IJGA Student-Athletes Claim 13 Top 10 Finishes at the IJGT Faldo Series Georgia Championship
International Junior Golf Academy (IJGA) student-athletes displayed a strong finish in the International Junior Golf Tournament (IJGT) Faldo Series Georgia Championship held at The Club at Savannah Harbor, February 23-24, with 13 Top 10 finishes in a field of 90 players.
IJGA student-athlete Erik Fogel of Stockholm, Sweden, a senior at Heritage Academy of Hilton Head Island, highlighted the first round with three consecutive birdies on 15, 16 and 17, totaling five birdies for the day and finishing with a 68, four under par for the first round. Shooting two over during the second round, Fogel finished the day with a 74, taking second-place in the Boys U19 Division.
In the Boys U16 Division, IJGA student-athlete Jantai Malataev of Kyrgyzstan claimed his first IJGT victory with a 69-73, with twelve birdies over the two-day tournament. Teammates JeongJoo (JJ) Kim of South Korea and Patrick Sun of China finished in second- and third-place with a 70-75 and 73-74 respectively.
In the Girls U16 Division, IJGA student-athlete One Kashima of Japan took second-place with a 77-77 finish and teammate Emma Kim of South Korea took third with a 76-82 finish.
The top-two finishers in each of the competing divisions (Boys 19U & 16U, Girls 19U & 16U) earned an automatic invitation to the Faldo Series U.S. Grand Final to be held at Bella Collina Golf Club in Montverde, Florida slated for later this year. IJGA players who punched their ticket to this prestigious event include Fogel, Malataev, Kim and Kashima.
Players were also competing for national rankings, such as Junior Golf Scoreboard, Global Junior Golf Rankings, and Golfweek as well as IJGT Merit points.
Tournament Results:
Boys U19 Division
2nd – Erik Fogel: 68 + 74–142
T5 – Brad Riley: 76 + 69–145
T8 – Tristin Galant: 73 + 73–146
Boys U16 Division
1st – Jantai Malataev: 69 + 73–142
2nd – JeongJoo Kim: 70 + 75–145
3rd – Patrick Sun: 73 + 74–147
8th – Muhamad Zaini: 78 + 75–153
Girls U19 Division
4th – Sae Saito: 77 + 83–160
Girls U16 division
2nd – One Kashima: 77 + 77–154
3rd – Emma Kim: 76 + 82–158
4th – Vasundhara Singh Thiara: 75 + 84–159
T8 – Pamas Abhiteachapan: 93 + 103–196
T8 – Noe Hirota: 96 + 100–196
About IJGA: The International Junior Golf Academy (IJGA) was founded in 1995 on Hilton Head Island, SC as a home for elite juniors from around the world looking to earn college golf scholarships in the United States. Since 1995, IJGA has achieved nearly 100% college placement and graduates have earned over $52 million in college golf scholarships. IJGA continues to develop the character and skill of junior golfers, while helping them achieve their goals.
