Around the Green

Park, Fojtasek, Jr. Lead North Texas Classic

GRAND PRAIRIE – Carrollton’s Sangmin Park and Dallas’ Randall Fojtasek Jr. fired 4-under-par 68s Saturday afternoon to lead the third North Texas Classic at Tangle Ridge Golf Club in Grand Prairie, Texas.

Dallas’ Hailey Jones, the two-time defending LJT Girls Player of the Year, leads the Girls 12-18 division after a 1-under-par 71 in her opening round. Argyle’s Gaven Lane shot a stellar 5-under 67 in the Boys 14 & Under division Sunday afternoon.

Grand Prairie’s Tangle Ridge Golf Club has hosted the North Texas Classic since its inception in 2015. The Jeff Brauer designed golf course challenges players with elevation changes, subtle Champion Ultra Dwarf Bermuda greens and the perfectly placed fairway bunkers. The Boys 15-18 division is playing 6,795 yards, while the Boys 14 & Under division is playing 6,340 yards and all girls are playing 5,979 yards.

Park started on the 10^th hole and came out on fire. He birdied the short, par-4 11^th and then had back-to-back birdies on the 14^th and 15^th holes, and another on the 18^th. His 4-under opening nine allowed him to play steady, consistent golf on his back nine, making just a lone bogey on the second hole, but ended his round with a birdie on the ninth.

Fojtasek Jr. had a different route to his opening round 68. He started out 1-over par on his opening nine, then had a birdie on the 10^th hole, followed by an eagle on the 11^th. He had a par on the 12^th, followed by three straight birdies. He bogeyed the 18^th hole, but shot a 5-under 31 on the back nine.

Austin’s Evan Vo and San Angelo’s Jansen Smith sit just one shot back of Park and Fojtasek Jr. after Saturday’s first round. Vo started hot, getting to 5-under through 14 holes, but made two bogeys in his final four holes. Smith started even-par through his first 10 holes, then caught fire down the stretch. David Harrison, Cole Fisher, and Tucker Allen all shot 2-under 70 and sit two back of the leading duo.

In the Girls 12-18 division, Jones carded four birdies on the front nine, including back-to-back on the difficult 520-yard par-5 eighth hole and the short, par-3 ninth. She missed a four foot birdie putt on the 10^th hole, but followed it up with a birdie on the short, par-3 11^th hole. She was 3-under through the 13 before making back-to-back bogeys at the 14^th and 15^th.

Jones leads by two shots over Alden Wallace of Shreveport, La. Wallace’s 1-over 73 included three birdies in her first four holes. She struggled down the stretch but still sits in solo second place behind Jones. Plano’s Ashley Liu and Carrollton’s Symran Shah sit in a tie for third place after 4-over 76s.

In the Boys 14 & Under division, Lane, the Texas State Junior Champion, had seven birdies on his scorecard. He started hot, carding a birdie on the second hole, and followed it up with three more on his opening loop. His steady play allowed three more birdies on the back nine.

Lane leads by two shots over Flower Mound’s Rohit Madireddi. Madireddi’s 2-under 70 was constistent, carding 14 pars, three birdies and one bogey. Andrew Spaulding of Spring sits in third place after a 1-under 71. Jake Bendetti and Aj So sit a tie for fourth place heading into Sunday’s final round.

Final round tee times are scheduled to begin at 8:00 AM off the first and 10^th tees Sunday morning. For more information on the North Texas Classic and the Legends Junior Tour, please visit www. TLJT.org

For complete first round results, click here.