Windermere Prep boys, LMP girls lead
HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS — Despite blustery conditions, four area teams and more than a few individuals shot their way into title contention on opening day of the Class 1A state golf tournament on Friday.
Windermere Prep’s boys and Lake Mary Prep’s defending champion girls are in first place following 18 holes at the Mission Inn Resort & Club. Two other area teams are sitting in second heading into today’s second round: the Circle Christian boys and The First Academy girls.
“They were consistent,” said Lake Mary Prep girls’ coach Mike Jamison, whose team holds a fiveshot lead over The First Academy (285-290). “They did not surprise me.”
Individually, nationallyranked Circle Christian junior Eugene Hong shot a 2-under-par 70 on the El Campeon Course to tie for the boys’ lead with Trinity Prep’s Joe Pagdin.
Pagdin is ineligible for the individual title because he didn’t compete in his district tournament, according to FHSAA Director of Athletics Ed Thompson.
“I was warming up on the range and I was really struggling,” said Hong, who bounced back from a shaky start to record four of his six birdies on the back nine. “I’m really happy with how I finished. I was birdiebirdie on the final two holes.”
In the girls’ tournament, Lake Mary Prep’s Jennifer Zhou is first (68) and teammate Mimi Chen (70) is in the top five on the par-72, 5,505-yard Las Colinas course.
Windermere Prep’s boys overcame a sluggish start by recording nine of their 15 birdies on the back nine to card a 309 and take a twoshot lead over Circle Christian.
Lake Mary Prep’s boys’ team, coming off a 2015 state title, stumbled. The Griffins made six doublebogeys on the front nine, but rebounded with six birdies on the backside to sit in fifth place (319).
“I don’t think we played our best today,” Lake Mary Prep coach Bobby Hayes said. “We just had an offday. We’ve got to be a little more aggressive. Better scoring on the par 5s.”
The tournament concludes today, with the final group of golfers expected to finish around 3 p.m.
“We did great,” said Jennifer Zhou, who made six birdies on the back nine, including five in a row on Nos. 10-14.
“I made five birdies in a row. I was surprised.”
First Academy’s Morgan Baxendale and Ariel Yu both shot par and are in the top 10.