Around the Green

North Texas Classic Returns to Tangle Ridge Golf Club

GRAND PRAIRIE – The North Texas Classic is set to kick off the LJT Fall Schedule on Sept. 12-13. The 120-player field returns to Tangle Ridge Golf Club as the race for LJT Player of the Year ramps up.

Tangle Ridge was designed by Jeff Brauer and is nestled between Joe Pool Lake and Mountain Creek Escarpment. The public championship golf course has hosted the North Texas Classic five of the last six years. The gently rolling hills create magnificent panoramic views of the DFW area to the north and it features a layout with elevation changes of more than 50 feet.  The course can stretch out to 6,835 yards.

The North Texas Classic is split into three divisions: Boys 15-18, Girls 12-18 and Boys 14 & Under. The champion of the Boys 15-18 Division will earn exemptions into the Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational, 2021 Texas Cup Invitational, 2021 Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship and 2021 Texas Junior Amateur. The champion of the Girls Division will earn exemptions into the Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational and 2021 Texas Girls’ Invitational. The Boys 14 & Under champion will also earn an exemption into the Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational.

Including the North Texas Classic, only four LJT tournaments remain before the Player of the Year Points List will determine the teams for the Jackie Burke Cup, as well as the overall Players of the Year for each division. Sam Dossey of Austin leads the Boys 15-18 Division. Lauren Nguyen leads the Girls Division while Trenton Mierl leads the Boys 14 & Under Division.

Temple’s Dallas Hankamer outlasted a crowded leaderboard to win last year’s North Texas Classic in a sudden-death playoff over Matthew Spaulding of Spring. He carded rounds of 69-66 to post 9-under-par 135 for the championship and will look to defend his title this year.

In the Girls Division, Tillie Claggett of The Woodlands began the final round five shots behind the leader. She fired a closing 4-under-par 68 to get into a sudden-death playoff with Lauren Nguyen of Katy and Summer Lee of Plano. Claggett birdie the second playoff hole to claim the title.

Andrew Petruzzelli of Dallas won the Boys 14 & Under Division following rounds of 69-67. He carded six birdies in his final round to post the lowest 18-hole score of the championship and win by three strokes.

Hankamer, Claggett and Petruzzelli add to the list of North Texas Classic past champions. It includes 2017 Texas Junior Amateur Champion Jansen Smith, 2019 Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Champion Gaven Lane, three-time LJT Player of the Year Hailey Jones as well as Zach Kingsland, Kaylee Vesely, Mark Reppe, Dawson Ovard, Jennie Park, Jun Min Lee, Cole Sherwood and Serena Shah.

The first round of the North Texas Classic is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 12 with tee times starting at 8 a.m. off No. 1. The final round pairings will be redrawn according to scores from the first round and will begin at 8 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13.

For more information on the North Texas Classic, click here.