Wind, Rain, and Four Champions: The NXXT Faldo Classic Delivers at Bobby Jones
NXXT FALDO CLASSIC · CHAMPIONS
Four Flags. Four Champions.
15 countries. Five continents. One storm-tested weekend.
TICKET PUNCHED Streamsong Resort · North American Championship · Dec 29–31 → Laguna Lang Cô, Vietnam · Faldo Series Asia Grand Final · Apr 2027
A storm-battered weekend in Sarasota drew players from every corner of the map, and four of them walked off the 18th green as champions bound for Streamsong and, beyond it, Vietnam.
By NXXT Golf · October 19, 2026
SARASOTA, FL — October 19, 2026
Great champions are not made on calm, sunlit mornings. They are forged when the sky opens, the flags snap sideways, and the golf course stops being a venue and starts being an opponent. This weekend at Bobby Jones Golf Club, the NXXT Faldo Classic gave its global field that kind of crucible, and four players mastered it.
Saturday brought the rain. It fell heavily enough to halt play, pushing the opening round into a test of patience as much as ball-striking. Sunday answered with its own challenge: wind gusting to 35 miles per hour, swirling across a layout that gave nothing away for free. Two days, two very different kinds of hard. The scoreboard tells the story of who adapted fastest.
And what a field it was to test. Players came from 15 countries across five continents, from England, Ireland and Lebanon to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Australia, Germany and Brazil, with several crossing oceans for the single chance to compete. For a sport that prizes a global stage, Bobby Jones delivered one in miniature.
Four Champions. Four Divisions.
BOYS 16–19
A Debut to Remember
The story belonged to a visitor. Nicholas Curran of Northaw, England had never before teed it up in a tournament on American soil. You would not have known it. Curran opened with a poised 69 and answered the Sunday gale with a composed 71, finishing at two under par 140 to win his inaugural NXXT start.
He flies home to England next week. He does so as a champion in the country where he had never won a thing.
BOYS 12–15
Ireland’s Flag Flies Over a Playoff
The title refused to be settled in regulation, and it produced the breakout name of the weekend. Eilgin Michael of Dublin, Ireland lit the fuse with a five-under 68 in round one, the lowest round of the division, then gutted out a 75 as the wind rose on Sunday to force a playoff at 143. When the extra holes came, the 14-year-old held his nerve and claimed his first victory on American soil.
And he is only getting started. Now in his third week competing on the NXXT Faldo Junior Tour, Michael steps up to the Boys 16–19 division next weekend at Santa Lucia River Club, taking on older players on a bigger stage. A young talent arriving from Dublin and winning on debut, in the toughest conditions the weekend could throw at him, is the kind of arrival that tends to be the start of something. Remember the name.
GIRLS 16–19
Steady Hands in Beirut’s Colors
While others chased and faltered, Lara Bakhour of Beirut, Lebanon simply would not blink. Twin rounds of 71 on two days that punished the impatient gave her an even-par 142 and the championship. In conditions built to inflate scores, Bakhour’s back-to-back matching cards were a quiet masterclass in control, the kind of performance that wins golf tournaments long after the flashier ones fade.
GIRLS 12–15
Back-to-Back, and Hunting a Three-Peat
And then there was the weekend’s low round. Sophia Mysliwiec of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey treated Sunday’s wind as an invitation. One day after an opening 70, she carved a six-under 66, the best round of the entire championship across every division, to finish at six under par 136 and capture her second consecutive NXXT Faldo title.
Mysliwiec is not slowing down to celebrate. Next weekend she lines up at the Tour’s next WAGR-ranked championship with a three-peat squarely in her sights.
“To watch players travel from England, Ireland and Lebanon and compete this hard in conditions this brutal tells you everything about where junior golf is heading. Every one of these champions earned their place at Streamsong, and the pathway now carries them all the way to Vietnam. That is the opportunity we promise these families, and this weekend the players delivered.”
Stuart McKinnon, President and CEO of NXXT Golf
The Road to Streamsong, and Beyond to Vietnam
For these four, the trophy is only the beginning. Each has now punched their ticket to the NXXT Faldo North American Championship at Streamsong Resort, December 29 to 31, the Tour’s flagship event, where 120 of the finest junior golfers on the planet, representing 39 countries, will assemble to close the year on one of America’s most celebrated stages.
And Streamsong is itself a gateway. Each division champion at the North American Championship earns a place at the 18th Faldo Series Asia Grand Final at Laguna Golf Lang Cô, Vietnam, in April 2027, where Sir Nick Faldo hosts the finest junior talent from around the world. From a rain-soaked weekend in Sarasota to the first tee at Streamsong, and on to the shores of Vietnam, the pathway for these young champions now stretches across the globe.
This weekend, the game’s next generation showed that talent, and the nerve to stand tall when the weather turns, truly knows no borders.
Next on the NXXT Faldo Junior Tour
NXXT Faldo Florida Open at Santa Lucia
Santa Lucia River Club, Port St. Lucie, Florida · October 24–26, 2026 · WAGR and JGS ranked
The Tour heads to the east coast next weekend for a 54-hole championship, where Sophia Mysliwiec chases a three-peat and the field keeps building toward Streamsong. Registration and full details: Register Here.
About NXXT Golf
NXXT Golf is a multi-tour competitive golf platform building the modern pathway for the next generation of players. The company operates the NXXT Faldo Junior Tour, the Official North American Tour within the global Faldo Series pathway, the NXXT Women’s Pro Tour, and the NXXT Battle Tour. From junior competition through the professional ranks, NXXT delivers a championship-level experience with a clear path to the world stage.
About the Faldo Series
Founded by six-time Major champion Sir Nick Faldo, the Faldo Series is one of the world’s leading junior golf development pathways, culminating in the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final. The NXXT Faldo Junior Tour serves as the Official North American Tour within that global series, connecting North American juniors to international competition.
Media Contact
Stuart McKinnon · President and CEO, NXXT Golf
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