Media contact: Jeff Shain
Full scoring: JuniorOrangeBowl.org/golf
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (Jan. 4, 2024) — Jack Buchanan hails from Cape Town, South Africa, which has a reputation as one of the windiest cities on the planet.
“There are days when the wind gets up to 50 kilometers per hour (31 mph) all day — sometimes five or six days a week,” Buchanan noted Thursday.
So let’s just say he doesn’t feel uncomfortable when he looks across a golf course and can see the tree branches doing a little dance.
“I’m loving it,” Buchanan said.
Buchanan embraced gusty conditions well on Day 2 of the Junior Orange Bowl International golf championships, shaking off an opening bogey to fire a 2-under-par 69 and propel himself from a three-shot deficit to one ahead of a crowded chase pack.
“There was a bit of wind out there today, but nothing I’m not used to,” he said after reaching the tournament’s midway point at 3-under 139.
On the girls’ side, France’s Sara Brentcheneff also overcame some opening trouble to grab a share of the lead, using a bogey-free back nine to post an even-par 71 that drew her even with Day 1 co-leader Kayla Bryant.
“The wind is very, very, very strong, and the greens are very fast,” said Brentcheneff, who joins her South Floridian rival at 1-under through 36 holes. “I just tried to play my game.”
Though Thursday saw temperatures rise into the mid-70s, it also brought some passing clouds and troublesome breezes that gusted up to 20 mph. It also changed direction from Wednesday’s opening round, further complicating things.
“I definitely had to adjust my alignment to the holes on my approach shots and hit ball a little bit lower off the tee to penetrate through the wind,” said Bryant, who followed up her opening 68 with a 73 on Thursday.
Said Darren Zhou (71), one of four boys’ golfers tied for second: “You just have to know other players won’t do as well, too. There weren’t any really low scores. You’ve just got to keep on trying to make pars and maybe sink a putt or two.”
Buchanan certainly seemed rather unfazed, even after a penalty drop led to a bogey on his opening hole. His next nine holes were bogey-free, including a run of four birdies in a five-hole stretch around the turn to make his move.
“Growing up where the wind blows so much back home, you kind of get used to it from when you’re 5 and 6 years old,” he said.
“Today I holed out well from inside six or seven feet. There were a few good par putts to keep me going. It was nice to hole those early on, then the birdie putts started to drop for me.”
Buchanan stood 4-under with eight holes to play, but made only one birdie the rest of the way countered by two bogeys.
Canada’s Eric Zhao also reached 4-under late in his round, until two bogeys in his last three holes dropped him behind Buchanan. He wound up matching the South African’s 69, feeling good about his mental approach in the conditions.
“I was just trying to stay more present,” he said. “I know when I get more nervous, I try and predict (how things will go). I was just trying to stay patient and play the course shot-for-shot instead of trying to worry about what anybody else was going to do.”
Bulgaria’s Hristo Yanakiev (71) did his best work late in the round, with two birdies in his final five holes that countered a start with 11 pars and two bogeys.
“I can’t complain about anything,” said Yanakiev, playing in his fourth Junior Orange Bowl. “I think the most important thing in golf is to stay patient. Just wait for the putts to drop.”
First-round leader Samuel Duran of Panama (73) rounded out the quartet at 2-under, enduring a tough closing stretch that included two double bogeys and a bogey in his final eight holes.
Bryant, of Boca Raton, Fla., also withstood a frustrating round, notching just one birdie when she made a 10-footer at No. 9. With winds picking up on the back nine, she carded seven pars and two bogeys.
“It was a grind today,” she said. “I had trouble getting my approach shots close to the hole. I was giving myself long putts for birdie and never really had any good birdie opportunities.”
It was a contrast to Brentcheneff’s day on the greens, in which two of her three birdies came from at least 20 feet out. The third was only about 8 feet, but traveling fast downhill.
Not a bad bounceback from a double bogey on the par-5 first hole.
“My putting was amazing,” she said. “It was all very good. I’m confident.”
Thursday also brought the week’s best round thus far, with Dutch entrant Kayden Chang firing a 4-under-par 67 that included back-to-back eagles at Nos. 17 and 18. The first was a 7-iron holeout from 190 yards downwind, and he reached the green in two at No. 18.
“Yeah, I was pretty happy,” said Chang, whose round was 14 shots better than his opening score.
The Junior Orange Bowl International’s history features such champions as Tiger Woods (1991), LPGA Hall of Famer Inbee Park (2002), LPGA major winners Lexi Thompson (2009) and Brooke Henderson (2013), resurgent PGA Tour winner Camilo Villegas (1999) and current Australian Open champion Joaquin Niemann (2014).
This year’s field brings together entrants from such diverse locales as Austria, Paraguay, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Hungary, Zimbabwe, Peru, Trinidad & Tobago, Iceland, Turkey and Ghana.
Live scoring can be found all week at JrOrangeBowl.org/golf.
The Golf Championship is one of 10 athletic, artistic and cultural events that make up the Junior Orange Bowl International Youth Festival, which celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2023-24. The festival draws more than 7,500 youth participants to South Florida’s community each year.
For more information on the Golf Championship or other Junior Orange Bowl activities, visit JrOrangeBowl.org.
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BOYS TOP 5
1. Jack Buchanan, South Africa 70-69=139 (-3)
t2. Samuel Duran, Panama 67-73=140 (-2)
t2. Darren Zhou, Hong Kong 69-71=140 (-2)
t2. Eric Zhao, Canada 71-69=140 (-2)
t2. Hristo Yanakiev, Bulgaria
GIRLS TOP 5
t1. Kayla Bryant, Boca Raton, Fla. 68-73=141 (-1)
t1. Sara Brentcheneff, France 70-71=141 (-1)
3. Chizuru Komiya, Japan 70-72=142 (E)
t4. Vanessa Borovilos, Canada 72-71=143 (+1)
t4. Perla Sigurbrandsdottir, Iceland 73-70=143 (+1)