Around the Green
The latest golf-related news, notes, and feature stories from the TGA.
Hankamer, Claggett and Petruzzelli Win Divisions at North Texas Classic
Leaders: Hankamer posted a bogey-free 66 in the final round to get to 9-under overall and tied with Matthew Spaulding of Spring. Hankamer started his round with birdies on Nos. 2, 4 and 6 to turn at 3-under for the day. He made an eagle on the par-5 13th and added another birdie on the par-4 15th to get to 6-under on the round. Claggett fired a 4-under 68 in the final round to get to 1-over overall. She was tied with Plano’s Summer Lee and Katy’s Lauren Nguyen after 36 holes as the trio went into a sudden-death playoff. All three players made par on the opening playoff hole, but Claggett made birdie on the second hole and won the Girls 12-18 Division. Petruzzelli earned his first victory in the Boys 14 & Under Division by posting rounds of 69-67 to get to 136 overall and three strokes ahead of the field. He started his day by making birdie on three of his first four holes before dropping a shot with a bogey on the par-4 14th. He turned at 2-under and added three more birdies in his final nine holes to get to 8-under overall.
1. Dallas Hankamer 135*
2. Matthew Spaulding 135
3. Matthew Comegys 136
4. Lucas Borrero 138
T5. Brian Comegys 140
Girls 12-18 Division
1. Tillie Claggett 145*
T2. Summer Lee 145
T2. Lauren Nguyen 145
4. Kaylee Vesely 147
T5. Brandee Fleming 152
Boys 14 & Under Division
1. Andrew Petruzzelli 136
2. Trenton Mierl 139
3. Jonathan Kim 141
T4. Grant Yerger 143
T4. Daniel Zou 143
*Won in Playoff
In Contention: Spaulding finished runner-up in the Boys 15-18 Division after falling short in the playoff. Spaulding made five birdies and one bogey in his final round and 11 birdies and two bogeys in 36 holes. Plano’s Matthew Comegys finished alone in third at 8-under 136 followed by Cypress’ Lucas Borrero in fourth at 6-under 138. Austin’s Brian Comegys and Sugar Land’s Shaheen Momin tied for fifth in the division at 4-under, while Treed Huang and Logan Vargas tied for seventh and Christian Clark and Shoichiro Kato tied for ninth. In the Girls 12-18 Division, Lee posted rounds of 73-72 to get to 1-over 145 overall, while Nguyen had rounds of 72-73 en route to her runner-up finish. Austin’s Kaylee Vesely finished fourth while Brandee Fleming and Nitisha Manikandesh both tied for fifth. Trenton Mierl of Austin finished second in the Boys 14 & Under Division at 4-under 139 followed by Round Rock’s Jonathan Kim at 3-under 141. Grant Yerger and Daniel Zou tied for fourth in the division.
Tournament Format: The North Texas Classic is a 36-hole stroke play event for golfers ages 12-18 that have an active membership with the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. The event is split into three divisions: Boy 15-18, Girls 12-18 and Boys 14 & Under. Players earned their way into the field by playing in Alliance Partner Events and attaining status with the Legends Junior Tour.
Weather: Sunday’s weather was a little warmer than Saturday, but conditions were ideal for scoring. The temperatures crept up to 99 degrees in the afternoon with winds ranging between three to five miles per hour.
Tournament History: This is the fifth year of the North Texas Classic and the fourth year that Tangle Ridge Golf Course has hosted the event. In 2015 the Legends Junior Tour added the event to the fall schedule to better accommodate the growing demand for more events for junior golfers. The event has seen signups grow each year and the North Texas Classic has quickly become one of the top-ranked Open Events on the LJT schedule.
Past Champions: The three winners join a list of past champions that include Hailey Jones, Gaven Lane, Dawson Ovard, Jun Min Lee, Cole Sherwood, Jennie Park, Serena Shah, Zach Kingsland, Jack Usner, Mark Reppe and Kaylee Vesely.
Next Up: The Legends Junior Tour heads out west for the Fall Challenge and it’s first visit to The Rawls Course in Lubbock. The Fall Challenge has another strong 84-player field that will compete over 36 holes of stroke play competition.
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, the Northern and Southern Texas PGA and the Houston Golf Association. The tour operates as part of the Texas Golf Association and its foundation. Since its inception in 2005, the tour has provided more than $250,000 to promote junior golf initiatives and exposure for the game to those who might not otherwise have the opportunity across the state.
For more information on the North Texas Classic, click here. To see all the scores from the weekend, click here.
