JONATHAN YAUN WINS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

 Jonathan Yaun Wins State Championship

                                                    

    ORLANDO--Championship golf runs through the veins of the Florida based  Radford Yaun family who also have strong ties to Liberty and Sullivan County.

  Following in his father and mothers championship golf footsteps 17-year-old Jonathan Yaun this recently became the 2017 Florida High School Athletic Association Class 3A boys state champion.

  Jonathan, Lake Minneola High School senior, carded a 1-over-par 73 November 5 for a two-day score of 142 to win the state championship on the El Campeon course at Mission Inn and Resort located just minutes from Orlando.

  With sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-80's no player shot lower than Yaun on Saturday and only  three others matched him on Sunday over the 6,601 yard layout.

  Overall Yaun won the championship with a four shot lead.

  Recently on August 10 Jonathan  placed third at the Greg Norman American Junior Gold Association (AJGA) Classic at Bearfoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach.

  In day two of this tournament Jonathan shot a 1 under 71 and 1 under for the tournament which earned him a full exemption in the AJGA for the next two years. At that time he was ranked No. 141 on the Junior Golf Scoreboard World Rankings.

  Jonathan's last year of golf produced some challenges  when in October of 2016 he became ill with an aggressive skin infection that moved into his Lymph causing him to become very tired and he had to rest . Following multiple doses of medication he finally was able to return to practice in late February of this year.

  His illness had as effect on his school work and additional time was spent so he could complete his junior year.

  Because of his good play in 2016 he qualified this year for the AJGA Taylormade at Innisbrook, the Scott Robertson Memorial in Roanoke, Va. and the Western Junior Amateur in Park Ridge, Ill.

  A trip to Sullivan County also took place and along with visiting Hazel and Danny Yaun (Jonathan's aunt and uncle) in Liberty Jonathan got to go fishing and was able to practice a little at his favorite Catskill Mountain layout....Grossingers.  A special surprise came when he got to play 18 holes with Nick Yaun  (the head professional at Brad Burn CC) ...Nick is the son of Tim and Cinty Yaun of Liberty and Jonathan's cousin,  won the friendly game by a few strokes as Johathan learned about fast sloping Westchester greens and Nick schooled him on course management.

  On the very next day a call came from his dad's childhood friend and high school golf teammate Mitch Etess asking if Jonathan could play with him in a scramble the next day at the Trump National in Westchester. The Etess-Yaun team with some brilliant shots on the 18th hole edged out the Boomer Esiason's team by 1 stroke to win this event.

  A senior this year Jonathan next year will be playing for Liberty University. During his first week of school at the Orlando High School he was named the high school Athlete of the Week and during his first high school league match he shot a 31.

  Jonathan is part of the Liberty based Yaun family where the  game of golf go together like bacon and eggs.

  At the age of 15 Jonathan  won his first American Junior Golf Association Tournament May 8, 2016 at the Carolina Trace Golf Course in Sanford, N.C.
  He is the son of  championship golfers Radford and Meredith Yaun who make their home in Mineola, Florida. .
  The Sullivan County golf scene remembers Radford (Rad) Yaun while living in Liberty when he won the New York State Amateur Championship in 1976 at the Grossinger Golf Course and the New York State Junior Amateur Championship in 1972 in Jamestown.
  He graduated from Liberty Central in 1974, played golf at Jacksonville University, was team captain in his Sophomore, Junior and Senior years and won six collegiate tournaments, was a first team all Florida Division I men's golf team member and won an individual spot to the 1978 NCAA Division 1 National Championship.
  Rad was inducted into the Universities Athletic Hall of  Fame in 1996 and still holds the record for the largest winning margin in Sun Belt Conference history....11 strokes.
  Rad coached the Jacksonville University Women's golf team in 1992 and 1993
  Meredith is originally from Philadelphia, Pa. and it was because of the game of golf that she met Rad who was at a driving range getting help with his tee shot which he said was costing him four shots a round with left to right misses.
  Rad said Meredith was there at the range and watched a few shots and Rad and and his mother invited her over to his mothers to watch the Saturday Masters and have dinner.
  Meredith had been one of the leaders of a Bible study for the European Women's PGA tour and Rad noted, "needless to say we were married in 1995."
  An accomplished athlete Meredith was the Philadelphia girls basketball scoring champion in 1975 playing for Lower Marion High School where Kobe Bryant went to high school. She is also a two-time east coast surf champion, played golf at the University of Miami and FIU and won the prestigious Lady Seminole Golf Championship at Florida State University in Tallahassee.
  In 1981 Meredith turned professional and became a Professional Golf Association (PGA) United Kingdom (UK) in 1983. She is a teaching professional (UK) since 1989 and is the 1986 Scottish Open champion. From 2003 to 2006 she was a Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) teaching and Club Pro Professional.
  Presently she has her credentials with the PBA (UK) and is the local "Lead Instructor" for the First Tee program in Clermont, Fl. and an assistant coach for the PGA Junior league golf program in Clermont.