Jacksonville, FL: The Nike Cup Series made its final stop in Peachtree City, Georgia as the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour returned to the Peach State for the eight and final installment of the Nike Cup Series before the Cup Finale. Planterra Ridge Golf Club of Peachtree City, GA hosted the Nike Cup Series Event #8 on September 21-22. The two-day event was shortened to an 18-hole event due to the rain on the first round. The Nike Cup Series is a partnership between Canongate and the HJGT that features outstanding golfers competing in eight events throughout the year. At the end of the year the leaders in the Nike Cup Points standings will face off with the Southeastern Junior Tour in a Ryder Cup style event. In addition to Nike Cup points, AJGA Performance Stars were awarded to the winner of the girls 15-18 division. Winners in all divisions received an invitation to the 2013 Tour Championship. On top of all that, South Carolina Junior Golf Association Heritage Points and Tarheel Youth Golf Association points were awarded. Also the top ten finishers earned points toward end of the year honors, which include All-HJGT teams, state teams, and points towards the inaugural Hurricane Cup. Lastly, winners also took home a $50 Kikkor Golf gift card.
Nick Budd earns his second straight win in the boys 15-18 division. Budd, from Woodstock, GA, shot a 66 on Sunday to finish six under on the round and tournament. Budd eagled the par five 16 hole and also chipped in for birdie on the 18th hole for a bogey free round. He had four birdies, a field best 13 pars, and one eagle for the tournament. Budd also had a field best performance on par fours with a scoring average of 3.8. Coming in three strokes behind Budd was Brett Ammons from McDonough, GA. Ammons shot a 69 to finish three under. Contributing to his score was 11 pars and five birdies, which earned him the co-title of the EFX Birdies Challenge winner along with Jake Haggerty. Finishing in third with a score of 70 was Jake Haggerty with his five birdies and 15 pars.
Earning her third Nike Cup victory in the girls 15-18 division was Ivy Shepherd from Peachtree City, GA. Shepherd used her five birdies to cruise to a four-stroke victory. She was five over after the first four holes, but rebounded by making three straight birdies. She also contributed 12 pars for her final score of 76 and had a field best performance on par threes with a 2.8 scoring average. Shepherd was also the EFX Birdies Challenge winner with her five birdies. Finishing in second was Tiffany Elam from Alpharetta, GA who shot an 80 and finished eight over par. Elam had 12 birdies and a 3.0 scoring average on par three holes. Coming in two strokes behind Elam was Hannah Solesbee of Winston, GA. Solesbee had a 4.5 scoring average on par four holes for the day.
In the boys 11-14 division, Tyler Lipscomb of Carrollton, GA shot an even par round to edge out second place finisher Daniel Fienemann. Lipscomb closed his round with two straight birdies to win by one shot. On top of the Nike Cup win, Lipscomb also won the EFX Birdies Challenge with four birdies. He also had 10 pars and a field best performance on par four holes with a 4.0 scoring average. Fienemann from Peachtree City, GA earned his runner up spot for the second straight tournament. He had 14 pars and 3 birdies for the day. There was a tie for third place between Jordan Rodriquez and Jack Marshall who both shot a 77. Marshall had a field best 14 pars while Rodriquez had a 4.8 scoring average on par five holes.
Marisa Mukherjee of Marietta, GA won by two strokes in the girls 11-14 division. She was able to edge out second place finisher Carson McKie of Hoover, AL. Mukherjee and Simone Obleton were co-winners of the EFX Birdies Challenge with one birdie, both taking home an EFX performance bracelet. Mukherjee had nine pars and a field best performance on par four holes with a 4.5 scoring average. McKie also had nine pars of her own and also had a field best performance on par fives with a 5.5 scoring average and 3.2 scoring average on par three holes. Coming in 22 strokes behind McKie was Liza Eubanks from Peachtree City, GA. Eubanks had three pars and a 4.2 scoring average on par three holes.
Weather
Day 1— Rained out
Day 2— Partly Cloudy mid 70’s, light breeze
Tournament Yardages
Boys 15-18: 6858 yards
Girls 15-18: 5850 yards
Boys 11-14: 6241 yards
Girls 11-14: 5237 yards
EFX Birdies Challenge Winners
Boys 15-18- Nickolaus Budd (6)
Girls 15-18- Ivey Shepherd (5)
Boys 11-14- Tyler Lipscomb (4)
Girls 11-14- Simone Obleton and Marisa Mukherjee (1)