The 20th annual Golfweek International Junior Invitational was still able to crown two new champions, despite being shortened to just 18 holes thanks to a rained-out first round on Saturday.
There were 21 countries represented, and in the end, it was Riley Lewis of the United States and Po En Huang of Taiwan who took home medalist honors after the 18-hole shootout at Eagle Landing Golf Club in Orange Park, Florida.
Huang was paired with Maximillian Jelinek of the Czech Republic, who led the event for the majority of the day thanks in part to a trio of birdies to take a 2-under score to the halfway house. Huang bided his time and was just one shot back of Jelinek as the pair made the turn, alongside a handful of other competitors.
It wasn’t until the duo got to the par-3 13th where the tide turned. Huang birdied while Jelinek bogeyed, forcing a two-shot swing.
With the roles reversed, Huang was able to hold off any further advances from the field with five pars to close out his round for a 2-under 70 and a one-shot victory.
On the girls’ side, Lewis was able to use her back-nine birdie barrage to finish with a 4-under 68 and a two-shot victory over McKenzie Mages.
One over through nine holes, Lewis turned on the afterburners with birdies on Nos. 10, 11, 12, 14, and 15 to gain the difference over the field.
“I played alright on the front side,” Lewis told Golfweek. “[I] knew I needed some more birdies for a top finish. Once I made birdies on [Nos.] 10, 11, and 12, I thought to myself ‘time for a comeback’.”
Pulling off just that, the 2022 Iowa commit found herself in the winner’s circle after an extended break from tournament golf.
With their wins, Lewis and Huang join a list of champions that include Nick Gabrelcik, Morgan Hoffmann, Stephanie Meadow, Annie Park, Bailey Tardy and Peter Uihlein.
Past champions of the Golfweek International Junior Invitational
2001
Chanin Puntawong and Nicole Perrott
(Champions Gate, Orlando)
2003
Jon McLean and Tiffany Chuda
(Sea Trail, Sunset Beach, North Carolina)
2004
Peter Uihlein and Jenny Arseneault
(Sea Trail, Sunset Beach, North Carolina)
2005
Rafael Lee and Isabel Lendl
(Sea Trail, Sunset Beach, North Carolina)
2006
Morgan Hoffmann and Elisa Aoki
(Ocean Plantation, Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina)
2007
Julian Suri and Stephanie Kim
(Grand Cypress, Orlando)
2008
Josh Eure and Stephanie Meadow
(Longleaf, Pinehurst, North Carolina)
2009
Mike Miller and Stephanie Meadow
(Reunion Legacy, Orlando)
2010
Sam Chun and Doris Chen
(Reunion Independence, Orlando)
2011
James Yoon and Annie Park
(Shingle Creek, Orlando)
2012
Zachary Healy and Yueer Cindy Feng
(Celebration, Orlando)
2013
Luis Garza and Bailey Tardy
(Shingle Creek, Orlando)
2014
Marcos Montenegro and Ana Paula Valdes
(Champions Gate, Orlando)
2015
Robin Wang and Ya Chun Chang
(Lake Buena Vista and Tranquilo, Orlando)
2016
Jan Schneider and Chin Tzu Chen
(Disney Magnolia and Palm, Orlando)
2017
Jeremy Sisson and Chin Tzu Chen
(Innisbrook, Palm Harbor, Florida)
2018
Nick Gabrelcik and Meiyi Yan
(Mission Inn, Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida)
2019
Tony Chen and Jenny Kwok
(Champions Gate, Orlando)
2020
Alejandro Fierro and Toa Yokoyama
(Hammock Beach Conservatory and Ocean Courses, Palm Coast, Florida)
2021
Po En Huang and Riley Lewis
(Eagle Landing Golf Club, Orange Park, Florida)