Around the Green
The latest golf-related news, notes, and feature stories from the TGA.
Kingwood's Strydom Shoots 3-under and Leads Spring Preview
Leaderboard:
| Boys 15-18 Division 1. Damin Strydom, Kingwood, TX – 68 2. Reed Foster, McKinney, TX – 69 T3. Holden Webb, Shreveport, LA – 70 T3. Josiah Crews, Ninnekah, OK – 70 |
Girls 12-18 Division 1. Sky Sudberry, The Woodlands, TX – 70 2. Carly Whittington, Kinder, LA – 71 T3. Emma McMyler, San Antonio, TX – 72 T3. Sora Kim, Houston, TX – 72 |
Boys 14 & Under Division
T1. Bowen Ballis, Shenandoah, TX – 71 T1. Rex Hargrove, Houston, TX – 71 3. Nathan Marion, San Antonio, TX – 72 T4. Ben Delarosa, Dallas, TX – 73 T4. Grant Yerger, Driftwood, TX – 73 |
Golf Course: Quail Valley’s El Dorado Golf Course is hosting the Spring Preview for the first time in the tournament’s 14-year history. The par-71 is playing to 6,689 yards in the Boys 15-18 Division, 6,266 yards in the Boys 14 & Under Division and 5,865 yards in the Girls 12-18 Division. The course maneuvers its way through the residential areas of Missouri City and is littered with penalty areas around the course.
Weather: After getting more than two inches of rain leading up to the Spring Preview, the rain stayed away on Saturday and the sun came out for most of the day. Temperatures crept all the way up to 75 degrees in the first round and the course dried up a little for the field.
The Leaders: Strydom made four birdies on Saturday, including back-to-back birdies on holes 10 and 11. He played his final
nine holes in 3-under-par to gain his one-stroke lead. Sudberry made three birdies in her round, including the 350-yard 17th, which played as the toughest hole on the day, only surrendering four total birdies across all three divisions. Ballis played consistently throughout the first round, making six straight pars before dropping a bogey on the par-5 seventh and then answering with a birdie on the par-4 ninth. He made nine more pars on his back side to finish at even-par. Hargrove made three birdies and three bogeys in his first nine holes to shoot 35 on the front and then started with a bogey on 10, but made birdie on the 11th followed by seven pars to shoot 36 on the back and even-par overall.
In Contention: Trailing Strydom in the Boys 15-18 Division is McKInney’s Reed Foster, who posted a round of 2-under 69 in the first round. Holden Webb of Shreveport, La., and Josiah Crews of Ninnekah, Okla. are tied for third heading into the final round at 1-under 70, while seven boys tied for fifth in the division at even-par. In the Girls 12-18 Division, Carly Whittington of Kinder, La. Is one stroke back of Sudberry at even-par. San Antonio’s Emma McMyler and Houston’s Sora Kim are tied for third at 1-over, while Cypress’ Maggie Ni sits in fifth place at 4-over. In the Boys 14 & Under Division, San Antonio’s Nathan Marion sits in third place and one stroke back of the leaders at 1-over. Dallas’ Ben Delarosa and Driftwood’s Grant Yerger are tied for fourth
What’s Next: The final round of the Spring Preview is set to begin at 8:00 am on Sunday at Quail Valley’s El Dorado Course. Players will be paired according to scores from the first round and sent off the No. 1 tee in 9-minute intervals. To see all the pairings for the final round, click here.
About the LJT: The Legends Junior Tour is part of the Texas Junior Golf Alliance, which is a joint venture between the Texas Golf Association, Northern and Southern Texas PGA and Houston Golf Association. The Tour operates as part of the TGA and its foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. The Tour is home to such prestigious events such as the Byron Nelson Junior Championship, Texas Cup Invitational, Texas Girls’ Invitational and Texas Junior Amateur.
What’s at Stake: Along with points towards the LJT Player of the Year Standings, which determines the Jackie Burke Cup teams at the end of the season, players are competing for AJGA Performance Stars as well as exemptions into future LJT Invitational events. The tournament is ranked by Golfweek and Junior Golf Scoreboard.
More Info: For more information on the Spring Preview, you can visit the tournament homepage here. To see all the scores from Saturday’s action at Quail Valley, click here.
