Around the Green

Leffingwell Shoots Under Par at James A. Ragan Memorial

PORT ARANSAS – Trenton Leffingwell endured strong winds in the first round of the James A. Ragan Memorial to take a two-stroke lead in the Boys 15-18 Division at Palmilla Beach Golf Club. Damin Strydom leads the Boys 14 & Under Division, while Hailey Jones and Stormy Randazzo are tied for the lead in the Girls 12-18 Division.

New Braunfels’ Leffingwell was the only player under par in all three divisions of the second annual James A. Ragan Memorial. He made four birdies in his first round including on the par-5 5^th hole, which played as the fourth toughest hole in the Boys 15-18 Division.

Leffingwell will be joined by Frisco’s Drake Kube and Corpus Christi’s Billy Teichman in the final group on Monday. Kube shot 1-over 72 in the first round, including three straight birdies on holes 9-11, while Teichman posted a score of 2-over 73 with back-to-back birdies on holes seven and eight.

Austin’s Michael Anthony Rome, Mission’s Junmin Lee, Dallas’ Cash Carter and Spring’s Luis Legarreta are all tied for fourth at 3-over 74, while Austin’s Brandon Hoff and San Antonio’s McClure Meissner are tied for eighth at 4-over 75.

Turner Hosch, who won last year’s Boys 14 & Under Division in this event, is tied for 10^th along with Jake Kuwitzky, Max Harmon and Tommy Boone at 5-over 76. Boone finished runner up in last year’s Boys 15-18 Division.

Strydom of Kingwood leads the Boys 14 & Under Division at 2-over-par 73. Strydom, who won the Boys 14 &
Under Division in last year’s Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship, made three birdies in the windy conditions.

Trailing Strydom by five strokes is Arlington’s Ben Broadus, who shot 78 in the opening round. Irving’s Nicholas Hance made four birdies in his first round will join Strydom and Broadus on Monday.

Dallas’ Jones and Rowlett’s Randazzo lead the Girls 12-18 Division at 3-over 74. Jones is the reigning Girls Player of the Year on the Legends Junior Tour and is coming off a win at the season-opening Winter Classic. Randazzo made four birdies in her first round, including the par-5 18^th hole. Laredo’s Kristina Gutierrez and Montgomery’s Iliana Stowers are tied for third and just one stroke back of Jones and Randazzo.

This tournament is in honor of the late James Ragan, who played in more than 20 Legends Junior Tour events and won the 2010 Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic. Ragan, who is a native of Corpus Christi, also recorded three top-25 finishes in his LJT career.

Ragan was diagnosed with a rare type of bone cancer called osteosarcoma when he was 13 years old. In 2007 he founded the Triumph Over Kid Cancer Foundation, which has raised more than $1.5 million for cancer research.

Palmilla Beach Golf Club has been the host of the James A. Ragan Memorial both years. Palmilla Beach was designed by Arnold Palmer and is carved out of environmentally sensitive native dunes and surrounded by vibrant coastal foliage. The par-71 course can stretch out to 6,900 yards and offers views of both the Gulf of Mexico and Corpus Christi Bay.

The final round of the James A. Ragan Memorial is scheduled to begin at 8:00 am off Nos. 1 & 10 on Monday, February 15. To see all the scores from Sunday’s first round, click here. For more information about the event, click here. To read more about Triumph Over Kids Cancer, click here.