Around the Green

Salazar and Wagner Fire 69 and Lead Spring Preview

Lake Jackson, Texas – Jacob Salazar and Drew Wagner posted a 3-under par 69 in the first round of the Spring Preview and lead the Boys 15-18 Division at The Wilderness Golf Club. Trenton Mierl leads the Boys 14 & Under Division, while Zoe Slaughter is atop the Girls 12-18 Division.

Leaderboard:
Boys 15-18 Division

T1.	Jacob Salazar	69
T1.	Drew Wagner	69
3.	Jack Gilbert	70
4.	Rex Hargrove	71
T5.	Brian Comegys	72
T5.	Advait Chutke	72
T5.	Colt Tenpenny	72

Girls 12-18 Division

1.	Zoe Slaughter	70
T2.	Eubin Shim	71
T2.	Reagan Smith	71
4.	Jacqueline Nguyen	72
5.	Kendall Jackson	73

Boys 14 & Under Division

1.	Trenton Mierl	69
2.	Daniel Zou	73
T3.	Levi Kieth	74
T3.	Austin Hofferkamp	74
5.	Bowen Ballis	75

Full Leaderboard

Leaders: League City’s Salazar and Austin’s Wagner both posted scores of 3-under during the first round of the Spring Preview. Salazar, who started on the par-5 tenth, got off to a strong start with six pars and three birdies on 12, 14 and 17. After making the turn Salazar found trouble early when he made double bogey on the par-5 second. He quickly bounced back with three birdies in his next five holes before making bogey on the par-3 eight, getting him back to even for the side, and 3-under for the round. Wagner also started his round on the par-5 tenth and birdied his first three holes. He had one more birdie before the turn on the par-5 fifteenth to make the turn at 4-under. Wanger’s second nine got interesting when he started bogey, eagle, bogey. His eagle came on the par-5 second. He finished the round with a birdie on 7 and a double bogey on 8 to get him to 1-over on the side, 3-under for the round. Both are tied atop the leaderboard in the Boys 15-18 Division. In the Girls 12-18 Division, Zoe Slaughter leads by one after an opening round 2-under 70. The highlight of her round came when she made eagle on the par-5 second, and birdie on the par-4 fifth. After making the turn at 3-under, Zoe gave one back on the par-5 fifteenth when she made bogey. She finished the nine at 1-over and round at 2-under. In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Mierl again finds himself in the lead after posting the only under-par round in the division. He got momentum going early when he made an eagle on the par-5 second before making a bogey on the par-4 third. Mierl regained his momentum before making the turn when he birdied the par-4 ninth to turn at 2-under. The momentum was carried into his second nine with birdies on 11, 12 and 14. He closed his round with a double bogey on the par-4 eighteenth to finish with a 3-under 69.

In Contention: In the Boys 15-18 Division, Houston’s Jack Gilbert sits alone in third at 2-under 70, while Houston’s Rex Hargrove is in solo fourth at 1-under 71. Three players are tied in fifth at even-par 72. In the Girls 12-18, Waco’s Eubin Shim and Missouri City’s Reagan Gray are tied for second and one stroke back at 1-under 71. Jacqueline Nguyen is in solo fourth at even-par 72, two strokes back of the leader. In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Daniel Zou of The Woodlands is four shots back in solo second at 1-over 73. San Antonio’s Levi Keith and The Woodlands’ Austin Hofferkamp are tied for third at 2-over 74.

Course: This year’s Spring Preview is the first time The Wilderness Golf Club is hosting the Legends Junior Tour. Roughly 60 miles south of Houston, the course was designed by Jeffrey Brauer bringing golf and nature together. The course features a naturally rolling terrain nestled in the wetlands of Lake Jackson.

Weather: Saturday’s first round consisted of cloudy skies for a majority of the day with temperatures in the mid to high 70s. The sun shinned periodically in the afternoon with winds up to 13 mph.

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 PGA and 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 funds to promote junior golf initiatives while conducting some of the state’s top junior championships including the Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship, Texas Junior Amateur and the Texas Girls’ Invitational as well as the Texas Cup Invitational.

What’s Next: The Final Round of the Spring Preview is scheduled for Sunday, March 15^th with tee times going off the No. 1 and 10 tees. To see pairings for the final round, click here. For more information on the Spring Preview, visit the tournament homepage by clicking here.