Tartaro preparing to tee off in Sunshine State

Olivia Tartaro moves into 1st on the Unico Primo Jr. Golf Tour

Olivia Tartaro has made a strong impression early in the Unico Primo Jr. Golf Tour season.

Source: Unico Primo Jr. Golf Tour

The 17-year-old missed the season opener at Seven Lakes but bounced back on Monday at Willow Ridge in Blenheim, tying Kassandra Rombouts with a 77 to share top spot. "I started on the front nine with two bogeys and a silly triple. Putts just weren’t dropping," said Tartaro, a recent Villanova graduate. "But I steadied things on the back nine with a solid short game and finished even."

She kept the momentum going with a 74 at Essex Golf on Wednesday, finishing second—three strokes behind Madeline Beck.

Those performances have rocketed Tartaro to the top of the overall standings after three events. She leads with 38.5 points, just ahead of Hannah Butzer (37.5) and Beck (37).

A dedicated golfer since age 10, Tartaro credits her offseason work for the improvements in her game. She’s added 20 yards to her drives and 10–15 yards with her irons—critical gains as she prepares for college golf and the challenge of 6,000-yard courses.

"I received offers from DIII, DII, and even a DI school, but I ultimately chose Palm Beach Atlantic (PBA)," Tartaro told Powerplay Sports. "The location, small class sizes, strong academics, and the ability to play outdoors year-round really stood out. I’ll be majoring in Business Administration, with plans to pursue my MBA."

The tour wraps up August 14—the same day Tartaro moves in at PBA. "I hope to score as many points as possible to not need the last stop of the tour," Tartaro said. "My goal in the remaining rounds is to be as competitive as possible and work towards eliminating any doubles and taking risks, being aggressive at pins to score as many birdies as possible."

Baker wins Jr. Boys event

Andrew Beck shot a 2-under-73 to take the win in the jr. boys event. Jackson Pracey was second with a 71. Nicholas Brophey, Ben Buchner, Gavin Cowper, Geordie Johnston and Cash Kiriakopoulos each shot an even-par to tie for third.

Dayne Bensette, who missed Wednesday, remains in first with 159 points. Buchner is second with 156 while Baker, Johnston, Kiriakopoulos and Cowper are all tied for third with 153 points.

Max Gavric and Cale Marontate finished one-under 73 to win the Men's Collegiate division while Vanessa Ardovini won her second straight event shooting 77.

Next up: Ambassador Golf on Monday July 21st.