As yet another successful Junior Tour season came to a close, many players were honored for their performance on the course throughout the year. Awards were given not only based on performance but also to those juniors who have displayed great sportsmanship and improvement throughout the season.
Performance based awards included Player of the Year, which recognizes the member who earns the most points based on their top nine tournaments throughout the year, and Low Scoring Average, which is based on the players’ average 18-hole score from their top five events.
The 2011 Boys 14-18 Player of the Year winner was Derron Peyton of Boynton Beach, who has had an outstanding season with the South Florida PGA. Payton’s five season wins has secured him a spot with Lynn University for 2012. In the Girls 14-18 division, this year’s Player of the Year was Claudia De Anotio of Weston. De Antonio’s season included two Overall titles as well as a playoff loss in the Tour Championship on Sunday. In the 12-13 Age Division the Players of the Year were Ty Strafaci of Davie and Emily Faulkner of Palm City respectively. Strafaci’s season included an impressive seven wins, while Faulkner’s included four.
Peyton also won the Boys 14-18 Low Scoring Average with an amazing 69.6 stroke average, as well as Strafaci winning the 12-13 division with a 71.8 stroke average. As for the girls, Faulkner had the lowest scoring average for the 12-13 division with a 77.2 stroke average, while Annie Dulman of Palm Beach Gardens won the Girls 14-18 division with a 73.8 stroke average. Dulman’s scoring ability will be seen at the collegiate level in 2012 at Rollins College.
Specialty awards included The Honda Classic Most Improved Player and The Ed Ficker Sportsmanship Award. The Honda Classic Most Improved Player award is given to the player who best improves his and her playing ability from one season to the next, as well as throughout the 2011 season. This year’s winners included Dane Cianelli of Plantation and Alexandra Papell of Boca Raton.
The Ed Ficker Sportsmanship Award is annually given to the player that best displays composure and respect for the course and fellow competitors throughout the year. This award is named after a South Florida PGA Professional and Hall of Fame Member, Ed Ficker, who is known for his class, hard work, integrity, and caring attitude toward the game of golf. This year Jackson Shoenfelt of Boynton Beach and Samantha Coleman of Lake Worth deservingly received this honor.
Congratulations to these fine individuals and all of our Junior Tour members on a wonderful season!
Registration for 2012 opens January 10, with the first South Florida PGA Junior Tour event being held February 4-5 at Club Med at Sandpiper Bay.
The South Florida PGA Junior Tour is proudly presented by The Honda Classic and supported by Allianz Championship, Club Med Golf Academy, Don Law Golf Academy, Palm Beach County Sports Commission, The Men’s Fun Group at Mirasol, and Titleist.
The South Florida PGA Junior Tour, run under the South Florida PGA Foundation, is committed to its mission of keeping membership and tournament-related costs low while providing first-class quality golf at thirteen championship venues throughout South Florida over the course of the Junior Tour season. For more information on the Junior Tour, please visit the South Florida PGA website at www.sfpgagolf.com and click on Junior Golf.
The South Florida PGA Foundation is a not-for-profit organization founded to support the South Florida community, with a focus on junior golf, education and scholarships, and charitable gifting. The South Florida PGA Foundation falls under the direction of the South Florida PGA, a not-for-profit organization comprised of over 1,600 men and women PGA Professionals dedicated to growing participation in the game of golf.
