Around the Green

Shellberg, Brambilla and Lee Lead at the Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational

Briefly: Ryan Shellberg shot a 1 under par round of 71 in the opening round of the Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational and leads the Boys Division. Chiara Brambilla leads the Girls Division, while Ryan (Woojin) Lee leads the Boys 14 & Under Division at Sulphur Springs Country Club. All of the players in the field fought windy conditions throughout the day with winds gusting as high as 40 mph.

2022 Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational Leaderboard

Boy’s Division: Prosper’s Ryan Shellberg made 3 birdies and an eagle en route to a 1 under par 71 and a one-shot lead over Fair Oaks Ranches Phoenix Guerra. Included in a three-way tie for third is Richmond’ s Eli Walker Campbell, San Antonios’s Matt Pawley and Austin’s Trenton Mierl, all finishing at 1 over par 73. Mierl currently sits in the second spot in the LJT Player of the Year standings and is looking for a solid finish to overtake Conner Henry in this season’s final points event and earn Player of the Year Honors. Four players are tied for 6th at 2 over par and in all there are 14 total players within 4 shots of the lead.

Girls Division: Southlake’s Chiara Brambilla made 5 birdies in her round, and they seemed to come in bunches as she made 3 consecutive on holes 3, 4 and 5 and then two more on holes 10 and 11. Chiara posted the only under par round of the day and finishing at 1 under par 71. Chiara is looking for her first victory of the year on the LJT and will start Sunday’s final round with a 4-shot lead over Cypresses Jasmine Do. Edmond, Oklahoma’s Evyn Cannon and Tyler’s Sidney Robertson sit in a tie for third at 5 over par.

Boys 14 and Under Division: Ryan Lee from College Station holds a two-stroke lead in the Boys 14 & Under Division after fighting through the windy conditions to post 2 over par 74. Ryan is looking to break through for his first LJT win of the year after finishing 2nd, 2nd and 3rd in his last three tournaments. Houston’s Austin Le and Sulphur Spring’s own Nick Burney sit in a tie for 2nd at 4 over par. Four different players are tied for 4th at 5 over par going into the final round.

The Course: Sulphur Springs Country Club is hosting the Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational for the first time. The course played to just under 6500 yards for the Boys 15-18 division, 6200 yards for the Boys 12-14 division and 5700 for the girl’s division.

Weather: The temperatures started in the mid 60’s on Saturday reaching a high of 85 in the afternoon under partly sunny skies. The winds were the story of the day as the golfers experienced sustained winds of 20 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.

About the Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational: The Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational is the final event on the Legends Junior Tour schedule for 2022 and the last chance players have to earn points towards the Player of the Year Standings and earn spots on their respective Jackie Burke Cup teams. The Invitational is open to all players that have an active membership with the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. Players earn exemptions into the field through the Alliance Partners.

The Alliance is a joint venture between the Texas Golf Association, Northern Texas PGA and Southern Texas PGA. The goal of the Alliance was to allow junior golfers a clear path to the best tournaments in Texas. The players transition from regional events like the NTPGA and STPGA into statewide events like the LJT. The elevation of tours allows junior golfers a chance to grow their game, while preparing them for the next level.

Up Next: The Final Round of the Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational is scheduled for Sunday at 8:00 am. Tee times will go off the No. 1 & 10 tees in the morning and the champions will be crowned once play has finished that afternoon.

For more information on the Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational, click here.