Around the Green

Choe's Blistering 5-Under 67 Leads Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic

AUSTIN, Texas – Coppell’s Brian Choe carded a red-hot 5-under 67 in the opening round of the Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic on Tuesday. Austin’s own Young Shin Kim leads the Girls 12-18 division after a first-round 1-over 73 at The Hills Country Club’s Flintrock Falls course.

In the Boys 14 & Under division, it is crowded atop the leaderboard with Dallas Hankamer, Vishnu Sadagopan, and Cole Sherwood all tied with 2-over 74’s heading into Wednesday’s final round.

Choe, who started his round on the par-4 10^th, started out hot, going 3-under in his first four holes, including an eagle on the par-5 13^th hole. He settled down in the middle of his round before catching fire again to end his round.

But it might have been Choe’s par on the 7^th hole that allowed his great round to continue.

“Golf gives and golf takes,” Choe said. “I hit the flagstick with my approach shot and it ricocheted off the green. It was unfortunate, but I was able to get up and down for par to keep my momentum going.”

That it did. Choe birdied his final two holes of the day after that up-and-down par on No. 7, including the 459-yard par-4 ninth, the third most difficult hole on the course.

Three shots back of Choe is Austin’s own Brandon Hoff. Playing in the last group of the day, Hoff started out hot, making a birdie on the difficult par-3 second and three consecutive birdies on holes 6-8. He carded one lone bogey on his back nine and finished at 2-under heading into Wednesday’s final round.

San Angelo’s Jansen Smith sits in third place at 1-under-71. Trey Bosco, playing at his home course, shot a 1-over 73 and sits alone in fourth. Ben Dunne, Tucker Allen, Junmin Lee, McClure Meissner and Brian Garrett sit tied for fifth place at 2-over 74.

In the Girls 12-18 division, Kim had a rough front nine, only carding one birdie to four bogeys. She had a three-hole stretch of bogies on holes 6-8 but righted the ship with a par on the ninth hole. Her back nine was much different though. She didn’t card one bogey and had two birdies to close and get back to 1-over-par for the day.

Marble Falls native Macy Fox sits alone in second place after shooting a 2-over-par 74. Elle Nachman from Boca Raton, Fla., and Cedar Park’s Calynne Rosholt are tied for third place, two shots back of first-round leader Kim.

In the Boys 14 & Under division, the three leaders all took different paths to their 2-over 74’s. Temple’s Hankamer had three birdies, three bogeys and a double-bogey. Pearlands Sadagopan had three birdies and five bogeys. Austin’s Sherwood had four birdies, including his last hole, the par-5 18^th, four bogeys and a double-bogey.

The three leaders sit two shots ahead of their first chaser, Lucas Borrero of Cypress. Jack Weymann sits in fifth place after a 5-over 77.

This is the eighth year the Legends Junior Tour has hosted the Jimmy Demaret, including the fourth straight year at The Hills Country Club’s Flintrock Falls course. The championship is the fifth event on the schedule, including the third in as many weeks.

The event is named after one of Texas’ true golfing legends, Jimmy Demaret, who won three Masters Tournaments and 31 PGA Tour events in a career that spanned from 1935-57. He became the first three-time winner of the Masters after his victory in 1950 and was elected into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1983. The inaugural event was held at Onion Creek Club in 2008.

Tee times for Wednesday's final round are scheduled to begin at 8:00 AM off the first and 10th tees. For more information on the Legends Junior Tour, click here. For complete first round results, click here.