Around the Green

Texas Girls Invitational Returns to Bentwater Yacht and Country Club

DALLAS- The seventh annual Texas Girls’ Invitational will be held at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club on September 24-25. This is the fifth year that Bentwater Yacht & Country Club has hosted the 36-hole event.

Conducted by the Legends Junior Tour, the Texas Girls’ Invitational was modeled after the Byron Nelson Junior Championship and the Texas Cup Invitational. The tournament has taken on its own identity and quickly become a favorite among girls on the LJT schedule. The tournament began in 2010 with only 12 participants and has now grown into an invitation-only field of 72 girls that was chosen from 24 different exemption categories.

The Championship returns to Bentwater Yacht & Country Club’s Weiskopf course in 2016. The Weiskopf course was under renovation in 2015, causing the Invitational to be played on the Miller Course at Bentwater. Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish collaborated to design the Weiskopf course at Bentwater. The course features Tiff Dwarf greens that are nestled between tall pine and hardwood trees. The course meanders its way around Lake Conroe and features a split fairway on the 12^th hole.

Last year’s tournament was won by Anne Chen of Houston, who shot rounds of 72-68 for an overall score of 4-under-par. Chen won by four strokes over Montgomery-native Reid Isaac, who posted a 3-under 69 in the final round. Taiwan’s Ya Chun Chang and Coppell’s Grace Do tied for third while Kingwood’s Hanna Alberto finished fifth.

The 2016 champion will have her name engraved on the ‘Nez Muhleman trophy. Inez “Nez” Muhleman of Houston is known for her dedication to junior golf. Muhleman never missed a Girls national championship until she retired in 2010. In 2011, she received the USGA Joe Dey Award, which is the organization’s highest honor for volunteerism, for her service to the game and for establishing the Junior Girls’ Travel Fund to help young Texans afford travel expenses to the U.S. Girls’ Junior.

Past champions of this girls-only event include Kaci McCartan, Lakareber Abe, Maddie McCrary, Vanessa Ha, Jaravee Boonchant and Anne Chen. This is the final “Major” tournament for the girls on the Legends Junior Tour.
The 36-hole stroke play format with one girls division allows the Championship to be Junior Golf Scoreboard and Golfweek ranked. Numerous AJGA Performance Stars are up for grabs with the winner earning Fully Exempt status. The winner will also earn an invitation into the 2017 Kathy Whitworth Invitational.

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.