Around the Green

Bandelier, Emanuels and Parmar Win James A. Ragan Memorial

Briefly: Jaxon Bandelier fired a 5-under 67 to win the Boys Division of the James A. Ragan Memorial at Corpus Christi Country Club. Isabel Emmanuels secured her lead in the Girls Division with a final round score of 1-over 73, clinching victory by a comfortable five-stroke margin. Meanwhile, Aadi Parmer delivered an impressive 3-under performance in the final round to claim victory in the Boys 14 & Under Division.

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Champions: Jaxon Bandelier of Austin won this year’s James A. Ragan in an exciting fashion. Two straight rounds under pair led to a come from behind five-stroke victory. Bandelier opened with a first round 1-under-par 71, where he sat tied for second with four other competitors heading into the final round. His final round left no openings for the field, as he fired off a total of nine birdies, six of which came on the back nine. His colorful scorecard included two bogey’s, one on the par 4 6th and one on the par 4 18th. Isabel Emanuels of Austin won her first ever Legends Junior Tour tournament in a dominant fashion. Two rounds of even-par and 1-over led to a five-stroke victory. In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Aadi Parmar of Selma, added another win to his Legends Junior Tour resume making this his fourth victory of the year. Parmar shot rounds of 1-under 71 and 2-under 70 to win by five strokes.

Top Finishers: In the Boys Division, Mansfield’s Patrick Babb finished second at 3-under, while first round leader, Andrew Hill of Corpus Christi, finished third at 2-under. In fourth at 1-under was Houston’s Turner Chiles who fired off a final round score of 3-under 69. In the Girl’s Division, Laredo’s Alyssa Esparza finished in solo second while Saahi Naraharasetty of Cedar Park finished in solo third after the carding the only other even-par round in her division. In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Ryan (Woojin) Lee of College Station made a charge in today’s final round, firing off a final round 3-under 69 – the lowest round of the tournament in his division.

Additional Highlights: Raines Watson of College Station carded his first hole-in-one in a tournament on the 4th hole with his 50-degree wedge from 118 yards.

Player of the Years Points: Jaxon Bandelier, Isabella Emanuels and Aadi Parmar all earned 100 points in the Player of the Year Point Race. Points are awarded at each tournament to the top half of each age division.

Weather: Today in Corpus Christi, the skies remained predominantly overcast with the occasional scattered light rain showers. Despite the cloud coverage and drizzle, the temperatures were rather pleasant, ranging from the lower to mid-80s providing a comfortable atmosphere for players and spectators throughout the final round of the James A. Ragan Memorial.

Course: Corpus Christi Country Club returns as the host of the James A. Ragan Memorial after taking a break in 2022 for a full course renovation which included 18 new green complexes, new bunkers, and a regrassing of the fairways. Chet Williams Design led the renovation, and the course was re-opened last November during their Centennial Celebration. Previously, Corpus Chrisi Country Club hosted the James A. Ragan Memorial since 2017. The Club was originally opened in 1909 but a hurricane destroyed the original course in 1919. John Bredemus designed a new layout in 1922 and the club expanded to 18 holes in 1938. Robert Trent Jones Sr. was tasked with a redesign in 1964 and the course reopened January of 1965 and has hosted numerous top-level amateur events along the way. Corpus Christi Country Club features an open layout that works its way through a residential area and maneuvers its way across hills and bodies of water. Tall palm trees surround the property, and the wind plays a huge factor into each shot for the player.

About James: James Ragan started playing on the LJT in 2008 and recorded three top-25 finishes. The Corpus Christi native won the 2010 Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic and earned a spot in the Jackie Burke Cup Matches. He would go on to win the LJT’s first Sportsmanship Award and the next year the award was named after him. Ragan was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in 2006, which is a rare type of pediatric cancer. He founded “Triumph Over Kid Cancer” which is an organization that has raised more than $3 million dollars for pediatric cancer research. James passed away in 2014 but TOKC has kept going with the help of the Ragan family.

About TOKC: Founded by James Ragan in 2007, Triumph Over Kid Cancer is dedicated to improving the lives of children with cancer by raising their spirits, raising the public’s awareness and funding research to improve the treatment and survivability of pediatric cancers.

What’s Next: The Legends Junior Tour heads east for the Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational at Sulfur Springs Country Club on Oct. 28-29. The invitational will be the final event of the 2023 LJT season with player of the year awards and Jackie Burke Cup roster spots on the line.

For more information on the James A. Ragan Memorial, click here. To see all the scores from the event, click here.