Around the Green

North Texas Classic Returns to Tangle Ridge Golf Club

GRAND PRAIRIE – The North Texas Classic is set to kick off the LJT Fall Schedule on Sept. 14-15. The 84-player field returns to Tangle Ridge Golf Club as the race for LJT Player of the Year ramps up.

Tangle Ridge was designed by Jeff Brauer and is nestled between Joe Pool Lake and Mountain Creek Escarpment. The public championship golf course hosted the North Texas Classic from 2015-17. It features a layout with elevation changes of more than 50 feet. The gently rolling hills create magnificent panoramic views of the DFW area to the north. The course can stretch out to 6,835 yards, and Tangle Ridge Assistant Golf Professional Thomas Devanna looks forward to welcoming the North Texas Classic back to Grand Prairie this year.

“It means a lot to us at Tangle Ridge Golf Club,” Devanna said. “There is nothing better than supporting junior golf, and it’s great to see so many young players playing well.”

The North Texas Classic is split into three divisions: Boys 15-18, Girls 12-18 and Boys 14 & Under. The champion of the Boys 15-18 Division will earn exemptions into the Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational, 2020 Texas Cup Invitational, 2020 Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship and 2020 Texas Junior Amateur. The champion of the Girls Division will earn exemptions into the Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational and 2020 Texas Girls’ Invitational. The Boys 14 & Under champion will also earn an exemption into the Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational.

Including the North Texas Classic, only four LJT tournaments remain before the Player of the Year Points List will determine the teams for the Jackie Burke Cup, as well as the overall Players of the Year for each division. Dallas Hankamer of Temple leads the Boys 15-18 Division. Lauren Nguyen leads the Girls Division while Grant Yerger leads the Boys 14 & Under Division.

Austin’s Zach Kingsland outlasted a crowded leaderboard to win last year’s North Texas Classic after a final round 3-under-par 69 at Bridlewood Golf Club. He started off the final round with birdies on his opening two holes and carded a 3-under 33 on the front nine. Kingsland’s steady play on the back nine was enough to secure the victory by one stroke.

Kaylee Vesely fired a final round 4-under-par 68 to win the Girls Division. She began the final round with a seven-shot lead and ran away with the championship pushing her margin of victory to 12 strokes.

Jack Usner of The Woodlands won the Boys 14 & Under Division following rounds of 73-66. He carded eight birdies in his final round to post the lowest 18-hole score of the championship and to win by three strokes.

Kingsland, Vesely and Usner add to the list of North Texas Classic past champions. It includes 2017 Texas Junior Amateur Champion Jansen Smith, 2019 Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Champion Gaven Lane, three-time LJT Player of the Year Hailey Jones as well as Mark Reppe, Dawson Ovard, Jennie Park, Jun Min Lee, Cole Sherwood and Serena Shah.

The first round of the North Texas Classic is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 14 with tee times starting at 8 a.m. off No. 1 and 10 tees. The final round pairings will be redrawn according to scores from the first round and will begin at 8 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 16.

For more information on the North Texas Classic, click here.