Around the Green

North Team Retains Jackie Burke Cup

Hockley, TX – The North Team won six of 12 matches on Sunday and gained 14 points to tie the Jackie Burke Cup against the South Team at The Clubs at Houston Oaks. The tie means the North Team retains the cup for a seventh straight year and leads the overall series 9-7.

Matthew Comegys was the first to win his Singles Match on Sunday and get the North Team two early points. The 2020 LJT Boys 15-18 Division Player of the Year defeated Sam Dossey, who finished runner-up in the player of the year standings, 5&3.

Dallas’ Ben Delarosa was the first player to tee off in the final round and beat Keaton Vo of Austin 2&1 to get the North Team two more points and tie the Jackie Burke Cup up at 14-14. The match was tied after 12 holes, but Delarosa made birdie on Nos. 15, 16 and 17 to win the match.

Austin’s Trevor Mierl was the next winner with a 3&2 win over Matthew Foster of Dallas. The win gave the South Team its first points of the day as they regained the lead 16-14 in the Jackie Burke Cup.

The next match to finish ended in a tie between Dallas’ Connor Adams and Austin’s Andrew Tan. Both players landed their approach shots on the green of No. 18 at Houston Oaks and they funneled down into a little swell on the left side of the green. Both players managed to get up and down to secure a point for their teams.

Fort Worth’s Savannah Barber defeated Grace Jin 5&4 to get the North back into a tie with the South. Barber won all three of her matches during the Jackie Burke Cup and secured six points for the North.

Plano’s Rhett O’Rear was the next winner and gave the North Team its first lead in the 2020 Jackie Burke Cup. The 2020 LJT Boys 14 & Under Player of the Year defeated Trenton Mierl, who finished runner-up in the player of the year standings, 2&1.

San Antonio’s Julia Vollmer picked up two points for the South and tied the matches at 19-19. Vollmer beat Dallas’ Sophie Biediger 5&3 after winning six straight holes to close out the front side.

The final Boys 14 & Under Match was between Dallas’ Brooks Simmons and Shenandoah’s Bowen Ballis. The match started with Ballis winning holes three and four before Simmons won holes five, seven, eight and nine. Ballis squared the match back up by winning Nos. 11, 13 and 15, but Simmons won No. 17 with a par and both players made bogey on the 18^th to end in a tie and secure one point for each team.

Needing five points to win the Jackie Burke Cup, Preston Rouse of Houston won his match 3&2 for the South. He won the first two holes of the day before dropping the next three. He took a 2 up lead at the turn before dropping one at No. 10 and winning holes 14 and 16 to win his match. The South Team now led the Jackie Burke Cup 22-20 with three matches out on the course.

Needing four points in the final three matches, a win for the North wasn’t looking great with the South leading the next two matches. Trevor Algya was 1 down through 14 holes before winning No. 15 with a par and No. 16 with a birdie. He now had a 1 up lead and tied the 17^th with a bogey before making par on No. 18 and winning his match 2 up. The North were now tied with the South 22-22 and needed one more win.

Plano’s Ethan Fang secured the final win for the North by beating Daniel Zou 2&1. The two battled on the front nine, but Fang took a 2 up lead on No. 10 and never gave up the lead. He dropped the 12^th and 15^th holes but won the 14^th and 17^th to win his match and guarantee the Jackie Burke Cup would stay with the North.

Spring’s Andrew Spaulding won the final match 2 up over Gage Doyle. The final two points went to the South and the Jackie Burke Cup finished tied at 24-24. The tie means the North Team retains the cup and the South is still seeking its first Jackie Burke Cup victory since 2014.

The Jackie Burke Cup is a team match play event modeled after the Ryder Cup. Each team features 12 players as North Texas takes on South Texas. Players earned their way onto their respective teams by their play within the Texas Junior Golf Alliance and their standings in the LJT Player of the Year. This year’s Jackie Burke Cup featured 18 first timers.

The Clubs at Houston Oaks is hosting the Jackie Burke Cup Matches for the first time. Houston Oaks is located just north of Houston in Hockley, Texas and is ranked as the No. 2 course by the Dallas Morning News. The par-71 layout challenges the players as they have to manage their way around a hilly terrain and avoid the massive oak trees and various bodies of water. The course joins a stellar list of clubs to have hosted the Jackie Burke Cup including Whispering Pines Golf Club, Champions Golf Club, Brookhollow Country Club, Spanish Oaks Golf Club, Miramont Golf Club and Escondido Golf and Lake Club.

To see all the scores from Sunday at the Jackie Burke Cup, click here. For more information on the event, click here.