Junior Tour of Northern California Crowns Winners During Fall Series IX Tournament at Bayonet Golf Course
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (October 29, 2024) – The Junior Tour of Northern California (JTNC) crowned champions during the Fall Series IX Tournament at Bayonet Golf Course in Seaside.
Stevie Umali and Ayden Fynaut both shot under-par and were victorious in their respective Championship Flights, with Umali finishing at 1-under par and Fynaut at 10-under par. In the First Flight division, Chenxi Wang and Caroline Cui also grabbed their first winners medal of the new season with Chenxi taking the Boys First Flight and Caroline taking the Girls First Flight.
In the Boys Championship Flight, Ayden Fyanut reminded everyone in the Boys Championship field why he is one of the top Junior players this year as he carded a bogey free 9-under 63 to sweep the field by ten shots. Fynaut's game was dialed in all weekend at Bayonet with back-to-ack under par rounds of 71-63 that included nine birdies, one eagle, and just one bogey throughout the 36-hole competition. A hot streak unlike any other we've seen for a while on the Junior Tour, Fynaut went 33 consecutive holes making par or better with his ultimate highlight being the eagle he carded on the opening hole during play of round two which propelled him to an eventual 63 for the day. Ayden's win takes him to 2nd overall on the JTNC Player of the Year Standings, making this his second win for the 2024-2025 season.
The runner-up was awarded to Luke Brandler who carded rounds of 72-72 while earning his first medal of the season. Brandler finished with six birdies over the 36-hole event which was enough to see out third place by two shots. Alexander Thu took third place after rounds of 79-67, winning in a card-off versus Eli Weidmann and Zachary Hawkins as the trio were all tied at 146 on the leaderboard. Fourth place in the Boys Championship Flight subsequently remained a tie between Weidmann and Hawkins after the pair missed out in the card-off for third, Hawkins with rounds of 77-69 and Weidmann with rounds of 70-76.
In the Girls Championship Flight, Stevie Umali put together two rounds of consistent golf and finally overcame her previous best finishes of 2nd and 3rd place (Windsor & Moffett Field) clinching her first victory of the 2024-2025 season! Stevie carded rounds of 71-71 for 143, finishing at 1-under par for the tournament while carding a total of six birdies on her way to a winners medal. The highlight of Umali's weekend happened during the final stretch of holes near the competitions end, picking up back-to-back birdies on holes #15 and #16 gave her the edge over runner-up Anita Lumpongpoung as she solidified her spot at the top of the leaderboard.
Second place was awarded to Anita Lumpongpoung, carding rounds of 71-75 with six birdies over the 36-holes. This is Lumpongpoung's second medal on the Junior Tour this season, bumping her up to 4th points on the Girls' JTNC Player of the Year Standings. Third place went to Madalynn Lee at 7-over par, Madalynn had rounds of 73-78 while featuring five bridies throughout the tournament. Fourth place was awarded to Lucinda Wu as she shot rounds of 77-75, coming in at 8-over par for the tournament.
In the Boys First Flight, Chenxi Wang carded rounds of 79-74 to come in at 153. Wang carded three crucial birdies during play of the final round, triumphing in victory by four shots over his next closest in Justin Russo Jr. This is Wang's first win on the Junior Tour for the 2024-2025 season, the talent from Cupertino will be looking to add to his medal collection in the coming months. Second place went to Justin Russo Jr. who shot rounds of 81-76 for 157, carding two birdies and one eagle over the 36-hole event. Russo Jr. earns his first top-three finish for the 2024-2025 season, taking him a few spots up on the Boys JTNC Player of the Year Standings.
Third Place ended in a three-way tie as Elliott Dunn, Jack Friesell, and Elijah Shi were all tied at 15-over par 159 after 36-holes. Ultimately it was Elliott Dunn who prevailed in the card-off as he shot the lower round of the trio, coming in with a score of 79. Fourth place remained tied with Friesell and Shi as the pair shared the honors of missing out on a podium spot in the Boys First Flight.
In the Girls First Flight, Caroline Cui came out on top after enduring the tough test of Bayonet Golf Course where she finished at 5-over par 149, with rounds of 75-74. Caroline picked up a total of four birdies over the two day championship with two of them being made during the final round to give her the edge over runner-up Myla Havarangsi by two shots. Runner-up honors went to Myla Havarangsi, turning in rounds of 80-71 and finishing at 151 and two shots ahead of third place. Myla carded a total of five bridies during the tournament. Third place in the Girls First Flight went to Katelyn Zhang at 9-over par, with rounds of 76-77.