Jr. Orange Bowl golf: Naughton breaks girls' scoring record; Restrepo cruises to boys' victory
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CORAL GABLES, Fla. (Jan. 6, 2026) — Charlotte Naughton isn’t the type who is going to overpower a golf course. In fact, she made a point all week at the Junior Orange Bowl International to talk about giving “respect” to historic Biltmore Golf Course.
By the end, it was the English lass who was garnering all the respect.
One more day of persistent bogey-free golf wore down not only her nearest pursuers but the Junior Orange Bowl scoring record, firing a 3-under-par 69 Tuesday to become the first girl to finish at 10-under across four rounds.
“I’m very pleased with myself,” said Naughton, who had to execute a dicey chip-and-putt from the base of a greenside mound for birdie at the par-5 18th. “I didn’t know it was for a tournament record when I had that putt, but it was a nice way to finish.”
Her total of 10-under 274 was one shot better than fellow English winner Lily May Humphreys when she claimed the 2017 crown. Naughton’s seven-shot margin of victory also was the largest since Humphreys’ nine-shot romp.
Colombia’s Tomas Restrepo was only slightly more challenged in winning the boys’ title, taking a four-shot lead into the final day and shaking off a slow start for a 69 that left him with a three-stroke triumph.
“I didn’t feel like I was always in control of my game,” said Restrepo, who carded three bogeys in his first eight holes but just one the rest of the way. “This was a day where I didn’t hit it that good, but I made some really good putts and kept the momentum going.”
Restrepo, who finished third a year ago, now joins Camilo Benedetti and Camilo Villegas as the third Colombian boy to capture Junior Orange Bowl honors.
“It’s awesome,” Restrepo said. “Camilo Villegas is an idol for all of us Colombians. Having my name on a trophy with his is a really special thing for me.”
The newly crowned champions join a roster of such Junior Orange Bowl International royalty as Hall of Famers Tiger Woods (1991) and Inbee Park (2002), along with LPGA major winners Lexi Thompson (2009) and Brooke Henderson (2013) and seven-time LIV Golf winner Joaquin Niemann (2014).
“It was very, very, very big,” said Naughton, who won the World Junior Girls and German Girls titles last summer. “I've only played in the U.S. twice, so it’s very cool to win in America. It’s something I’ve always dreamed of.”
Naughton played each of her final two rounds without a bogey, a streak that ran 37 holes in all to a bogey at No. 17 in Sunday’s second round. Go back a little farther, and she made just the one bogey over her final 47 holes.
“This course, you have to give it some respect because it’s so challenging,” she said. “I made sure I saved myself when I could and took birdie chances when I could, but I didn’t get too aggressive.”
Naughton hit all but two greens in regulation, managing par saves at both. Her toughest came at the par-4 16th hole, left with a fried-egg lie in a greenside bunker. But she blasted out to 20 feet, then drained the uphill putt to keep her streak going.
“That was quite big,” she said. “I just wanted to get it within the range so I could have a chance to make par.”
Nobody else could manage to keep up. Nina Choe, who held the lead until a disastrous closing hole Monday, bounced back with a solid 72 to claim runner-up honors.
“I just didn’t have my strongest game today,” the New Yorker said. “I left a lot of putts out there all day, but (Naughton) played great and she deserves the win.”
One silver lining for Choe, perhaps, is finally conquering the 18th. After playing the hole for three days in a combined 6-over par, she birdied Tuesday to finish off her tournament.
“I just kept missing left every single day until today,” she said.
France’s Axelle Guillemard (75) and Californian Mia Clausen (74) were another two shots back in a tie for third. Kayla Bryant (73), seeking a second title to go with her 2024 crown, placed sixth for the second consecutive year.
Restrepo, whose 64 on Monday left him four shots clear of the chase pack, never let anyone get closer than two all day. After playing his first eight holes in even-par, he finally found a rhythm with three birdies over his next five holes.
“The first nine, I didn’t have my A-game,” said the Colombian, who finished at 14-under 270. “I didn’t have control of my clubface, but that’s golf. Some days you don’t quite have it. But I’m really happy with how I managed my emotions.”
It was a par save at the par-4 sixth, he said, that finally set things on the proper path. After being well short of the green with his approach, he struck a wedge that stopped close enough to make the par putt.
“That was really important to pump me up,” he said.
Despite a three-putt bogey at No. 8, Restrepo bounced back with a 12-foot birdie at the par-4 ninth, then birdied again at No. 10. Two pars followed, including a nice up-and-down after missing the green at the par-3 12th, and he birdied again at No. 13.
“It seems like Tomas just played real solid all day,” said Frederick Egnatios, whose closing 67 in the group ahead left him three shots back in second.
Egnatios, of Scottsdale, Ariz., also scuffled a bit in his first eight holes, then reeled off a trio of birdies at Nos. 9-11 to vault up the board. He added another birdie at the par-5 15th, but could get no closer.
“It didn’t end up being enough, but it’s definitely tough,” he said. “It’s different when you’re one (shot) back or two back. But being five back, it’s quite a task.”
Warren Stiglitz, of Denver, N.C., was another shot behind in third following a 68, running out of steam after three birdies in his first eight holes. He followed with nine consecutive pars until a birdie at No. 18.
“I played pretty solid, but the putts weren’t dropping as much as I would have liked,” he said. “Pars will never hurt you, but I was looking for some more birdies and they weren’t coming.”
Charlie Woods, Tiger’s son who arrived at the Biltmore as the highest-ranked U.S. entrant, tied for 19th at 4-over par after a closing 72. Cameron Kuchar (70), son of Matt Kuchar, was two shots better in a share of 15th.
This year’s field featured entrants from 37 different nations, including Lithuania, Bermuda, Romania, Singapore, Paraguay, Iceland, Zimbabwe and Turkiye.
The Golf Championships are among nine athletic, artistic and cultural events that make up the Junior Orange Bowl International Youth Festival, which marks its 78th edition in 2025-26. The festival draws more than 7,500 youth participants to South Florida’s community each year.
For more information on the Golf Championships or other Junior Orange Bowl activities, visit JuniorOrangeBowl.org.
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BOYS TOP 5
1. Tomas Restrepo, Colombia 69-68-64-69=270 (-14)
2. Frederick Egnatios, Scottsdale, Ariz. 67-70-69-67=273 (-11)
3. Warren Stiglitz, Denver, N.C. 68-68-70-68=274 (-10)
t4. Giovanni Binaghi, Italy 62-69-74-70=275 (-9)
t4. Stuart Boulware, Fairway, Kan. 68-70-72-65=275 (-9)
GIRLS TOP 5
1. Charlotte Naughton, England 71-68-67-68=274 (-7)
2. Nina Choe, New York, N.Y. 67-70-72-72=281 (-3)
t3. Axelle Guillemard, France 72-69-67-75=283 (-1)
t3. Mia Clausen, Carlsbad, Calif. 68-69-72-74=283 (-1)
5. Denise Ng, Singapore 70-70-73-71=284 (E)