Around the Green

Coyle, Bentancourt and Petruzzelli Lead James A. Ragan Memorial

Leaders: Frisco’s Coyle made six birdies in his opening round, including the par-4 10^th which was his first hole of the day. He made two bogeys en route to 4-under 67 at Corpus Christi Country Club. Frisco’s Bentancourt made five birdies in the first round to get to 2-under heading into Sunday and is four strokes ahead of the field in the Girls 12-18 Division. Dallas’ Petruzzelli started the day off rough, but bounced back after making two bogeys to start his round, he played his final 16 holes at 4-under to get to 2-under overall and three strokes ahead of the field.
 
In Contention: In the Boys 15-18 Division, Austin’s Andrew Tan trails the leader by one stroke after shooting 3-under 68 on Sunday. Peyton Johnson of Shreveport, La. and Mikey Bullock of Harlingen are tied for third in the division at 2-under, while The Hills’ Jack Lawlor, Lubbock’s Jackson Drake and Temple’s Daniel Moon are tied for fifth at 1-under. Cole Sherwood, Cooper New, Alejandro Gonzalez and Jackson Davenport round out the top 10 in the Boys 15-18 Division. Richardson’s Meagan Winans sits in second place in the Girls 12-18 Division after shooting 73 in the first round. Austin’s Meghan Meserole and Frisco’s Caroline Kent are tied for third, while Sky Sudberry of The Woodlands is in fifth at 4-over. Austin’s Daniel Macias trails Petruzzelli in the Boys 14 & Under Division, while Dallas’ Brooks Simmons and Driftwood’s Grant Yerger are tied for third.
 
Course: The course features an open layout that works its way through a residential area and maneuver its way across hills and bodies of water. Tall palm trees surround the property and the wind plays a huge factor into each shot for the player. The course is being played as a par-71 for the tournament and around 6,500 yards in the Boys 15-18 Division, 6,100 yards in the Boys 14 & Under Division and almost 5,800 yards in the Girls 12-18 Division.
 
Course History: Corpus Christi Country Club has hosted the James A. Ragan Memorial since 2017. The Club was originally opened in 1909 but a hurricane destroyed the original course in 1919. John Bredemus designed the new layout in 1922 and the club expanded to 18 holes in 1938. Robert Trent Jones Sr. was tasked with a redesign in 1964 and the course reopened January of 1965 and has hosted numerous top-level amateur events along the way.
 
Tournament Format: The tournament is a 36-hole stroke play event for players ages 12-18 that are members of the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. Players completed 18 holes on Sunday and will play the final 18 holes on Monday. Originally in February, the James A. Ragan Memorial was moved to October to better accommodate the fall season with more Open Events on the LJT schedule.
 
Weather: The weather was ideal for players on Sunday as temperatures ranged from the 60s to the 80s throughout the day and the wind stayed relatively calm around 10 miles per hour.
 
About James: James Ragan started playing on the LJT in 2008 and recorded three top-25 finishes. The Corpus Christi native won the 2010 Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic and earned a spot in the Jackie Burke Cup Matches. He would go on to win the LJT’s first Sportsmanship Award and the next year the award was named after him. Ragan was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in 2006, which is a rare type of pediatric cancer. He founds “Triumph Over Kid Cancer” which is an organization that has raised more than $3 million dollars for pediatric cancer research. James passed away in 2014 but TOKC has kept going with the help of the Ragan family.
 
About TOKC: Founded by James Ragan in 2007, Triumph Over Kid Cancer is dedicated to improving the lives of children with cancer by raising their spirits, raising the public’s awareness and funding research to improve the treatment and survivability of pediatric cancers.
 
What’s Next: The Final Round of the James A. Ragan Memorial is scheduled tee times to begin at 8:00 am off the No. 1 and 10 tees on Monday, October 14. Pairings for the final round were redrawn according to scores from the first round and can be found by clicking here.
 
For more information on the James A. Ragan Memorial, click here. To see all the scores from Sunday’s play, click here.