(left to right: Eduardito Figueroa, Evan Peña, Derek Feliciano, Sidney Wolf, Kelvin Hernandez)
This week, Grand Reserve Golf Club hosted the North American qualification for the prestigious Toyota Junior Golf World Cup. The countries participating were Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, and Puerto Rico, the latter as the host. The female teams comprised four girls from Mexico, Guatemala, and Canada, while the male teams included Mexico, Guatemala, and Puerto Rico.
The qualifier featured teams of four players competing individually, with only the best three scores counting. Puerto Rico was represented by Kelvin Hernandez, Evan Peña, Daniel Belardo, and Derek Feliciano, led by Grand Reserve Golf Club Director of Golf and Puerto Rico Junior National Team Coach, Eduardito Figueroa.
Hernandez started his first round with a four-under 68 and only improved from there, carding a five-under 67 and a massive six-under 66 to close out the 54-hole qualifier 15-under. Not far behind, his fellow countryman Evan Pena finished the qualifier in second place with a 54-hole seven-under. Belardo would finish 20-over par for a total of 236, while Feliciano wraps up the foursome with a score of 241, 25 -strokes over par.
On the girls' side, Canada and Mexico finished tied after 54 holes. Canada won the playoff after two holes played on the 18th of the Championships Course.
This was a proud moment for PRGA President Sidney Wolf as "Puerto Rico's youth will once again represent the Island at the international level. We aim to create opportunities, and these kids are taking full advantage of this one. I thank the participating countries for coming to our beautiful island, especially team Canada, where it's still a bit chilly back home for them”, expressed Wolf with a huge grin.
