Around the Green

Low Scores at Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship

Briefly: Four players are tied atop the Boys 15-18 Division of the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship after shooting 4-under 68 at Oakmont Country Club. Elijah Estonilo of Allen shoots 7-under 65 and leads the Boys 14 & Under Division by two strokes, while Austin’s Kate Pickrell leads the Girls 12-18 Division at 3-under.

Tournament Leaderboard

Leaders: In the Boys 15-18 Division, four players are tied for the lead at 4-under overall. Frisco’s Jaxon Copeland, Dallas’ Matthew Foster, Highland Village’s Trevor Algya and Keller’s Anthony Azzopardi are the players tied atop the division.

In the Girls 12-18 Division, Austin’s Kate Pickrell leads after posting 3-under 69 in her opening round. The bogey-free round saw three birdies made overall, including on the par-3 17^th which is a picturesque hole over water. Pickrell seeks her first victory with the Legends Junior Tour on Tuesday.

In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Allen’s Elijah Estonilo leads by two strokes after shooting 7-under 65 on Monday. He shot 2-under 34 in his first nine holes and turned to the front and made birdie on five of the first six holes. He capped off the round with a birdie on the par-4 ninth and seeks his first victory with the Legends Junior Tour.

In Contention: Houston’s Rex Hargrove sits in fifth at 3-under and trails the leaders in the Boys 15-18 Division. Six players are tied for sixth in the division at 2-under while three are tied for 12^th at 1-under and 11 players are tied for 15^th at even-par.

In the Girls 12-18 Division, six players are tied for second at even-par. McKinney’s Jenna Madden is joined by Elizabeth Whalen of Rogers, Ark., Lucy Kate Smith of Prosper, Cathilyn Lee of Houston, Sidney Robertson of Chandler and Brecklyn Flanagan of Murphy. Madison Baer, Makayla Tyrrell and Ally Black are tied for eighth at 1-over.

In the Boys 14 & Under Division Dallas’ Brooks Harper and Reese Roberts are tied for second at 5-under, while Austin’s Jaxon Bandelier is in fourth at 4-under. Corinth’s Nathan Zmolik is tied with Frisco’s Luke Colton in fifth at 3-under, while Mitchell Maier is in seventh at 2-under and Jack Watters is in eighth at even-par.

Golf Course: Oakmont Country Club is hosting the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship for the first time in the tournament’s 13-year history. The par-72 layout features champion Bermuda grass greens and Bermuda fairways surrounded by towering oak trees and 51 bunkers.

Weather: The weather for Monday’s First Round was ideal with temperatures in the mid 90s and winds staying steady between five to 10 miles per hour. The sun was out all day and offered players ideal scoring conditions.

Tournament Format: The Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship is a 36-hole stroke play event for players 12-18 years old. All players in the field are required to have an active membership with the Texas Junior Golf Alliance.

Texas Junior Golf Alliance: The Alliance is a joint venture between the Texas Golf Association, Northern and Southern Texas PGA and Houston Golf Association. The goal of the Alliance was to allow junior golfers a clear path to the best tournaments in Texas. Each of the three tier-two organizations (STPGA, NTPGA, HGA) conduct events that serve as qualifiers into the statewide tier-one events run by the Legends Junior Tour (LJT). This allows players to compete in local events in which they can earn spots to play in statewide tournaments.

Tournament Exemptions: The top three finishers of each division will earn a spot in the upcoming Texas Junior Amateur at The Clubs of Kingwood on July 26-28.

Next Up: The Final Round is scheduled to begin at 7:30 am off the No. 1 and 10 tees on Tuesday, July 13. The Girls 12-18 and Boys 14 & Under Divisions will tee off in the morning wave, while the Boys 15-18 Division will tee off in the afternoon wave. To see the pairings for the Final Round, click here.

For more information on the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship, click here. To see all the scores from Oakmont Country Club, click here.