Around the Green

Bluebonnet Championship Set for 16th Year

DALLAS – The Legends Junior Tour resumes with the Bluebonnet Championship, which returns to Brownwood Country Club for its 16^th year on May 6-7.

The 36-hole stroke play championship features 132 golfers who will compete on the par-72 course that is 6,227 yards for the boys and 5,748 yards for the girls. Players will compete in three separate divisions, Boys 15-18, Girls 12-18 and Boys 14 & Under.

The Bluebonnet Championship was started by Brownwood businessman Bart Johnson in 2001. The tournament has an impressive list of past champions that includes two PGA Tour winners, Patrick Reed and Cody Gribble, and other junior golfers that have gone on to success at the next level like Brett Spencer, Cory Whitsett, Charles Kim, Cooper Dossey, Maddie Szeryk, Greta Bruner, Scottie Scheffler and Stratton Nolen. After not being held in 2006, the Legends Junior Tour took over control of the tournament in 2007 and it has consistently produced one of the largest, and strongest, fields of the year.

McClure Meissner, Vishnu Sadagopan and Sara Camarena won their divisions in last year’s tournament. San Antonio’s Meissner posted rounds of 66-65 to get to 13-under 131 overall. His two rounds of bogey-free golf were good enough for a five-stroke lead over the field. Pearland’s Sadagopan won by two strokes in the Boys 14 & Under Division. Rounds of 72-69 got him to 3-under overall for the tournament. Austin’s Camarena picked up her first LJT victory in the Girls 12-18 Division with rounds of 69-71 to win by one stroke at 4-under 140 overall.

This championship is ranked by both Junior Golf Scoreboard and Golfweek. Competitors who finish in the top half of the field will gain points towards the LJT Player of the Year Standings. The top five finishers in the Boys 15-18 Division will earn a spot in the Byron Nelson Junior Championship and the Texas State Junior Championship. The winner of the Boys 14 & Under Division will earn a spot in the George Hannon Junior Invitational, while the top five in the Girls 12-18 Division will earn spots in the Texas Girls’ Invitational.

Along with rankings on the Legends Junior Tour, the top finishers in each division will earn AJGA stars based on their finishes. The Bluebonnet Championship also serves as a qualifier for the IMG Academy Junior World Championships in California on July 10-14. The top finishers in each Junior World Championships age division will earn exemptions. A total of six players, three boys and three girls, will gain entry into the event in San Diego.

Brownwood Country Club was designed by Leon Howard and opened in 1929. The course features an open layout that gives players ample opportunities at making low scores. The greens however can be challenging if you miss your spot.

For more information about the Bluebonnet Championship, click here. To learn more about the IMG Academy Junior World Championships, click here.