Around the Green

Cooper, Han and Logis Win Fall Challenge

Briefly: Preston Cooper of Dallas made birdie on the first playoff hole to secure the Boys Division of the Fall Challenge at The Rawls Course. Jiyu Han of Cedar Park won the Girls Division at 2-under, while Nicholas Logis of Austin won the Boys 14 & Under Division at 7-under.

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Division Winners: Preston Cooper was tied with Brian Comegys at 7-under 137 following 36 holes and the two went into a sudden-death playoff to declare the champion. Cooper went first on the par-3 10^th and stuck his tee shot to just inside of 10 feet, while Comegys found the left side of the green about 40 feet away. Comegys lagged up close and tapped in his par, but Cooper left no doubt as his birdie putt went into the middle of the hole. He picked up his first win with the Legends Junior Tour. Jiyu Han played consistent golf in the West Texas winds, carding two rounds of 1-under 71 to get to 2-under overall and two strokes ahead of the Girls Division. Han is the current Girls 12-18 Division Player of the Year leader and picked up her first win of the season on Sunday. Nicholas Logis completed his wire-to-wire victory in the Boys 14 & Under Division, shooting 6-under 66 in the first round and 1-under 71 in the second to get to 7-under overall and four strokes ahead of the field. Logis amassed 10 total birdies in 36 holes.

Top Finishers: In the Boys Division, Austin’s Brian Comegys finished runner-up after falling short in the playoff to Cooper. Comegys posted rounds of 68-69 to get to 7-under overall and missed his birdie putt in the playoff by inches. Sam Dossey, who has won the last two Boys Divisions at LJT events, finished third at 6-under, while Andrew Tan and Jonathan Kim finished tied for fourth at 5-under. In the Girls Division, Grace Frei of The Colony finished second at even-par, while McKinney’s Jenna Madden finished third at 1-over. Emma Von Hoffmann and Estelle Seon tied for fourth in the division. In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Luke Colton of Frisco finished second, followed by Dallas’ Reese Roberts in third and three players tied for fourth. 

Golf Course: The Rawls Course at Texas Tech has hosted the Fall Challenge the last two times. The Rawls Course was designed by Tom Doak and opened in 2003. The course features wide fairways and contoured greens, stretching out to 7,000 yards in the Boys 15-18 Division, 6,500 yards in the Boys 14 & Under Division and 5,900 yards in the Girls 12-18 Division.

Weather: The winds picked up on Sunday as they stayed around 20 miles per hour throughout the day with gusts upwards of 30 mph. Temperatures started in the 60s for the final round and crept up into the low 80s with the sun shining.

Tournament Format: The Fall Challenge is a 36-hole stroke play event with players ages 12-18 that have an active membership within the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. The 84-player field is split into a Boys Division, Girls Division and a Boys 14 & Under Division.

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 Corpus Christi for the James A. Ragan Memorial on Oct. 10-11. The 84-player field will take on Corpus Christi Country Club as players continue to position themselves for Player of the Year and Jackie Burke Cup team places.

For more information on the Fall Challenge, click here.