Around the Green

Lee, Jones, Weibel Capture Winter Classic

DALLAS – Jun Min Lee of Mission staved off the sustained 25 mph winds Sunday afternoon to capture the Legends Junior Tour season-opening Winter Classic. Dallas’ Hudson Weibel won the Boys 14 & Under division by six strokes at Dallas Athletic Club’s Blue Course. DAC’s own Hailey Jones captured the Girls 12-18 division for the second year in a row.

This was the ninth consecutive year Dallas Athletic Club has hosted the Winter Classic, all nine on Jack Nicklaus’ signature Blue Course. The Winter Classic was the first event on the LJT schedule for the third season in a row. The Boys 15-18 division played the par-72 course at 6,779 yards, the Boys 14 & Under at 6,160 yards and the Girls 12-18 division at 5,812 yards.

Lee, who won the 2016 North Texas Classic, led by one stroke heading into the final round, and increased that lead after the first hole. His birdie put him at 4-under for the tournament, but it was a struggle to maintain that score in the conditions. A steady 25 mph wind with gusts up to 45 mph proved to challenge the field. Conditions increased the scoring average from 77.2 to 80.4 in the Boys 15-18 division.

“I had fun out there today,” Lee said. “It’s not every day that you get to play in conditions like this. I get to pay in this wind occasionally coming from where I live, but this was tough, while fun.”

Lee shot a final round 3-over 75 for an even-par 144 tournament total. He finished two shots ahead of Spring’s Zakary Jones, who shot a final-round 4-over 76. DAC’s own Holden Wisener finished in third place, five shots back of Lee. William Moll fired the score of the day to finish in a tie for fourth. He carded a 2-under 70, the lowest score by four shots Sunday. He finished tied for fourth with Justin Thompson and Tommy Boone.

In the Boys 14 & Under division, Weibel, captured his first victory Sunday afternoon. He led by four shots heading into the final round, and won by six. His final round 3-over 75 was tied for the best score of the day in the division. Weibel carded two birdies in the tough conditions as well.

Minas Manias of Frisco, finished in second place, with a 153 tournament total. Temple’s Dallas Hankamer finished in solo third place, one shot behind Manias. Jack Watson and Jack Summers finished tied for fourth.

In the Girls 12-18, Jones, the back-to-back reigning Girls LJT Player of the Year, started her round with relative ease. She was even-par for the day through her 13^th hole, the fourth, but struggled coming down the stretch, finishing with an 8-over-par 80 and 4-over 148 tournament total. She held off Libby Winans, though, by two shots.

Winans finished in second, followed by Kaylee Vesely of Austin. Vesely shot one of the only two rounds in the 70’s in the Girls 12-18 division. Grace Do finished in fourth, followed by Chandler Rosholt in fifth.

The Legends Junior Tour will host its second event of 2017 at Corpus Christi Country Club for the James A. Ragan Memorial. The tournament will be February 19-20. For more information on the Legends Junior Tour, please visit www.TXGA.org.

For the Winter Classic Final Results, please click here.