Around the Green

Winter Classic Returns to Dallas Athletic Club for Ninth Consecutive Year

DALLAS – The Winter Classic returns to Dallas Athletic Club on Jan. 21-22 for the opening event of the 2017 season. The field has been one of the top-ranked LJT events on the schedule and is open to all players with an Alliance Partner Membership.  

The 84-player field will be ranked by both Junior Golf Scoreboard and Golfweek. The event will give out numerous AJGA Performance Stars to all three divisions – Boys 15-18, Boys 14 & Under, and Girls 12-18. The top three finishers of the Boys 15-18 division will also receive an invitation to the Byron Nelson Junior Championship held in late June. The top three players in that division will also earn exempt status for the Texas State Junior Championship. The top three finishers of the Girls 12-18 division will earn an invitation to the Texas Girls’ Invitational held in September.

Aside from hosting the previous eight LJT Winter Classics, Dallas Athletic Club's Blue Course, designed by Jack Nicklaus, hosted the 1963 PGA Championship. It also hosted the 1992 and 2003 Texas Golf Association's Texas Amateur Championship, the 1997 USGA Mid-Amateur Championship and the 2012 TGA Mid-Amateur Championship.

At last year’s Winter Classic, Cedar Park’s Thomas Critch won the Boys 15-18 Division with a 1-over overall score in two rounds. Austin’s Thomas Bockholt III took home the hardware in the Boys 14 & Under Division with an overall score of 2-over 148. Dallas’ Hailey Jones won the Girls 12-18 Division by one stroke.

The Winter Classic is the first of 11 “Open” events on the Legends Junior Tour this year. These events are open to anybody that has a membership with an Alliance Partner (NTPGA, STPGA, HGA). The Legends Junior Tour has added four new open events in the last three years, including two for 2017. The Alamo Shootout is the first of the two new events in 2017 and returns to San Antonio in early June.

Tee times will begin Saturday at 8:00 am off the No. 1 and No. 10 tees with the Final round taking place on Sunday Jan. 25. For more information on the Winter Classic or the Legends Junior Tour, click here.

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 more than $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.