Around the Green

Gilbert, Slaughter and Mierl Win Spring Preview

Lake Jackson, Texas – Jack Gilbert of Houston wins the Spring Preview at The Wilderness Golf Club in playoff fashion with a birdie on the par-4 18^th. Zoe Slaughter of Houston fired a 3-under 69 to win the Girls 12-18 Division by two strokes, while Trenton Mierl of Austin posts consecutive rounds under par to win the Boys 14 & Under Division.

Leaderboard:

Boys 15-18 Division

1.	Jack Gilbert	138*
2.	Drew Wagner	138
3.	Jacob Salazar	141
4.	Tyler Gardner	142
5.	Jacob Borow	143

*Won on first playoff hole with birdie

Girls 12-18 Division

1.	Zoe Slaughter	139
T2.	Jacqueline Nguyen	141
T2.	Eubin Shim	141

Boys 14 & Under Division

1.	Trenton Mierl	140
2.	Daniel Zou	143
3.	Austin Hofferkamp	146

Full Leaderboard

Leaders: The Boys 15-18 Division went to a sudden death playoff that ended on the first playoff hole, the par-4 18^th, when Gilbert made birdie to claim his first LJT Boys 15-18 Division win. He made five birdies with one lone bogey on Sunday bringing his total up to eight birdies and two bogeys over 36 holes. After leading the Girls 12-18 Division by one stroke, Slaughter found herself down one stroke with three holes to play. As she did all weekend, she remained calm and steady shooting 1-under during her final three holes to win. With a 1-under 71 in the final round, Mierl posted consecutive rounds under par to win the Boys 14 & Under Division by 3 strokes and his win of the 2020 season. He carded four birdies during his final round, three of which came on his second nine.

In Contention: In the Boys 15-18 Division, Austin’s Drew Wagner came up one putt short when he made par on the first playoff hole. Wagner posted consecutive rounds of 3-under 69 for the championship finishing at 6-under overall. League City’s Jacob Salazar finished in solo third after shooting even-par 72 on Sunday and finishing at 3-under-par. Houston’s Tyler Gardner finished fourth, while Lake Jackson’s own Jacob Borow finished fifth. Shreveport’s Burke Alford and Richardson’s Luke Eckholm tied for sixth and Kingwood’s Brooks Pawlak finished solo eighth.
In the Girls 12-18 Division, Jacqueline Nguyen of Houston and Eubin Shim of Waco finished tied for second at 3-under-par 141. Reagan Gray of Missouri City finished fourth at even-par total, while Amelia Guo rounded out the top-5 at 3-over-par.
In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Daniel Zou of The Woodlands carded rounds of 73-70 to finish second and three shots back of Mierl at 1-under-par 143. The Woodlands’ Austin Hofferkamp finished third, while San Antonio’s Levi Keith finished fourth. Rhett O’Rear of Plano and Bowen Ballis of Shenandoah finished tied for fifth.

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: Sunday’s final round started of overcast with light rain and temperatures in the low 70s. The sun got up in the skies for a beautiful afternoon with temperatures in the low 80s and wind gusts up to 12 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 Bluebonnet Championship is the next stop for the Legends Junior Tour in Brownwood. Brownwood Country Club has hosted the Bluebonnet Championship since the tour took it over in 2006. The championship will be conducted May 2-3.
For more information on the Spring Preview, visit the tournament homepage by clicking here.