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Bluebonnet Championship Set for 17th Year
DALLAS – The Bluebonnet Championship field is set as the tournament returns to Brownwood Country Club for its 17th year on May 5-6.
The 36-hole stroke play championship features 132 golfers who will compete on the par-72 course that stretches to 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.
Damin Strydom, Evan Vo and Elina Sinz each won their respective division in last year’s Bluebonnet Championship. Kingwood’s Strydom posted rounds of 66-68 to get to 10-under-par and finished three strokes ahead of the Boys 15-18 Division. Austin’s Vo won the Boys 14 & Under Division with an overall score of 3-under, while Katy’s Sinz won the Girls 12-18 Division at 2-under after 36 holes.
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 Junior Amateur. 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 9-13. 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.
