Around the Green

The latest golf-related news, notes, and feature stories from the TGA.

BlackHorse GC to Host LJT's Spring Preview for Third-Consecutive Year

DALLAS – BlackHorse Golf Club is the host of the 2016 Legends Junior Tour’s Spring Preview on Feb. 27-28. This is the third straight year BlackHorse has hosted the Spring Preview following three years at Woodforest Golf Club. The 12th annual event is a 36-hole nationally-ranked tournament that features 84 of the state’s premier golfers.

Cypress’ Kyle Hogan won last year’s Boys 15-18 Division after shooting 5-under 67 in the final round. Hogan’s 143 overall total was good enough for a three stroke win over Houston’s Cole Hammer. Hogan has won the Boys 15-18 Division each of the last two years and the Texas Tech commit looks to claim a third straight victory this year.

In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Dallas’ Scott Roden won by two strokes over Ben Dunne. Roden took an early lead in last year’s event, shooting 3-under 69 in the opening round of the 36-hole event. Roden is competing in this year’s event, but has moved up into the Boys 15-18 Division.

Anne Chen of Houston won the Girls 12-18 Division with an overall score of 3-over-par 147. Chen won by three strokes over Christine Wang and Hailee Cooper. Chen made seven birdies in two rounds last year for her first victory of 2015. Dallas’ Hailey Jones, who has won the first two LJT events in the Girls 12-18 Division in 2016, will be competing in this year’s field along with Chen and Wang.

BlackHorse Golf Club opened in 2001 with two distinctly different golf courses. The 84-player field will be playing the South Course. The Peter Jacobsen-Jim Hardy designed South Course was built around large lakes and the final six holes take players through an expansive sand quarry which was transformed into wetlands.

The Spring Preview will be ranked by Junior Golf Scoreboard and Golfweek. AJGA Performance Stars will be awarded in all three divisions including 12 stars to the winner of the Boys 15-18 division and Girls 12-18 division.

The top three finishers earn exemptions into the prestigious Byron Nelson Junior Championship held at Lakewood Country Club in Dallas. The top three finishers in the Girls 12-18 division earn exemptions into the sixth-annual Texas Girls Invitational at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club in Montgomery. Last year’s Girls 12-18 champion would go on to win the Texas Girls Invitational.

As with every event on the Texas Junior Golf Alliance schedule, points will be awarded toward the College Golf Camps of America Points List. The CGC Points list is used to determine the LJT Players of the Year and who qualifies for the Jackie Burke Cup North and South teams.

For more information on the event, click here. To see the pairings for the first round, click here.

About the Legends Junior Tour

The Legends Junior Tour is part of the Texas Junior Golf Alliance, a joint venture between the Texas Golf Association, Northern and Southern Texas PGA and Houston Golf Association. The Tour operates as part of the Texas Golf Association and its Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. Since its inception in 2005, the Tour has provided over $250,000 to promote junior golf initiatives and exposure to the game to those who might not otherwise have the opportunity across the state. The Legends Junior Tour is home to such prestigious events as the Byron Nelson Junior Championship, Texas Cup Invitational, Jackie Burke Cup and Texas State Junior Championship.