Around the Green

Miller, Jackson, and Brown win at Bluebonnet Championship

Briefly: Nathan Miller won the Boys 15-18 Division of the Bluebonnet Championship at 9-under-par. Shyla Brown won the Girls 12-18 Division at 2-under, while Henry Jackson won the Boys 14 & Under Division also at 1-under-par at Brownwood Country Club.

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Winners: Nathan Miller secured the title at the 22^nd Bluebonnet Championship. Dallas’ Miller started two shots back of the lead and carded five birdies and an eagle to tie the final low round score of 5-under 67. Miller totaled thirteen birdies and one eagle across both rounds. In the Girls 12-18 Division, Shyla Brown of Dallas captured her second LJT victory of the season after getting to 2-under 142 overall and two strokes ahead of the field. Shyla played in her first Legends Junior Tour event at the Spring Preview in February and won on the fourth playoff hole. With a win today, she is now two-for-two in Legends Junior Tour events. Lantana’s Henry Jackson won the Boys 14 & Under Division at 1-under par, edging out Selma’s Aadi Parmar on the second playoff hole. The current Spring Preview champion made five birdies on Sunday for a total of nine over two rounds. Jackson made another birdie on the second hole of the playoff to bring his total to ten for the championship.

In Contention: Reese Roberts of Dallas shot a final round score of 5-under 67 to finish tied for second with Frisco’s Luke Colton at 7-under overall. Caden Cox of the Woodlands and Gage Doyle of Colleyville both carded final round scores of 1-under par to put them in a tie for fourth place at 6-under for the championship. Irving’s Swetha Sathish finished runner-up in the Girls 12-18 Division after a final round score of 2-under 70 for a tournament total of 144. Lauren Madson of Mansfield, Michelle Lee of San Antonio, and Adrienne Ahn of Dallas tied for third in the division at 3-over, while Veronika Exposito of The Woodlands and Lydia Portlock of San Antonio tied for sixth at 4-over. Aadi Parmar of Selma finished runner-up after rounds of even par 72 and 1-under 71. Jeronimo Sanchez Montalvo of Arlington finished in solo third after posting rounds of 1-over 73 and 1-under 71, placing him at even par for the championship.

Weather:  Conditions on Saturday morning were pleasant with little to no wind and highs right around 85 degrees. However, afternoon thunderstorms interrupted play during Saturday’s round, forcing the Boys 14 & Under and Girls 12-18 Divisions to resume round one play early Sunday morning. Round two brought a slightly different forecast with cloudy skies and minimal wind for most of the morning before much windier conditions arose during the afternoon portion of play.

Golf Course: Brownwood Country Club, which opened in 1929, has hosted the Bluebonnet Championship every year since its inception in 2001. The club sits in central Texas and features ample opportunities for players to go low and make birdies. The par-72 layout was designed by Leon Howard and stretches to 6,300 yards for the boys and 5,800 yards for the girls.

Tournament History: The Bluebonnet Championship is a 36-hole stroke play event for players ages 12-19 that have an active membership within the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. The championship was started by Brownwood businessman Bart Johnson in 2001 and has an impressive list of past champions that include Patrick Reed, Cody Gribble, Scottie Scheffler, Pierceson Coody, Maddie Szeryk, Noah Goodwin, Hailey Jones and Hailee Cooper. The Legends Junior Tour took over the event in 2007 and the field has grown to 144 players from all over the state.

POY Points Race: Competitors who finish in the top half of the field will gain points towards the LJT Player of the Year Standings. By winning, Miller, Jackson, and Brown are awarded 1500 points towards the Legend Junior Tour’s Player of the Year standings.

What’s Next: The Legends Junior Tour returns to Dallas and Lakewood Country Club for the Veritex -Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship on June 6-8, 2023. The championship is the second Major Event for the Boys Division of the year with the top players from Texas vying to etch their name on a trophy along with Jordan Spieth, Pierceson Coody, Cody Gribble and many more. For more information about the championship, click here.

About the LJT: The Legends Junior Tour is part of the Texas Junior Golf Alliance, which is a joint venture between the Texas Golf Association, Northern and Southern PGA and Houston Golf Association. The tour operates as part of the Texas Golf Association and its foundation. Since its inception in 2005, the tour has provided funds to promote junior golf initiatives while conducting some of the state’s top junior championships including the Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship, Texas Junior Amateur and the Texas Girls’ Invitational as well as the Texas Cup Invitational.

For More information about the Bluebonnet Championship, click here. To see all the scores from Brownwood Country Club, click here.