IJGT Colonial Open at Golden Horseshoe G.C. - Final Results

The International Junior Golf Tour (IJGT) made a stop in Colonial Williamsburg for the 2012 IJGT Colonial Open on Oct. 6-7. Historic Golden Horseshoe Golf Club, which is featured as one of Golf Magazine's "Top 100 Resort Courses in America" and "Top 500 Golf Holes in the World," hosted some of the top junior golfers in the area for the nationally ranked junior event.

Evan Shapiro from Rockville, Md. was one of the bright spots to come out of the first day of competition at the Green Course at Golden Horseshoe on Saturday. The course, which features hilly terrain surrounded by thick wooded areas, turned out to be very difficult; it forced the junior golfers to be very conservative throughout each and every hole.

Shapiro's even par opening round was enough to give him a commanding eight shot lead going into Sunday.

"My driving on the first day was the key to my success," said Shapiro. "It was a really tight course and I was just keeping it in play."

Shapiro was able to follow up his opening round 72 with a final round 75 on the Gold Course on Sunday. His two-day total of 147 (+4) was enough to win the Boys 15-19 division title by a deciding ten strokes over Troy Berglund from Pittsburg, Pa. Berglund put together rounds of 78-79 for the runner-up finish. Patrick McDonald of Herndon, Va. rounded out the top three with his 81-78-159 finish.

Pittsford, N.Y. native Will Thomson came into the Colonial Open with one thing on his mind. In his last two IJGT appearances he climbed his way up to the top of the leaderboard only to see the division title slip through his fingers. He lost by a mere five strokes at the KENTWOOL Socks Junior at Blue Heron Pines and again in a playoff at the IJGT Upstate Challenge at Timber Banks. Those two runner-up finishes were fresh on his mind coming into Golden Horseshoe, but he was able to manage the Green Course with ease on Saturday as he put up the low score for the tournament with an opening round 71 (-1).

Thomson said his mindset coming into the final round was to be conservative with his seven-stroke lead. "I was aiming at the middle of the green and just looking for easy two-putt pars on every hole," said Thomson.

Thomson began to sweat a little bit as he struggled through the cold and rainy weather conditions early on in the round, but after he made his way back onto the course following nearly an hour long rain delay he put together a strong finish to seal the Boys U-14 title, giving him his first IJGT victory this season. Luke Schaap from Potomac, Md. made things interesting on Sunday, but was unable to complete his comeback on Thomson as his 78-76-154 finish left him four strokes behind Thomson for second place. Tom Crow from Virginia Beach, Va. rounded out the top finishers in the division with a two-day total of 161.

Katie Edelblut from New Hope, Pa. was cruising through her opening round at the Green Course on Saturday, as she was (+2) going into the 15th hole. The double she took on that par 5 was just the beginning of the slide that took her from having a solid first round lead to trailing Erin DiDonato from Hammonton, N.J. by three strokes at the end of the day.

Edelblut was determined to put the woes from the last few holes on Saturday far behind her as she came out firing to begin her round at the Gold Course on Sunday. She was able to climb back into the lead over DiDonato early in the round but the rain delay, which forced the field into the clubhouse due to thunderstorms, cooled off her momentum as she came out of the delay with two straight bogeys. DiDonato experienced some struggles of her own and just opened the door a little further for Edelblut, who was able to right the ship and capture the Girls division title by seven strokes at the end of the day (85-78). DiDonato fought to a second place finish with rounds of 82-88. Amanda Meyers from North Potomac, Md. rounded out the top finishers in the division with a two day total of 195.

Shapiro and Edelblut both added to their collection of sponsor gifts on Sunday as they came away with the Clazic Belt Low Final Round Award with final round scores of 75 and 78 respectively.

The IJGT will be moving on to the first Major Championship of the season at the Architects Golf Club in Lopatcong, N.J. on Oct. 13-14. The field will be complete with some of the best junior golfers in the Northeast at one of the finest golf venues the region has to offer. To register for this event or any others, please contact the IJGT at www.IJGT.com or 800-792-9143.

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, KENTWOOL, CHAMP Spikes, AB Golf Designs, Clazic Belts, The First Tee, Golf Digest/Golf World, and Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy.

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Williamsburg, VA - Final round results of the IJGT event conducted by the International Junior Golf Tour (IJGT) at Golden Horseshoe Green and Gold Courses, held Oct. 6-7, 2012. Boys 15-19 Division: Green Course - Blue Tees - 6824 yards, par 72, (73.5/139), Gold Course - Blue Tees - 6688 yards, par 71, (73.2/143). Boys 14 & Under Division: Green Course - White Tees - 6251 yards, par 72, (70.8/133), Gold Course - White Tees - 6087 yards, par 71, (70.8/133). Girls U-19 Division: Green Course - Red Tees - 5793 yards, Par 72 (73.6/133), Gold Course - Red Tees - 5649 yards, Par 71, (72.5/132).

Weather:
Saturday: Sunny with highs in the mid 80's
Sunday: Cool and rain showers / thunderstorms, highs in the mid 50's

International Junior Golf Tour at Golden Horseshoe Golf Club
Round 1: Green Course
Round 2: Gold Course
Williamsburg, VA
October 6-7, 2012

Boys 15-19 Division - (Blue Tees) Green Course; 6824 yards, Par 72
Gold Course; 6688 yards, Par 71
1. Evan Shapiro, Rockville, MD, *72-75--147
2. Troy Berglund, Pittsburgh, PA, *78-79--157
3. Patrick McDonald, Herndon, VA, *81-78--159
4. Christopher Nolte, Arnold, MD, *85-82--167
5. Jake Richardson, Virginia Beach, VA, *82-87--169
6. Jason Caputo, Fairfax, VA, *89-81--170
6. Oliver Wade, New York, NY, *83-87--170
6. Ezekiel Zhao, Annapolis, MD, *79-91--170
9. Evan Santa, Edgewater, MD, *82-89--171
10. Bryce Johnson, Oakton, VA, *84-88--172
11. Garrett Tucker, Huntingtown, MD, *81-94--175
12. Adam Bacon, Fairfax Station, VA, *94-84--178
13. Joshua Jacobs, Kensington, MD, *96-87--183
14. Trey Croney, Haverford, PA, *90-94--184
15. Jb Bradbeer, Rosemont, PA, *89-101-190

Did Not Finish
Nicholas Bruner, Virginia Beach, VA, *93-DQ (Rule 6-3a)

Boys U-14 Division - (White Tees) Green Course; 6251 yards, Par 72
Gold Course; 6087 yards, Par 71
1. William Thomson, Pittsford, NY, *71-79--150
2. Luke Schaap, Potomac, MD, *78-76--154
3. Tom Crow, Virginia Beach, VA, *80-81--161
4. Ian Buchanan, Charlottesville, VA, *80-86--166
5. William Sheedy, Washington, DC, *85-82--167
6. Evan White, Greenville, SC, *89-92--181
7. Peter Bradbeer, Rosemont, PA, *91-92--183

Girls Division - (Red Tees) Green Course; 5793 yards, Par 72
Gold Course; 5649 yards, Par 71
1. Katie Edelblut, New Hope, PA, *85-78--163
2. Erin DiDonato, Hammonton, NJ, *82-88--170
3. Amanda Meyers, North Potomac, MD, *91-104--195