Lucas Gimenez is unable to forget his weekend in Orlando, Florida.
“I’ve got to put it No. “It’s No. 1 because I broke my own record,” he replied when asked where his nine-shot win at the Golfweek International Junior Invitational ranked on his career list.
Gimenez is a 15-year old from Jacksonville, Florida. He blew the field away from the beginning. He birdied Celebration Golf Club’s par-4 opening hole, eagled par-3 six and then followed with six birdies on his next seven. This gave him an 8-under 64 for the opening round. The high school sophomore had a previous best score of 10 under when he entered the tournament. The Golfweek event saw him finish the weekend with a score of 12 under.
Gimenez realized that this week could be good midway through his Practice Round at Celebration. This was a new course for him. He recognized the Marsh Landing Country Club, located in Ponte Vedra (Florida), near his home in Jacksonville.
Scores for the Golfweek International Junior Invitational
He said, “I was telling myself that this course is exactly like the one I played before in Jacksonville.” “I have always done well on that course, so I knew the practice round would be a good fit for me.”
On Saturday, you could say that he pushed the gas pedal. He hit his drive on this par 5 perfectly, pulled out a 6-iron at 190 yards and started it on the pin. Then he watched it slide down a slope onto the green to eight feet from the hole. He then made the uphill putt for eagle and it was over.
He said that his front nine 30 was a confidence booster. “That led me to go five under in the final four holes,” he added.
Gimenez, who had just played his best round of competition, a 64 on Saturday, kept it up to finish with 68 shots on Sunday, nine shots in front of the runners-up, Michael Gavin from Hilton Head, South Carolina and Sol Richmond from Windermere Florida.
Photos: Golfweek International Junior Invitational, Boys
“For me it was kind of just sticking to my own game.” Gimenez described the mind game as “sticking to my identity and playing style.” “Not getting my mind out of the way, I focused on each shot, hole by shot. This helped me a lot today. It helped me a lot. “I just kind of focus on each shot, shot by shot, keeping my mind down, keep grinding.”
A player must be precise when he hits the ball. He was. Gimenez credits his success on the greens to the work he has done with Mike Shannon, his short-game coach. Shannon gave him his first lesson recently.
Gimenez stated, “He straightened me out a bit and the first round it all just clicked.”
Gimenez may not have had his best ever round, but his opening round at Celebration was still his lowest round in the competition. As he prepared for the U.S. He was playing Windsor Park Golf Course with his coach in Jacksonville when he shot the famous number 59.
Gimenez’s AJGA Performance Stars from Golfweek will give him a boost in the coming year. But he is just as happy with his new friends as he is the stars. Gimenez was a late entrant into the field and arrived at Celebration expecting a field full of Florida’s best juniors. He was surprised to find so many different cultures and nationalities. He enjoyed playing and meeting new opponents.
Gimenez stated that “this is not a small event, but a big one.”
Gimenez gave a great performance.
