Around the Green
The latest golf-related news, notes, and feature stories from the TGA.
Embry, Sherman, and Knox Claim North Texas Classic Titles
Briefly: Tyson Embry shot a 1-over 73 on Sunday to win the Boys Division of the North Texas Classic by 2 shots. Carly Sherman captured the Girls Division Title with a second round 1-over 73, while Dylan Knox birdied his 2nd playoff hole to secure his victory in the Boys 14 & Under Division at 10-under par overall.
Champions: Highland Village’s Tyson Embry went wire to wire to claim the North Texas Classic Victory. He finished an impressive weekend with a 5-under par score of 139. Embry followed up his amazing first round 66 with a gritty 1-over par 73 that saw a triple bogey on the ninth hole. From that point, Embry recorded 4 birdies on the back nine to secure his first Legends Junior Tour victory. Bastrop’s Carly Sherman started the final round with a one-stroke lead and her 1-over par 73 was enough to secure a hard fought one stroke victory. Carly made birdies on holes 10 and 11 to start her final nine holes and finished the tournament at 4 -over par 148. Austin’s Dylan Knox overcame a 5 shot deficit at the start of his final round with a round of 3-under 69 that included 5 birdies. Dylan finished the tournament at even par 144, and closed out his second LJT victory of the year with a birdie on his second playoff hole.
Top Finishers: In the Boys Division, Tomball’s Joshua McGown fired a 2-under par 70 to finish in second place, 2 shots off the lead. McGown was able to birdie three of his last 5 holes as his late charge came up just short. Dallas’s Charles Nelson and Austin’s Trenton Mierl finished in a tie for third finishing the tournament at 1-under par, 143. Deacon Dortch of Dallas rounded out the top 5 with his 36 hole total of even par.
In the Girls Division, Prosper’s Lucy Kate Smith finished second as her second round 73 wasn’t enough to chase down Sherman. Smith finished the tournament 1-stroke back at 5-over par 149. Finishing in a tie for 3rd was Frisco’s Megan Lee, and McKinney’s Kate Bennett, both posting 7-over 151. Rounding out the top 5 was Plano’s Lindsey Li at 9-over 153.
In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Selma’s Aadi Parmar shot a 1-under 71 in the final round to finish tied with Knox at even par 144. Prosper’s Grant Clapp bogeyed his final hole to finish 1 stroke back and just outside of the playoff. Rounding out the top 4 was Garland’s Landon Hilario finishing at 4-over par.
Player of the Years Points: Tyson Embry, Carly Sherman and Dylan Knox all earned 1,000 points in the Player of the Year Point Race. Points are awarded at each tournament to the top half of each age division.
Golf Course: Indian Creek Golf Club is hosting the North Texas Classic for the first time in the tournaments nine-year history with the Legends Junior Tour. Located in Carrolton, the Lakes Course offers a challenge to the field, stretching out to 7,000 yards in the Boys Division, 6,500 yards in the Boys 14 & Under Division and 5,900 yards in the Girls Division. The Lakes Course was completely renovated back in 2019 and included new greens and fairways. The Lakes Course lives up to its name with water present on 16 of the 18 holes.
Weather: The weather started off warm with overnight lows only falling to the mid 70’s. Sunny skies prevailed as the temperature rose to a high of 93 degrees by early afternoon. A steady 10 – 15 mile per hour west wind was present throughout the day.
Tournament Format: The North Texas Classic is a 36-hole stroke play event for players 12-18 years old. All players in the field are required to have an active membership with the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. The North Texas Classic kicks off the Fall Swing of the Legends Junior Tour schedule.
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 LJT travels to Squaw Creek Golf Club in Willow Park on Sept. 30 – Oct. 1st for the 2023 Fall Challenge. For more information on the Fall Challenge, click here.
For more information on the North Texas Classic, click here. To see all the scores from Indian Creek Golf Club, click here.
