Around the Green

Webb Shoots Low Score at Texas Cup Invitational, leads Second Round by One

WACO – Holden Webb shot the low round of the 2021 Texas Cup Invitational, a second round 66 Saturday, to take a slim one-shot lead over late-arriving Hunter Drotts after 36 holes of the first major of the Legends Junior Tour Season.

Webb, a Shreveport, Louisiana native, whose dad Craig briefly played on the PGA Tour, had six birdies at Ridgewood Country Club, including a 30-foot birdie putt on 17, with only two bogeys. It gave him a two-day total of 140 and a chance to get a prestigious win in his first individual tournament of the year.

Webb finished second with a two-day total of 139. Drotts shot a second round 68-140. Ryan Shellberg from Prosper was alone in third place with a second round even-par 70-141 total. Spring’s Andrew Spaulding was solo fourth at 70-142.

The second round leader used some local course knowledge after he played Ridgewood 4 years ago in the Starburst Junior Tournament and said it began to come back to him after a practice round this week. He is also a product of the prestigious David Toms 265 Golf Academy, which has already produced professional golfers Sam Burns and Phillip Barberee.

“That motivates me out here because I’ve seen what they have done on the Tour and I came from the same place.”

In his tournament low round, Webb got off to a fast start with a birdie on number one and seven, then got on a role with birdies on 9-10-11 before his birdie bomb on 17^th.

“I was just trying to keep the ball in front of me and makes some putts when I got the chance. I hit a lot of club today on a lot of holes because the wind came from everywhere. I did a lot of work in the off season and it’s good to seeing it’s paying off.”

Drotts’ only motivation was a late Thursday afternoon phone call informing the League City resident he was in the tournament and needed to get to Waco and Ridgewood ASAP.

“I had applied and didn’t get in. So I sent them (LJT) an email saying I was still available and they told him I was the fifth alternate. One guy dropped out and I guess the other three couldn’t make it, so I got the call,” Drotts said.

He dropped everything he was doing at home, to get ready to make the 4-plus hour trip, going through College Station to pick up his buddy Cole Stock who is serving as his caddy this week.

They arrived in Waco late Thursday night, too late for a practice round, and without a place to stay because they were below the minimum age to rent a hotel room on their own. They were able to find another friend in town to crash in his room and then made it to the course early Friday morning.

Without ever seeing the course, he fired an opening 73, then turned in his two-under 68 on a windy Saturday on the shores of Lake Waco, to get within a shot of the lead.

The senior Cameron University commit had birdies on holes 2-7-9-10 and 15, the last coming with a 20-foot putt which caught the edge of the cup and tumbled in. He missed a two-foot par putt on 18, but said he was overall pleased with his round.

“I made so many putts, I’m not going to complain about the one I didn’t make. My caddy and I were talking coming up there, this could be our chance. It didn’t work out for them (other alternates) to get into the tournament, but it worked out for me and I’m going to take advantage of it.”

The final round of the Texas Cup Invitational will begin Sunday morning at 8:15 AM. For final round pairings, click here.

For more information on the Texas Cup Invitational, click here.