Around the Green

Foster, Pickrell and Harper Win at Lanny Wadkins JC

Briefly:  Dallas’ Matthew Foster shot 8-under on Tuesday to win the Boys 15-18 Division of the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship at Oakmont Country Club. Austin’s Kate Pickrell won the Girls 12-18 Division at 5-under, while Dallas’ Brooks Harper won the Boys 14 & Under Division at 9-under.

Tournament Leaderboard

Champions: Matthew Foster of Dallas captured his first victory with the Legends Junior Tour after posting rounds of 68-64. His 12-under total was one stroke better than the field as he amassed 13 birdies and one eagle over 36 holes. The eagle came on the par-5 15^th in the final round and he followed it up with a birdie on the par-4 16^th, which played as the toughest hole on Tuesday. He made par on the final two holes and secured his victory.

Austin’s Kate Pickrell won the Girls 12-18 Division after shooting rounds of 69-70 to get to 5-under overall and three strokes ahead of the field. She made one bogey in 36 holes with six birdies to capture her first win with the Legends Junior Tour.

Dallas’ Brooks Harper won the Boys 14 & Under Division at 9-under overall after rounds of 67-68 at Oakmont Country Club. He totaled five birdies in Tuesday’s final round, including three straight on holes 13-15. This was his first victory with the Legends Junior Tour.

Top Finishers: In the Boys 15-18 Division, Trevor Algya of Highland Village came just shy of a second-straight victory with the Legends Junior Tour. Coming off his win at the Collegiate Preview on June 28-29, Algya made seven birdies in the final round to get to 11-under overall. Mansfield’s Cameron Beck finished third in the division followed by Jonathan Kim of Round Rock in fourth and Dallas’ Logan Johnson tied with Frisco’s Jaxon Copeland for fifth.

In the Girls 12-18 Division, three girls tied for second at 2-under. Southlake’s Makayla Tyrrell, Rogers’ Elizabeth Whalen and Prosper’s Lucy Kate Smith made up the three-way tie with Argyle’s Madison Baer and Austin’s Ally Black tying for fifth. Jenna Madden and Nitisha Manikandesh tied for seventh, while Sidney Robertson finished ninth and three girls tied for tenth.

In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Dallas’ Reese Roberts finished second at 6-under. Allen’s Elijah Estonilo finished third at 5-under, followed by Corinth’s Nathan Zmolik in fourth and Richmond’s Grayson Sebastian in fifth.

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: Tuesday’s weather was similar to Monday’s with the sun out and temperatures in the mid-90s. The winds were a little heavier ranged from 10-12 miles per hour, but conditions remained ideal for lower scores.

Tournament Format: The Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship is a 36-hole stroke play event for players ages 12-18 years old. Membership with a Texas Junior Golf Alliance Partner is required to play in Legends Junior Tour events.

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.

Next Up: The Legends Junior Tour heads to The Clubs of Kingwood on July 26-28 for the 95^th Texas Junior Amateur. The 240-player field is split between four division: Boys, Girls, Boys 14 & Under and Girls 14 & Under. The Boys Division will play the Island Course, while the Girls Division and both 14 & Under Divisions will play the Lakes Course.

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