Junior Golf · Recruiting Profile

Zeke Varela

Scratch golfer. Two wins in 2026. The steepest improvement curve in the Class of 2029 — and it hasn't flattened yet.

Class of 2029
Orlando, Florida
Bishop Moore Catholic HS
Rio Pinar Golf Academy
GHIN Index: 0.6
Zeke Varela hitting a tee shot
0.6
GHIN Handicap Index
66
Career-low tournament round
74.2
Scoring avg, last 10 tournament rounds
6.71
JGS scoring differential (was 17.3 in June 2025)
2
Tournament wins in 2026 (+2 podiums)
The Story

From the ballfield to scratch golf

Zeke spent five seasons playing national-level travel baseball — a Perfect Game World Series champion who pitched, caught, and hit in championship-game moments. In January 2025 he traded the diamond for the course, and everything transferred: the athleticism, the daily work habits, and the composure under pressure. A student at Bishop Moore Catholic High School, he trains at Rio Pinar Golf Academy under Peter Bakker and Tom Jackson — after school and weekends in season, full days all summer.

Jan 2025
Months removed from a Perfect Game World Series title, steps away from baseball and picks up golf. 30 handicap. Begins training at Mike Bender Elite Golf Academy.
Jun 2025
First junior tournaments. JGS scoring differential 17.3.
Mar–Apr 2026
2nd at Mission Inn Two Course Challenge, T5 at Royal St Cloud (Claret Junior Tour).
May 2026
Moves his training to Rio Pinar Golf Academy — and wins twice that same month: Leona Curtis Memorial (70-66, career-low 66) and the HJGT 54-Hole LPGA Junior Open, Boys 13–15 division (74-72-79 at 6,735 yds).
Jul 2026
Opens with 70 at HJGT Mid Season Invitational (Reunion, 6,757 yds) — T14 in a national invitational field. GHIN reaches 0.6.
Zeke Varela holding a tournament champion plaque
HJGT LPGA Junior Open champion — Boys 13–15, May 2026
Before golf

Five seasons of national-level baseball

  • Champion, 2024 Perfect Game 13U World Series — started and won the championship game on the mound
  • Florida National All-State Select roster, back-to-back years (2023, 2024)
  • 30 All-Tournament Team selections, 6 tournament titles, and 2× Tournament Most Valuable Pitcher across 52 PG events
  • Career .404 avg / 1.054 OPS — 82 walks vs 39 strikeouts (172 games)
  • Catcher, middle infielder & pitcher for the nationally ranked Canes Florida program
Years of championship-game reps — on the mound, at the plate, behind it — built a competitor who executes under pressure. Perfect Game profile ↗
Progress

Scoring differential, cut by more than half in one year

Junior Golf Scoreboard's scoring differential measures tournament scores against course rating — lower is better. College-ready players typically sit in the low single digits; Zeke has gone from 17.3 to 6.7 in 13 months and is still trending down.

JGS Scoring Differential — monthly ranking snapshots

Source: Junior Golf Scoreboard player trend report · lower is better
Differential is a rolling 12-month average, so early-2025 rounds still weigh on it — the underlying pace of the last 10 rounds (74.2 avg) is ahead of this curve.
Results

Tournament record

18 ranked events across the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour, Claret Junior Tour, FJT, and Golf PR — with results accelerating sharply through 2026.

1st 🏆
Leona Curtis Memorial — Claret Junior Tour
May 2026 · 70-66 (136) · career-low 66 in the final round
T14
HJGT Mid Season Invitational at Reunion
Jul 2026 · Opening 70 · 6,757 yds, national invitational field
1st 🏆
HJGT 54-Hole LPGA Junior Open — Boys 13–15
May 2026 · 74-72-79 (225) · 6,735 yds · won the 13–15 division (listed 8th vs the combined field)
DateTournamentYardsScoresTotalFinish
Jul 10, 2026HJGT 19th Annual Mid Season Invitational at Reunion6,75770-76-79225T14
May 23, 2026HJGT 54 Hole LPGA Junior Open WIN6,73574-72-792251
May 16, 2026Claret Junior Tour — Leona Curtis Memorial WIN6,12670-661361
Apr 18, 2026Claret Junior Tour — Royal St Cloud Inaugural Challenge6,43776-80156T5
Mar 29, 2026Golf PR JR Island Championships6,70088-81-852548th
Mar 21, 2026Claret Junior Tour — Mission Inn Two Course Challenge6,25981-801612nd
Feb 14, 2026HJGT 54 Hole Orlando Junior Open (Boys 14-18)6,70581-88-83252T95
Feb 7, 2026HJGT Mission Resort + Club Junior Open6,73881-95176T28
Jan 17, 2026HJGT College Prep Series at UCF6,74193-90183T29
Dec 27, 2025HJGT Eagle Creek Holiday Open6,85781-87168T20
Dec 6, 2025HJGT Tournament of Champions (Boys 14-15)6,68386-78164T73
Nov 29, 2025HJGT Eagle Creek Junior Open6,80089-88177T23
Nov 15, 2025HJGT Reunion Junior Open6,77584-84168T48
Oct 4, 2025HJGT Disney Fall Junior Open6,5278080T18
Sep 20, 2025FJT Golf Hammock Open6,40387-80167T36
Aug 30, 2025Claret Tour — Providence Junior Challenge6,43077-791566th
Aug 16, 2025Claret Tour — Mission Inn Two Course Summer Challenge6,25978-881664th
Aug 9, 2025Claret Tour — Rio Pinar 36 Hole Summer Challenge6,50779-89168T7

* Won the Boys 13–15 division; Junior Golf Scoreboard lists the combined-field finish. Finishes and scores as reported on JGS (searchable by name: Zeke Varela, Class of 2029).

Schedule

Upcoming tournaments

Where to watch Zeke play next. Full season schedule available on request.

DatesTournamentCourseLocation
Aug 15-16Claret #14 — TCL/DeSantis Claret Jug ChampionshipGlenview Champions CCThe Villages, FL
Aug 1-2 (CONFIRMED)HJGT Southeast Regional InvitationalWorld Golf Village — King & Bear (Par 72, 6,763y)St. Augustine, FL
Sep 5-7FJT Reunion *54-Hole Major* (16-18)Reunion Resort (Palmer)Kissimmee, FL
Sep 26-27 (CONFIRMED)FJT Pam McCloskey-Brosnihan *Major* (13-18)Quail Ridge (South)Boynton Beach, FL
September 19-20, 2026Orlando Junior Open at AlaquaAlaqua Country ClubLongwood, FL
September 26-27, 2026NB3 Florida Regional Final #2 (Boys)Mission Resort + Club — El Campeon (6,700y)Howey-in-the-Hills, FL
Oct 24-25HJGT Orlando Fall Junior Open — Eagle CreekEagle Creek GC (Par 73, 6,857y)Orlando, FL
~mid-Oct (TBD)Claret Junior Tour — October event (pick when posted)TBD (claretjuniortour.com)Central FL, FL
Training & Academics

Development at Rio Pinar Golf Academy

Zeke built his foundation at Mike Bender Elite Golf Academy (January 2025 – April 2026) and moved to Rio Pinar in May 2026, where he trains under Peter Bakker and Tom Jackson — after school and on weekends in season, full days through the summer — with a data-driven program built on one of the most advanced junior training environments in Florida. He's a student at Bishop Moore Catholic High School, a rigorous college-preparatory school in Orlando.

  • TrackMan launch monitor with integrated high-speed camera capture on every session
  • State-of-the-art simulator bay with six high-speed cameras for full swing analysis
  • Pressure plates and biometrics for ground-force and movement efficiency work
  • Daily on-course practice at Rio Pinar Country Club
  • Structured tournament schedule: HJGT, FJT/FSGA, and Claret Junior Tour
Zeke Varela lining up a shot
Video

Swing & on-course footage

High-speed swing capture from the academy's camera system, plus tournament footage.

▶
Driver — face-on & down-the-line
Coming soon
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Iron play with TrackMan data overlay
Coming soon
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Tournament highlights
Coming soon
Contact

Get in touch

Coaches: tournament schedules, full JGS results, GHIN history, and swing video are available on request — or come watch Zeke at any upcoming Florida event. Use the form below and we'll respond the same day.

Player
Zeke Varela
Class of 2029 · Orlando, FL
Bishop Moore Catholic High School
Junior Golf Scoreboard: searchable by name
Swing Coaches
Peter Bakker & Tom Jackson
Rio Pinar Golf Academy, Orlando FL
Contact info available on request