News
Valadez Fires Second Round 66 to Claim Solo Lead at Byron Nelson Junior
DALLAS—Levi Valadez of San Antonio shot a 5-under-par 66 on Wednesday to become the outright leader after the second round at the Byron Nelson Junior Championship.
Valadez started the day at Lakewood Country Club two shots off the lead at 2-under 69. Six birdies later and he now has a two-shot lead over the field.
“I just played really well,” Valadez said. “I just had one mistake on the front nine, but besides that everything else was pretty solid. I am excited for tomorrow.”
Valadez said he can draw confidence from his two consecutive appearances at the U.S. Junior Amateur to help him through Thursday’s final round in the 54-hole, stroke play championship.
Before the day started, Valadez was chasing co-leaders, Shuai Ming Wong of Houston and Scott Roden of Dallas. Roden finished the day at 3-over and is tied for sixth. Wong had a better round than his playing partner but could not quite keep up pace with Valadez. He shot a 1-under 72 and is tied for second place with Plano’s Parker Coody, who made the biggest move in the second round.
Coody shot a 6-under 65 and moved four places up the leaderboard into a tie for second. The winner of the 2014 Texas State Junior Championship, Coody capped off his solid round with a difficult eagle putt on the par-5 17th that he made look easy.
“I was hitting a 2-iron off the tee, had a good number, hit another 2-iron to about 15 feet or so from the hole, and then I made that,” Coody said. “It was a pretty big moment.”
Tied with Coody for lowest score of the day was Sam Clayman of Dallas. He started the second round 6-over and seemingly out of contention. Then he rolled in six birdies with no bogeys to get his overall score back to even par. The key to Clayman’s round was not only his solid shot-making, but also the solid advice he got from his caddie, Will Zalatoris, an LJT veteran and winner of the 105th Texas Amateur presented by Insperity and 2014 U.S. Junior Amateur who is now a sophomore at Wake Forest.
“Having Will on the bag this week has been good so far. He’s just had extra knowledge that has definitely helped me this week for sure,” Clayman said. “He’s been through as many junior tournaments as you could count and just obviously his experience has helped me with my confidence.”
Zalatoris guided Clayman to stay patient and hit fairways and greens without being overly aggressive. This seemed to be good advice, as Clay rolled in two 20-foot birdies, one 35-footer on the third hole and one 50-footer up the hill on the par-4 18th, his ninth hole of the day. In all, Zalatoris estimated Clayman rolled in 150 feet worth of putts.
The final round of the Byron Nelson Junior starts tomorrow at 8 a.m. at Lakewood Country Club. Thirty-two players of the original 78 made the 36-hole cut at 3-over or better on Wednesday.
For more information, including scores click here.
- Augusta Jam & Mayors Masters Experience | April 7 - 10, 2021 We are excited to be a part of Augusta Jam & The Mayor’s Masters Experience presented by Toyota USA hosted in the Play Golf Designs Inc. Virtual Clubhouse.
🔊 COMPLIMENTARY REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN! Join us this week to celebrate ... 1 CommentsMayor's Masters Experience Thank you! ✨ #MME2021
- Auto Shot Tracking with Apple Watch As an official partner of Golfshot GPS, we're excited to announce their newest feature, Auto Shot Tracking for Apple Watch. This feature auto-detects your swing and tracks your shots right from your Apple Watch.
Follow the link to see how ... - Eight Drive, Chip & Putt Champions Crowned at Augusta Four boys and four girls ages 7-15 were crowned champions on Sunday at the 2021 Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club. 6 Likes
-
- Timeline Photos Just a friendly reminder that our office is closed in observance of #GoodFriday. 2 Likes
- 112th Texas Amateur Qualifying Information 2021 Pairings and starting times for the #TexasAmateur are now available! 2 Likes
-
- 🚨 ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT TO REGISTER 🚨
🏆 112th Texas Amateur
⛳ Midland Country Club
📅 June 17-20, 2021
📍 Midland, TX
Register TODAY!
https://qoo.ly/3bgb76
Midland Country Club | #TexasAmateur 5 Likes - Photos from Texas Golf Association's post Texas Golf Association added 96 new photos. 1 CommentsSweet9 Likes
- Looks like our latest contest winner received their TGA Swag Bag. If you're not following us, you're missing out 😎
#IGRepost
• • • • • •
Austin, Texas
Like a Texas Golf Christmas! @texasgolfassociation 11 Likes - TGA Players Box #TGAMembers Check your email inboxes for this incredible #TexasTuesdayDeal - brought to you by the #TGAPlayersBox X Short Par 4. Get your #GolfBuddy w/ voice today and save $90! Want more deals? Sign up for the #TGAPlayersBox today and save ... 3 Likes
- Please be advised: Due to technical issues, the TGA Staff will not have access to email from 4:58 p.m. today through 9 a.m. Monday, March 22.
If you reach out to us by email during that time, we will respond ... - Patrick Kahanek wins the Legends Junior Tour Texas Cup Invitational at Ridgewood Country Club! #LJTTexasCup
Final Scores: https://t.co/daNkQtrhwo
Full Story: https://t.co/QbWfrFzlh8 6 Likes - Local links: Maulana Dotch becomes first Black woman PGA member to serve as GM of... Congrats to one of our state's best golf pros! Well deserved & good luck, Maulana!
Follow the link to read about Maulana Dotch's incredible journey on becoming the first Black woman PGA member to serve as GM of golf facility. 8 Likes -
- Practice round is underway at Moody Garends Golf Course for the 2021 #WomensEclectic. The Texas Golf Association is looking forward to hosting a safe and competitive championship. Good luck to all competitors this week!
🔗Learn More:  https://www.txga.org/tga-womens-eclectic-texas-golf-association/ 2 Likes - TGA Works Applications are now open for our Bill Penn #Internship program. Learn more and sign up today! 1 CommentsBlake Smith3 Likes
- TGA 112th Texas Amateur | Texas Golf Association 🚨Only 4 Weeks Left to Register🚨
🏆 112th Texas Amateur
⛳ Midland Country Club
📅 June 17-20, 2021
📍 Midland, TX
🔗 Register TODAY: https://qoo.ly/3a2bim
@MidlandCClub | #TexasAmateur 7 Likes - PGA TOUR Superstore to Sponsor TGA’s Fun Golf Series 📢 PGA TOUR Superstore to Sponsor TGA’s Fun Golf Series
We are excited to announce PGA TOUR Superstore will be the presenting sponsor of our annual #FunGolf Series for the 2021 season! Follow the link to learn more about this ... 1 CommentsAwesome! And Fun Golf is for EVERYONE.4 Likes - Timeline Photos #LastCall Less than 48 hours remain - Head over to our Twitter & Instagram page to tag & follow!
- Timeline Photos Major Venues: See Where #History will be Made in 2021 in the latest issue of #LoneStarGolf magazine!
🔗 https://buff.ly/3pPFJgz 3 Likes - USGA, The R&A Modernize Amateur Status Rules The game's two governing bodies have announced significant proposals to the Rules of Amateur Status that would be adopted on Jan. 1, 2022.
- Black History Month: Gregory Overcame Obstacles to Play in 27 USGA Championships Black History Month: Gregory Overcame Obstacles to Play in 27 USGA Championships 3 Likes
- Timeline Photos There's still time to head over to Facebook and Instagram to #TagaFriend and #Follow for #FreeGolf. Don't miss out! #TGAFriend
- Timeline Photos Attention South Texas amateurs: The TGA's South Texas Four-Ball scheduled for this weekend at The Wilderness Golf Course has been POSTPONED. It will be rescheduled ASAP & the new dates will be emailed to the starting field. 2 Likes
- Timeline Photos Attention North Texas amateurs: The TGA's North Texas Four-Ball scheduled for this weekend at Brookhaven Country Club has been RESCHEDULED for March 6-7 with the same 8 a.m. starting tee times on the Masters Course. If you're in the field, ... 3 Likes