Around the Green

Longview Wins Back-to-Back Titles

AUSTIN – A fun and exciting day of golf culminated with the LPGA/USGA Girls’ Golf of Longview winning the 2017 Texas Challenge by one stroke over Houston at the Harvey Penick Golf Campus. Each team in the Toni Wiesner Division, made up of two girls in the 11 & Under age group and two girls in the 12-17 age group, competed in a 9-hole best ball score for each age division.

The Texas Challenge is part of the Texas Golf Association Winner's Program, a golf and grades initiative of the TGA in partnership with the LPGA/USGA Girls Golf Texas Chapters. The Winner's Program benefits youth (ages 7-17) in our Texas communities, and promotes and grows girls' golf.

Five chapters from LPGA/USGA Girls Golf Chapters across the Lone Star State competed this year. including Longview, Houston, Waco, San Antonio and Austin. Each chapter counts two best ball scores, which combines for a team total.

The Longview combined team total was 61 by Connor Howard, Zoe Mayfield, Mia Jones and Faith Ann Chinn. Houston’s team total of 62 included one of the lowest best ball scores from the 11 & Under division, Bella Flores and Jennel Calixtero. San Antonio finished third place with a combined team total of 65.

The Babe Division is a new addition to the Texas Challenge this year. The division is separate from the Toni Wiesner Division, and two girls from each chapter played a scramble. Houston’s team of Andrea Vela and Khloe Jones won by one stroke over Longview’s team of Emily Smith and Kinley Pessel.

The Texas Challenge honors the late Toni Wiesner by awarding The Toni Wiesner Cup to the winning team. Toni Wiesner, a TCU graduate and Fort Worth resident was a longtime friend to the WTGA, and was a member of the USGA Junior Girls' golf committee. Toni's many golf achievements include being a five time WTGA State Amateur Champion (1985, 1988, 1989, 1993 and 2003), the 1981 Women's Southern Amateur Champion, the 1997 British Senior Women's Amateur Champion and a three-time runner-up of the USGA Senior Women's Amateur.

Toni possessed a wonderful determination and competitive spirit and always displayed graciousness, whether in victory or defeat. These qualities make Toni the perfect example for the participants in the Texas Challenge. Toni's solid characteristics and good sportsmanship are qualities not only the junior girls, but all golfers, can look up to and try to emulate.

Congratulations to all teams for playing in the 2017 Texas Challenge. A special thank you to LPGA/USGA Girls’ Golf of Austin and the Harvey Penick Golf Campus for hosting the 2017 Texas Challenge. Click here to read more about the Winners’ Program.