Around the Green

George Hannon Junior invitational Cancelled due to Heavy Rain and Unplayable Course Conditions

AUSTIN – The eighth annual George Hannon Junior Invitational has been cancelled due to inclement weather and unplayable course conditions. This is the first event the Legends Junior Tour has cancelled in 10 years.

Heavy rain over the past 72 hours has made the Barton Creek Country Club – Crenshaw Cliffside course unplayable. The course has accumulated nearly 10 inches of rain since Sunday and is predicted to receive another inch and a half throughout the rest of the Tuesday.

“With the heavy rainfall the Austin area has received in the past 48-72 hours, the course is saturated with streams running through several fairways,” said Kellen Kubasak, LJT Director of Operations. “A decision was made by the LJT Championship staff with the help of the course Superintendent and Director of Golf to cancel the tournament.”

Originally scheduled for 36 holes August 15-16, the George Hannon Junior Invitational had one of the strongest fields on the LJT schedule. Billed as the “tour championship,” the George Hannon brought 99 of the top boys and girls in the state together to compete. Players earned exemptions into the event through their play on the Texas Junior Golf Alliance events as well as the LJT Player of the Year Points List.

The Hannon Cup Society created the invitational in 2009 and the Legends Junior Tour has conducted the prominent event since then. The tournament is named after George “Coach” Hannon, former men’s golf coach at the University of Texas. His career at UT included NCAA Championship teams in 1971 and 1972 as well as 12 Southwest Conference titles. Hannon was inducted into the Texas Golf Hall of Fame in 1991 and was the Golf Coaches Association 2001 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.  

This is the third event on the Legends Junior Tour schedule that has seen at least a round get cancelled due to inclement weather. The final round of both the Collegiate Preview and Texas State Junior Championship Boys 15-18 division were cancelled due to heavy rain and lightning.

The next championship on the Legends Junior Tour calendar is the Texas Girls’ Invitational. The 72-player, girls-only field will play Bentwater Yacht & Country Club’s Weiskopf Course September 24-25, 2016.

For more information on the George Hannon Junior Invitational or the Legends Junior Tour, please visit www.TXGA.org.