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North Leading Junior Florida Cup

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By SCOTT PURKS

Tribune correspondent

Published: August 14, 2008

TAMPA - It's really kind of laid back, this third annual Junior Florida Cup, featuring 40 of the state's top junior golfers in a Ryder Cup-style battle of North (Florida) vs. the South.

"Then again we all definitely want to win," said North competitor Ian McConnell, a junior at Riverview High. "It's just a little different."

In Wednesday's first day of competition at Palma Ceia Golf & Country Club, the morning round was a four-ball format (teams of two that take the best score on each hole), followed by a mixed-foursomes format (alternate shot, featuring a girl and boy on two-person teams).

The morning ended in rather lopsided fashion - 61/2-31/2 - for the North, which includes several players from Tampa Bay: McConnell, Chris Biuso (Temple Terrace), Nick Buccina (Tarpon Springs), Briana Carlson (Inverness), Travis Huston (Palm Harbor), Rick Kittelstad (Lutz), George Letson (Tampa), Alexandra Milan (Lutz), A.J. Newell (Tampa), Jack Twomey (Tampa) and Amy West (Valrico).

The afternoon matches, which teed off around 1 p.m., ended 6-4 in favor of the North and just before it started raining on the course.

Today, however, South captain Katie Ruhe said, "Don't count the South out!"

Yes, the South would have to win 13 of today's final 20 singles match-play matches, but, Ruhe said, "It's definitely a possibility."

McConnell, who with Kittelstad and Newell won matches 2 and 1, and 3 and 2, said he's simply going to play the best he can and enjoy the tournament as much as possible. After all, it's the last junior match before school starts next week.

"It was a long day today playing almost 36 holes," McConnell said. "But we'll be ready for today."

The state's top-ranked under-18 player, Blayne Barber, also helped win two matches for the North. In the morning, Barber and Biuso won 1-up, and in the afternoon, Barber won 2 and 1 with one of the state's strongest junior girl players, Casselberry's Carlie Yadloczky.

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