Around the Green

Coody, Sadagopan and Jones Win Player of the Year Awards

ADDISON, TEXAS— Parker Coody, Vishnu Sadagopan and Hailey Jones earn Player of the Year honors on the Legends Junior Tour for their sensational play throughout 2016. Tommy Boone was the recipient of the James A. Ragan Sportsmanship Award and Rex Aymond was honored as the LJT’s Volunteer of the Year.

Parker Coody won the Boys 15-18 Division, earning 5,387 points. The Plano native finished runner-up at the Byron Nelson Junior Championship and the Texas State Junior Championship while also recording a tie for fifth at the Texas Cup Invitational and a tie for sixth at the Winter Classic and the Bluebonnet Championship. The 16-year-old, who is the grandson of 1971 Masters Champion Charles Coody, competed in six total LJT events in 2016 and received the James A. Ragan Sportsmanship Award in 2015.

Pearland’s Vishnu Sadagopan won the Boys 14 & Under Division, earning 5,525 points in 2016. Sadagopan played in seven Legends Junior Tour events this year, five of which he competed in the Boys 14 & Under Division. He won two events on tour this season, first at the Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic and then at the Bluebonnet Championship. Sadagopan finished runner-up at the Spring Preview and fourth at the Texas State Junior Championship. The 14-year-old also played in the Byron Nelson Junior Championship and the Texas Cup Invitational.

Hailey Jones of Dallas won the Girls 12-18 Division for the second-straight year, earning 8,508 points in 2016. Jones played in eight LJT events and earned a spot on her third-straight Jackie Burke Cup team. The 16-year-old recorded top-5 finishes in seven tournaments this year, including wins at the Winter Classic, the James A. Ragan Memorial, the Collegiate Preview, the Texas State Junior Championship and the Texas Girls’ Invitational. Jones finished runner-up at the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship and fifth at the Spring Preview.

Tommy Boone was voted as the LJT’s James A. Ragan Sportsman of the year. The award is given annually to the player who is characterized by virtues such as fairness, discipline, courage, persistence and respect for others. Boone competed in nine events on the Legends Junior Tour in 2016, finishing tied for second at the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship and fourth at the James A. Ragan Memorial.

RexAymond was awarded the LJT’s Volunteer of the Year in 2016. The Dallas-native worked 23 tournament days this season and has been a referee since 2009. Aymond currently resides in Bee Cave, Texas where he sells aviation software. He volunteered his time to work the Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic, the Bluebonnet Championship, the George Hannon Junior Invitational and the Jackie Burke Cup.

The Legends Junior Tour would like to congratulate all the award winners for their hard work and representing the LJT in a great way. The tour saw 24 different winners in its 15 tournaments in 2016, including four players that won multiple times.