspense as Takafumi Shimoji of Okinawa, Japan, was able to rally from a first-round deficit to pull off a one-stroke victory over strong competitor, Karl Vilips of Melbourne, Australia. Finishing round one with a 3-over-par 75, Shimoji sat two strokes off the lead and was determined to turn his performance around. Despite a slow front-nine start, Shimoji was resilient, making a birdie on the par-4 No. 11 and then carding five straight pars to catch up with the leader. With the help of his birdie on hole No. 17 and par on the last hole, he was able to seal off the victory with a final score of 150.

Reflecting on how this close-cut victory made him feel, Shimoji responded like any other winner would, saying, "I want to win more."

This is Shimoji's third win in his first season with the IJGT, coming after victories at the Lowcountry Open at Oldfield and the Aiken Junior Open at Woodside Plantation. He also tied for second place at the IJGT Junior at Hilton Head National.

Vilips earned his seventh top-five finish with a second-place score of 151. Brandon McBride of Bluffton, S.C., landed in third with a score of 154, giving him his third consecutive top-five finish.

The IJGT's Southeast Tour will be back in action on Nov. 2-3, 2013 in Hilton Head Island, S.C., for the IJGT Island Open at Palmetto Hall. To sign up for this Event, or others, visit www.IJGT.com/info or call 888.936.5327.

About the IJGT

The IJGT provides exceptional junior golfers with the opportunity to develop and showcase their competitive skills while setting high standards to preserve the traditions and integrity of the game. As a tour that operates primarily throughout the academic year, the IJGT hosts approximately 60 tournaments annually. In addition, the IJGT hosts three international events. Each event provides multi-day competition for junior golfers of all skill levels ages 9-19. Players representing 45 states and 43 countries around the world regularly compete in events at venues such as TPC Sawgrass, Pinehurst, Bethpage State Park and Harbour Town Golf Links. Official partners of the IJGT include Bridgestone Golf, Quagmire Golf, CHAMP Spikes, AB Golf Designs, Clazic Belts, morodZ, Sundog Eyewear, PURE Grips, The First Tee, Golfweek and the International Junior Golf Academy.

To obtain more information about the IJGT, please visit www.IJGT.com/info or call 888.936.5327.

POOLER, Ga. - Final round results of the IJGT Georgia Open conducted by the International Junior Golf Tour completed October 20, 2013. Boys 15-19 Division: Black Tees - 6,861 yards, Par 72 (72.6/131). Boys 14 & Under Division: Silver Tees - 6,294 yards, Par 72 (71.5/129). Girls Division: Red Tees - 6,007 yards, Par 72 (74.5/134).

Weather: Sunny with temperatures in the High 70s, winds 5-10 mph
Cloudy with temperatures in the Low 70s, winds 5-10 mph

Georgia Open at Savannah Quarters
Savannah Quarters Country Club
Pooler, Ga.
October 19-20, 2013

Boys 15-19 Division - (Black Tees) 6,861 yards, Par 72
1. Tennoshin Ogawa, Ichinomiya-shi, Japan *75-68--143
2. Matt Cheng, Taipei, Taiwan *70-74--144
3. Austin Maher, Bracebridge, Canada *72-73--145
4. Shota Ozaki, Tokyo, Japan *73-73--146
5. Garrett Johnson, Hilton Head Island, SC *75-73--148
6. Chris Magi, Montreal, Canada *74-76--150
7. Will Miles, Hilton Head Island, SC *76-75--151
8. Yong Sherng Hui, Taman Dagang, Malaysia *78-74--152
8. Matthew Mannion, Muskoka, Canada *78-74--152
10. Jack Lupori, Steamboat Springs, CO *76-77--153
10. Salil Ghamande, Evans, GA *75-78--153
10. Sam Meuret, Brunswick, NE *76-77--153
13. Zach Seeler, Marion, IN *80-75--155
13. Masato Yoshitsugu, Aichi, Japan *77-78--155
13. Taiga Fujii, Toyama-shi, Japan *77-78--155
13. Chase Childers, Issue, MD *76-79--155
17. Kyle Vincze, North Reading, MA *82-75--157
17. Alessandro Vedovi, Paris, France *80-77--157
17. Maurizio Debono, Basiguo, Italy *79-78--157
17. Keanu Hasmana, Jakarta, Indonesia *77-80--157
21. Luigi D'Amico, Forli, Italy *80-78--158
21. Karan Arjun, Bangalore, India *79-79--158
23. John McCabe, Sewickley, PA *81-78--159
23. Lohith Ramaraju, London, England *80-79--159
23. Lee Hammerschmidt, Armonk, NY *76-83--159
26. Daiki Okada, Tokyo, Japan *78-82--160
26. Alan Xu, Hilton Head Island, SC *78-82--160
28. Taisuke Ono, Tokyo, Japan *85-76--161
28. Daniel Oh, Mapo-Gu, South Korea *80-81--161
28. Diego Vega, Mexico City, Mexico *81-80--161
31. Brett Inserra, Upper Saddle River, NJ *76-86--162
32. Hao Yang Lin, Taichung. Taiwan *81-82--163
33. Chang Ju Lee, Seoul, South Korea *81-83--164
34. Nick Becker, Hilton Head Island, SC *86-79--165
35. Kris Lantz, Pittsburgh, PA *85-81--166
35. Brad Cook, Jackson, WY *80-86--166
37. Wataru Koguchi, Fukuoka, Japan *89-78--167
37. Cameron Clair, Biddeford, ME *80-87--167
39. Katsuya Asano, Kanagawa, Japan *91-79--170
39. Richard Lavecchia IV, Charlotte, NC *82-88--170
41. Tyler Berdy, Riverside, CA *88-84--172
41. Norman Hong, Shenzhen, China *88-84--172
43. Christian Garruppo, Pottersville, NJ *91-82--173
43. Guodong Ji, Quing Dao, China *78-95--173
45. Jose Carlos Diaz Donato, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico *80-96--176
46. Jack Fleming, Falkirk, Scotland *88-89--177
47. Owen Kuchinos, Antrim, NH *90-89--179
48. Todd Glickfield IV, Bluffton, SC *93-89--182
49. Shogo Taniguchi, Osaka, Japan *89-97--186
50. Jespi Huh, Sasanggu, South Korea *93-97--190

DID NOT FINISH
Shogo Ito, Tokyo, Japan *DQ (Rule 6-3a)
Brock Erwin, Muldrow, OK *83-JWD

Boys 14 & Under Division - (Silver Tees) 6,294 yards, Par 72
1. Takafumi Shimoji, Okinawa, Japan *75-75--150
2. Karl Vilips, Melbourne, Australia *73-78--151
3. Brandon McBride, Bluffton, SC *77-77--154
4. Luis Sanchez, Xalapa, Mexico *78-84--162
5. Christian Clemence Tupamahu, Manado, Indonesia *85-92--177
6. Xiaofeng Hu, Qiang Dao, China *105-98--203
7. Ruoyu Ma, Xian, China *123-106--229

Girls Division - (Red Tees) 6,007 yards, Par 72
1. Ana Paula Valdes, Morelia, Mexico *67-71--138
2. Rei Nakatani, Tokyo, Japan *75-69--144
3. Isidora Quevedo, Santiago, Chile *73-72--145
4. Nikita Arjun, Bangalore, India *75-75--150
5. Ana Ruiz, Chihuahua, Mexico *76-76--152
6. Sera Tadokoro, Osaka, Japan *76-79--155
6. Samantha Huang, Shenzhen, China *81-74--155
8. Thamonpat Siriko, Bangkok, Thailand *77-79--156
9. Bria` Sanders, Cordova, TN *81-77--158
9. Cake Phuchanbanchob, Chiang Mai, Thailand *76-82--158
11. Milleina Ohara, Meguro-Ku, Japan *80-82--162
12. Lita Huber, Montevideo, Uruguay *84-79--163
12. Kayla Kozak, North Myrtle Beach, SC *81-82--163
14. Gabriela Teran, Managua, Nicaragua *85-79--164
15. Pendleton Bogache, Myrtle Beach, SC *82-87--169
16. Yeji Ahn, Changwon-City, South Korea *94-90--184
17. Alana Brand, Pennyan, NY *96-94--190
18. Taylor Clark, Red Bank, NJ *94-97--191