Around the Green

Hoff Has Come-From-Behind Victory at Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic

AUSTIN, Texas – Austin’s Brandon Hoff had a two-putt birdie on the final hole to claim a come-from-behind victory in the eighth annual Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic. Marble Falls native Macy Fox shot a final-round 1–over-par 73 to claim the Girls 12-18 division. Pearland’s Vishnu Sadagopan won the Boys 14 & Under division by two strokes at The Hills Country Club’s Flintrock Falls course.

Hoff, down by three strokes to start the final round, erased that deficit in three holes, carding a birdie on the par-5 third hole. By the time the final group had started their back nine, though, he had made a few bogeys with a double bogey and was back down by two strokes.

A hole-out from the fairway on the par-4 10^th hole though and a bogey by Brian Choe, the first-round leader, Hoff found himself up a stroke. After that, both players made two bogeys coming home, but Hoff’s birdie on the final hole clinched the victory for him.

He reached the par-5 18^th in two, but had a sweeping, up-hill, then back down-hill putt that looked like it wasn’t going to quite make it to the ridge to fall back down the hill. The ball kept rolling and eventually gravity took over and left him with just over a one-foot putt or a birdie and the victory.

Choe struggled throughout the day and couldn’t find his rhythm, carding only one birdie en route to a final-round 77. He finished in second place, one shot back of Hoff. New Braunfels’ Gabe Castilleja and San Angelo’s Jansen Smith finished tied for third, at 3-over 147 for the tournament. Mission’s Junmin Lee, last year’s winner of this event in the Boys 14 & Under division finished in fifth place.

In the Girls 12-18 division, Fox started on the 10^th hole and had a rough opening four holes, going 3-over in that stretch. She quickly made up for it with two consecutive birdies on the difficult par-3 15^th and the par-5 16^th holes. Her back nine was much more consistent carding one birdie on her finishing hole against one bogey.

Fox won by three shots over Cedar Park’s Calynne Rosholt. She shot consistent rounds of 75-75-150 to finish solo second. Kingwood’s Jackie Barry finished alone in third place, five shots back of Fox. Sara Camarena and Elle Nachmann finished tied for fourth place.

In the Boys 14 & Under division, Sadagopan, who finished runner-up his last event, the Spring Preview, had a consistent round, carding 14 pars. His lone birdie came on the par-4 5^th hole, his 14^th hole of the day. Sadagopan started tied for the lead with Dallas Hankamer and Cole Sherwood after first-round 74’s, but the two struggled and that left Sadagopan alone at the top of the leaderboard.

Austin’s own Jack Wehmann and Cypress’ Lucas Borrero finished tied for second place, two shots back of Sadagopan. Dallas Hankamer finished in solo fourth after a disappointing 6-over 78 in his final round.

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.

For more information on the Legends Junior Tour, click here. For final results of the Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic, click here.