Galdin earns second IJGT title in Boys 15-19 Division

Vesga earns dominant victory at Savannah Quarters

POOLER, Ga. – The International Junior Golf Tour (IJGT) continued the 2015 Fall Season with the IJGT Georgia Open at Savannah Quarters. Junior golfers ages 10-19 years old representing 16 different states and 24 countries competed in the 36-hole tournament for IJGT Merit Points, National Rankings, and AJGA Performance Stars.

Lino Galdin of Nesmy, France, was victorious in the Boys 15-19 Division at Savannah Quarters after posting back-to-back rounds of even-par, 72. Galdin was very consistent in his opening round making 16 pars, one birdie, and one bogey. The wind was a factor all weekend and Galdin was able to navigate the slick greens at the Greg Norman designed Savannah Quarters Country Club. He trailed first-round co-leaders Tsukasa Kimishima of Fukuoka, Japan, and Matej Malicek of Bratislava, Slovakia, by one shot going into the final round.

Galdin won his first IJGT tournament earlier this Fall in comeback fashion so he knew he had a very good shot at winning. He made the turn in even-par, 36 to start his round taking a hold of the lead which he would not relinquish. Galdin made back-to-back birdies on holes Nos. 11 and 12 to solidify his lead, and then finished strong to clinch his second IJGT victory with a tournament total of even-par, 144.

“I knew I could win with birdies today. I made three, and it was good enough for the win,” commented Galdin.

Galdin’s final-round score of even-par, 72 earned him the Clazic Belts Low Final Round Award which goes to the boy and girl that record the lowest final round score in each IJGT tournament.

Kimishima finished in second place with a tournament total of 2-over, 146. Tennoshin Ogawa of Ichinomiya-shi, Japan, earned third place after recording a tournament total of 149.

In the Girls Division, Maria Vesga of Bucaramanga, Colombia, earned her second championship in the month of October on the IJGT. Vesga was able to handle the blistering wind at Savannah Quarters Country Club to hold off a strong field of 20 girls. She started off the tournament making four birdies in her opening round of 2-over, 74. She ended round one tied with Sera Tadokoro of Osaka, Japan.

In the final round, Vesga got off to a slow start making a double-bogey on her second hole, but she rebounded well rattling off seven straight pars to close her opening nine holes. Vesga carded three birdies on her last nine holes to secure the crown and finish with a score of even-par, 72.

Vesga earned the Clazic Belts Low Final Round Award in the Girls Division with her closing score of even-par 72 in the windy conditions at Savannah Quarters Country Club.

“The wind a little factor today, but growing up in Colombia helped me with the conditions,” said Vesga.

Tadokoro finished in second place recording a tournament total of 153. There was a tie for third place between Yukie Sasaki of Hiroshima, Japan, and Ximena Gonzalez of Mexico, with a tournament score of 156.

Chase Phillips of Hilton Head Island, S.C., earned his second IJGT title of the Fall 2015 season in the Boys 14 & Under Division at the Georgia Open at Savannah Quarters. Phillips recorded a tournament total of 164 to clinch the victory. He did not have his “A” game this event, but like all good champions, Phillips found a way to hit the critical shots when required. He opened the tournament with an 81 highlighted by a birdie on hole No. 12. This was good enough to give him a share of the lead with Shoichiro Sakamoto of Japan, heading into the final round.

Phillips started strong in the final round and opened up a two-stroke lead after nine holes. That lead increased to four strokes after 13 holes. The margin was good enough for Phillips to overcome a couple of double-bogeys coming down the stretch. Despite the tough weather, he ended the day with a score of 83, which gave him the Boys 14 & Under Division title.

“Growing up on Hilton Head and playing in the wind, it was no factor for me today,” said Phillips.

Sakamoto ended the tournament in second place finishing with a tournament total of 165. Noah Levine of Mendon, N.Y., earned third place after recording a 167 tournament score.

The IJGT will travel to Scotch Plains, N.J., for the Ben Shear Junior Golf Championship at Shackamaxon Country Club on Oct. 24-25, 2015. The Major Championship will feature national rankings and double IJGT Merit Points. To sign up for this event, or others, visit IJGT.com or call (844) 779-3374.

About the IJGT
The IJGT provides domestic and international junior golfers national exposure in competitive tournaments at top venues around the world, preparing them for future success in golf and in life. As a tour that operates primarily throughout the academic year, the IJGT hosts approximately 40 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 30 states and 30 countries around the world regularly compete in events at venues such as TPC Sawgrass, Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Kiawah Island Resort and Harbour Town Golf Links. Official partners of the IJGT include AHEAD, Bridgestone Golf, Clazic Belts, Laurel Springs School, The First Tee, Oakley Eyewear, Golfweek, PUMA Golf, EyeLine Golf, Bishops Gate Golf Academy and the International Junior Golf Academy.

To obtain more information about the IJGT, please visit www.IJGT.com or call (844) 779-3374.

POOLER, Ga. – Final-round results of the IJGT Georgia Open at Savannah Quarters conducted by the International Junior Golf Tour completed October 18, 2015. Boys 15-19 Division: Black Tees – 6,832 yards, Par 72 (72.8/132). Boys 14 & Under Division: Blue Tees – 6,105 yards, Par 72 (69.4/124) Girls Division: White Tees – 5,893 yards, Par 72 (74.1/132)

Weather:        
Round 1: Sunny with temperatures in the low 70’s with 10-15 mph winds
Round 2: Partly cloudy with temperatures in the low 60’s with 10-5 mph winds
International Junior Golf Tour
IJGT Georgia Open at Savannah Quarters
Pooler, Ga.
October 17-18, 2015 

Boys 15-19 Division - Black Tees, 6,832 yards, Par 72
1. Lino Galdin, Nesmy, France *72-72--144
2. Tsukasa Kimishima, Fukuoka, Japan *71-75--146
3. Tennoshin Ogawa, Ichinomiya-shi, Japan *75-74--149
4. Colton Tanner, Westport, CT *74-76--150
4. Nate Tosto, Pooler, GA *75-75--150
4. Matej Malicek, Bratislava, Slovakia *71-79--150
7. Nicholas Russell, Hilton Head Island, SC *77-76--153
7. Won Jun Choi, Seoul, South Korea *76-77--153
7. Brock Erwin, Muldrow, OK *77-76--153
10. Dong Jin Park, Seoul, South Korea *77-77--154
11. Luis Pons, Leon, Mexico *78-77--155
12. Mark Goodall, Livingston, Scotland *78-78--156
13. Samuel Cudjoe, Bethel, Trinidad and Tobago *81-77--158
13. Saptak Talwar, New Delhi, India *79-79--158
15. Conor Byrne, Dublin, Ireland *82-77--159
15. Christian Garruppo, Pottersville, NJ *78-81--159
17. Takahiro Nojima, Shibuya-Ku, Japan *83-77--160
17. Shharad Arora, Bangalore, India *81-79--160
17. Jasper Lee, Taipei, Taiwan *75-85--160
20. David Yang, Taipei, Taiwan *82-79--161
20. Arthur Draijer, Sandweiler, Luxembourg *82-79--161
22. T.J. Nolan, Rapid City, SD *82-80--162
22. Jack O'Donovan, Pittsford, NY *82-80--162
22. Brandon McBride, Bluffton, SC *81-81--162
25. Christian Tupamahu, Manado, Indonesia *82-81--163
25. Taisuke Ono, Tokyo, Japan *81-82--163
25. Kyle Ash, Reading, MA *82-81--163
25. Santiago Diaz, Merida, Mexico *80-83--163
25. Ryan Pongrac, Freehold, NJ *80-83--163
30. Julio Bello, Valencia, Venezuela *84-80--164
30. Alejandro Guillen, Mexico City, Mexico *81-83--164
30. Marc Groenhuysen, West Chester, PA *78-86--164
33. Philip Chen, Taiwan, Taipei *81-84--165
33. Aniruddh Kedlaya, Bangalore, India *80-85--165
35. David Fu, Zhengzhou, China *79-87--166
36. Mashengjun Li, Shanghai, China *87-80--167
36. Zhicheng Gu, Changshu, China *80-87--167
38. Xiaofeng Hu, Qiang Dao, China *86-82--168
39. Armand Cadieux, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL *80-90--170
40. Alan Smith, Winchendon, MA *83-89--172
40. Konosuke Takahashi, Tokyo, Japan *84-88--172
40. Guodong Ji, Quing Dao, China *82-90--172
40. Vince Brunet, Ottawa, Canada *87-85--172
44. Feng Chen, Beijing, China *87-88--175
45. Mao Hirota, Nagoya, Japan *87-90--177
45. Kevin Ying, Dallas, TX *84-93--177
45. Ray Ahn, Daegu, South Korea *89-88--177
48. Leo Hernandez, Bluffton, SC *84-94--178
48. Trent Hope, Savannah, GA *89-89--178
50. Thomas Pfoestl, Schenna, Italy *91-88--179
51. Kiefer Surkamer, Mullett Lake, MI *96-85--181
52. Punya Khanna, Dubai, United Arab Emirates *94-88--182
53. Alex Roman, Versoix, Switzerland *99-84--183
53. Nick Kuehler, Hilton Head, SC *99-84--183
53. Shunsuke Omura, Yokohama, Japan *89-94--183
56. Kanawut Uenghiranpaisan, Bangkok, Thailand *92-92--184
57. Brent Lund, South Hampton, England *90-99--189
58. Pantanat Phuklabsawan, Chonburi, Thailand *85-108--193
59. Demetrius Johnson, Anchorage, AK *104-90--194
59. Pattarapong Trirattanapipat, Chonburi, Thailand *95-99--194
61. Norman Hong, Shenzhen, China *98-97--195
62. Jose Chavez, Guatemala City, Guatemala *100-98--198
63. Cordell Clouston, Gillette, WY *102-102--204

DID NOT FINISH
Nelson Ou, Foshan, China *WD
Jason Hijazi, San Antonio, TX *WD
Mark Richardson, South Berwick, ME *WD
Arjun Puri, New Delhi, India, *WD

Boys 14 & Under Division - Grey Tees, 6,105 yards, Par 72
1. Chase Phillips, Hilton Head Island, SC *81-83--164
2. Shoichiro Sakamoto, Japan *81-84--165
3. Noah Levine, Mendon, NY *85-82--167
4. Yuxuan Zou, Chongqing, China *85-84--169
5. Siyu Liao, Urumqi, China *82-100--182
6. Dimitris Vasilakos, Savannah, GA *89-97--186

Girls Division - Red Tees, 5,893 yards, Par 72
1. Maria Vesga, Bucaramanga, Colombia *74-72--146
2. Sera Tadokoro, Osaka, Japan *74-79--153
3. Ximena Gonzalez, Mexico *82-74--156
3. Yukie Sasaki, Hiroshima, Japan *77-79--156
5. Yeji Ahn, Changwon-City, South Korea *79-78--157
6. Tracy Lee, Seoul, South Korea *80-79--159
7. Melany Chong, Mississauga, Canada *79-82--161
8. Haruka Shintani, Setagaya, Japan *87-76--163
8. Suthisa Uenghiranpaisan, Bangkok, Thailand *80-83--163
10. Marisa Hisaki, Osaka, Japan *82-82--164
11. Tiana Cruz, Kingston, Jamaica *84-81--165
12. Kayla Kozak, Bluffton, SC *86-80--166
13. Wint Phoo Aung, Yangon, Myanmar *89-81--170
14. Meredith Langs, Hilton Head Island, SC *87-86--173
14. Jasmine Chee, Hong Kong, China *86-87--173
16. Betty Horaney, Longview, TX *85-94--179
17. Yuna Sato, Koriyama, Fukushima, Japan *89-91--180
18. Dylaney Day, Hilton Head Island, SC *83-99--182
19. Yiqing Gong, Allendale, NJ *89-95--184
20. Zhenni Zhu, Chongqing, China *92-99--191