Around the Green
The latest golf-related news, notes, and feature stories from the TGA.
Boyd Owens Fires 67 and Leads Fall Challenge
Leaderboard:
1. Boyd Owens -5 67
2. Mikey Bullock -4 68
3. Shaheen Momin -3 69
T4. Hunter McDonough -1 71
T4. Garrett Endicott -1 71
Girls 12-18
1. Caroline Kent +1 73
2. Emily Mu +2 74
T3. Ally Black +3 75
T3. Alexis Escobedo +3 75
T3. MacKenzie Moore +3 75
Boys 14 & Under
1. Andrew Petruzzelli -4 68
2. Kevin Mu +3 75
T3. Austin Hofferkamp +6 78
T3. Trenton Mierl +6 78
5. Grant Yerger +7 79
Full Leaderboard
Leaders: In the Boys 15-18 Division, Owens went off in the last group off the No. 1 tee and finished with the lowest score of the day. He made four birdies and an eagle on the day with one lone bogey. The eagle came on the par-5 ninth, which was playing into the wind at 539 yards. In the Girls 12-18 Division Kent leads after making five birdies on the day, including a birdie on her final hole, the par-5 18th. In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Petruzzelli shot 4-under 68 and leads by seven strokes. He made four birdies in the round, but the eagle on No. 11 was his shot of the day. He was 100-yards away and after hitting the green, backed his ball back into the hole for a two on the par-4. Petruzzelli is looking for his second-consecutive victory in the Boys 14 & Under Division after winning the North Texas Classic earlier this month.
In Contention: Harlingen’s Mikey Bullock trails Owens in the Boys 15-18 Division by one stroke after shooting 4-under 68 in the first round. Sugar Land’s Shaheen Momin sits in third place at 3-under 69, while Spicewood’s Hunter McDonough and San Antonio’s Garrett Endicott are tied for fourth at 1-under 71. Four more players are tied for sixth at even par and five strokes back of the leader. Emily Mu of Austin trails Kent in the Girls 12-18 Division after shooting 2-over 74 on Saturday. Ally Black, Alexis Escobedo, MacKenzie Moore, Maggie Ni and Estelle Seon are all tied for third in the division at 3-over 75. Austin’s Kevin Mu trails Petruzzelli in the Boys 14 & Under Division at 3-over 75. Austin Hofferkamp of the Woodlands and Trenton Mierl of Austin are tied for third in the division at 6-over 78, while Grant Yerger of Driftwood sits alone in fifth place heading into the final round at 7-over.
Golf Course: The Rawls Course at Texas Tech is hosting the Fall Challenge for the first time in the tournament’s history. The Rawls Course was designed by Tom Doak and opened in 2003. The course features wide fairways and stretches out to 7,000 yards in the Boys 15-18 Division, 6,500 yards in the Boys 14 & Under Division and 5,900 yards in the Girls 12-18 Division. The fairways are wide and surrounded by fescue grass along with bunkers all throughout the property. The course sits just north of the Texas Tech University campus and is home to the Men’s and Women’s Golf Teams.
Weather: Rain and lightning hit the Lubbock area around 2:30 am on Saturday and didn’t move on until around 8:00 am. The first round was delayed three hours as crews worked to clear the inch and a half of rain that fell overnight and into the morning. The sun came out around 10:00 am and so did the wind. The breeze was steady around 20 miles per hour throughout the day with gusts reaching up to 30 miles per hour.
Next Up: The final round of the Fall Challenge is scheduled to begin at 8:00 am on Sunday, September 29 at The Rawls Course. Players were repaired according to scores from the previous round and sent off the No. 1 and 10 tees. To see the pairings for the Final Round, click here.
For more information on the Fall Challenge, click here.
