Around the Green

Campbell, Ahn and Jackson Lead Fall Challenge

Briefly: Eli Walker Campbell of Richmond fired a 6-under 66 in the opening round of the Fall Challenge and leads the Boys Division by one stroke at The Nutcracker Golf Club in Granbury. Dallas’s Adrienne Ahn leads the Girls Division after shooting 2-under 70 on Saturday, while Lantana’s Henry Jackson leads the Boys 14 & Under Division at 1-under.

Full Leaderboard

Leaders: Eli Walker Campbell made four birdies and an eagle on the par 5 sixteenth to get to 6-under overall and one stroke lead in the Boys 15-18 Division. Campbell started his day on the back nine and blistered that side with a 5 under par 31.  He leveled out on the front nine posting eight straight pars until his birdie on the par 5 ninth to finish with a bogey free 66.  Adrienne Ahn holds a one-stroke lead in the Girls Division after shooting 2-under 70 in the first round. She played a solid round coupling four birdies with only 2 bogeys. Henry Jackson holds a slim 2 shot lead in the Boys 14 & Under Division after shooting 1-under on Saturday. Jackson made four birdies against 3 bogeys in his first round.  His late birdie on the picturesque par 3 seventeenth hole got him under par for the day.

In Contention: In the Boys Division, Matt Pawley fired a 5 under par 67 to trail Campbell by one stroke. Elijah Estonilo birdied his last 2 holes to finish the day at 4 under par 68 and is 2 strokes behind the leader. Three players are tied for fourth at 3-under including Jason Lew Southlake, Luke Harper of Dallas and Austin Hofferkamp of The Woodlands.  In the Girls Division, Ashley Kim of Westlake trails Ahn after shooting 1-under 71 at The Nutcracker Golf Club.  Lauren Madison of Arlington sits in third place at even-par, while Camille Pazouki of San Antonio, Raleygh Simpson of Kerrville and Lucy Kate Smith of Prosper are tied for fourth at 2-over. In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Ryan Lee of College Station sits 2 back at 1-over par 73 with Luciano Follmer of Austin at one stroke behind him at 2-over par 74.

Golf Course: Nutcracker Golf Club, located in Granbury, TX is hosting the Fall Challenge for the first time. It was designed by Lee Singletary and opened in 1992. The course was initially carved out of the Leonard Bend Pecan Orchard and still features those same Pecan trees which line its fairways.  The course will play to 6805 yards in the Boys 15-18 Division, 6,495 yards in the Boys 14 & Under Division and 5,944 yards in the Girls 12-18 Division.

Weather: Temperatures started in the 50s and crept up to the mid-80s under sunny skies. Winds were light as Mother Nature provided the competitors with a perfect day for golf.

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 Final Round of the Fall Challenge is scheduled for tee times at 8:00 am on Sunday, October 2nd. Pairings for the final round can be found by clicking here. Following Sunday’s play, awards will be handed out to the top finishers of each division along with LJT Player of the Year Points.

For more information on the Fall Challenge, click here.