Around the Green

Henry Leads at Texas Cup Invitational After Round 1

ABILENE – High winds and tough conditions kept scores at bay in the first round of the 2022 Texas Cup Invitational at Abilene Country Club Saturday, with just two players, Connor Henry and Parker Sands, shooting under par in the elite junior event.

Scheduled for 54 holes, the event was shortened to 36 holes after Friday’s first round was cancelled due to the weather.

With gusting winds on the Ron Garl and Charles Coody designed par 72 course, Connor Henry was able to put together a solid round to vault himself atop the tightly packed leaderboard.

“I made a lot of eight-foot, ten-foot putts. I was hitting my irons really solid, wedges solid,” said Henry, a junior from Fort Worth. “I think the course is great. It’s definitely gettable if you hit it in the right spots.”

His opening round 69, put him one shot ahead of an elite field in the first major championship for the LJT boys of the year.

Sitting just behind in second is Edmond, Oklahoma’s Parker Sands. Sands rolled in five birdies on the day including four in a row on his back nine.

“I had a bogey early and then I took advantage of some easier holes in my opinion,” said Sands, the sophomore from Oklahoma. “I had four birdies in a row on holes twelve through fifteen and my wedges were super good.”

Belton’s Chandler Cooke carded an even-par round of 72 to put himself in solo third and in contention heading into Sunday’s final round at Abilene Country Club’s South Course. Frisco’s Luke Colton sits in fourth at one-over par after a 73.

A slew of five competitors sit tied fifth with rounds of 2-over 74 to round out the top five on the leaderboard. This includes Austin’s Andrew Tan, Austin’s Hugh Donegan, Austin’s Tyler Blackwell, Boerne’s Price Hill, and David Martinez of Houston.

The Final Round of the Texas Cup Invitational is scheduled for Sunday, Mar. 13 with tee times going off the No. 1 and 10 tees starting at 10:00 AM. To see pairings for the final round, click here.

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