Around the Green

Martin Wins George Hannon Junior Invitational

Martin Wins George Hannon Junior Invitational
 
BASTROP – Garrett Martin of San Antonio double bogeyed his opening hole in the final round of the George Hannon Junior Invitational at Wolfdancer Golf Club. He lost his one-shot lead, but not his patience. Martin rallied five birdies over his closing 17 holes to post a 1-under-par 71 and win by six shots. Madelyn Jones battled down the stretch to card a 1-under-par 71 of her own and clinch the Girls Division by one shot. Matthew Comegys held onto his Round 1 lead over the Boys 14 & Under Division with an even-par final round 72 to win by five.
 
Martin, 17, followed his double bogey on the first hole with a bogey on the par-4 second. After a routine par on the par-5 third, Martin settled into his round. He birdied the par-3 fourth, par-5 fifth and par-4 eighth to turn in even par 36.
 
“I just kept telling myself that good things will come and just be patient,” Martin said. “I just tried to focus on hitting fairways, hitting greens and I knew the putter was really helping me all week.”
 
Martin finished the tournament at 5-under par overall. He was the only competitor in the Boys 15-18 Division to finish in red numbers. The rising junior at Johnson High School said he plans to carry the momentum into the upcoming school year.
 
“I haven’t had the summer I quite wanted, but I finally was able to find something in my game,” Martin said. “I’ll have a lot of confidence going into this next junior year.”  
 
In the Girls Division, it was the battle of the Jones’. Madelyn Jones of Austin and Hailey Jones of Dallas were neck and neck the closing six holes. The two-time Legends Junior Tour Girls Player of the Year, Hailey, fired an opening nine 4-under-par 32. She held a five-shot advantage heading into the back nine. After giving three shots back to field on holes 13 and 14, Hailey found herself tied for the lead.
 
Her playing competitor, Madelyn seized the opportunity. The rising junior at Westlake High School birdied the par-4 15th and par-3 17th to lead Hailey by two shots with one hole to play. Madelyn made par to clinch the victory.
 
“I love playing in this event,” Madelyn said. “It is a really big honor this year especially because I got an exemption in it two years ago and now I’ve earned my spot and really honored to win.”  
 
In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Comegys of Plano struggled out of the gates. He doubled bogeyed his first hole and followed with a bogey on the par-4 second. The 14-year-old walked to the fifth tee box after another bogey on the par-3 fourth at 4-over par on his round. But like Martin, Comegys was resilient. He played his next 11 holes in 5-under par highlighted by three consecutive birdies on holes 13-15. He finished the round at even par to post 3-under for the tournament and claim his first Legends Junior Tour title.
 
“I hit the greens and made a lot of pars, limited the mistakes and capitalized on the opportunities that I had,” Comegys said.
 
The Legends Junior Tour extends its warmest and most sincere appreciation to the staff and members of Wolfdancer Golf Club, our volunteers as well as the Hannon Cup Society for their integral part in making the 2017 George Hannon Junior Invitational a memorable and successful event. For more information about this championship click here.