Around the Green

Connor Adams Leads Boys 15-18 Division at James A. Ragan Memorial

Briefly: Connor Adams of Dallas shoots 69 and leads the Boys 15-18 Division of the James A. Ragan Memorial at Corpus Christi Country Club. Austin’s Darrelyn Webster and Mia Nixon of Canton are tied for the lead in Girls 12-18 Division at even-par 72, while Nicholas Logis leads the Boys 14 & Under Division at 2-under par.

Leaders: Adams leads the Boys 15-18 Division by two shots after a first round score of 3-under 69. Adams made seven birdies on the day, four of which came on his bogey-free front nine 32. Webster and Nixon are tied for the lead in the Girls 12-18 Division at even-par 72. Webster chipped in for eagle on the par-5 15^th en route to her round of 72, while Nixon played a steady round and only needed two birdies to remain at even-par. Logis made five birdies on the round, including a strong finish with a birdie on the 18^th. Logis holds a one-shot advantage heading into the final round.

In Contention: Three players are tied for second at 1-under. San Antonio’s Patrick Kahanek made two eagles on his way to posting a round of 1-under 71. Anthony Ponce III of League City made an eagle of his own, and Austin’s Trevor Mierl carded five birdies to also finish at 1-under 71. Carrollton’s Estelle Seon rounds out the top three after a round of 3-over 75. Dallas’s Brooks Simmons is one shot off the lead after shooting a 1-under 71. Phoenix Guerra of Fair Oaks Ranch rounds out the top three with a round of even-par 72.

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 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.

Weather: Temperatures climbed into the low 90’s with a steady wind of 15 miles per hour and gusts upwards of 30 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 on Monday, October 12. 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.