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The latest golf-related news, notes, and feature stories from the TGA.

Salazar, Sinz and Pounds Win at Flodder Financial Shootout

Briefly: Jacob Salazar of League City wins the Boys 15-18 Division of the Flodder Financial Shootout at 5-under-par 139. Elina Sinz of Katy wins the Girls 12-18 Division out at the Club at Falcon Point, while Aaron Pounds of The Woodlands wins the Boys 14 & Under Division.

Leaderboard:

 

Boys 15-18 Division
1. Jacob Salazar, League City                      139
2. Rustyn Goolsby, Mt. Pleasant                   144
T3. Connor Adams, Dallas                            145
T3. Spencer Olejniczak, Fulshear                 145
T3. William Sammons, Spring                       145
Girls 12-18
1. Elina Sinz, Katy                                          145
2. Lauren Nguyen, Katy                                 147
3.  Maelynn Kim, Katy                                    149
T4. Sydney Givens, Austin                             150
T4. Delaney Martin, Boerne                           150
Boys 14 & Under
1. Aaron Pounds, The Woodlands                  141
2. Kevin Mu, Austin                                         147
T3. Brecken Franklin, Montgomery                 148
T3. Braeden Hoyt, Houston                             148
T5. Nathan Marion, San Antonio                     151

 

Winners: Jacob Salazar won by five strokes in the Boys 15-18 Division after making eight birdies in 36 holes including a bogey-free 69 in the opening round. He finished strong with birdies on the par-3 17th and the par-4 18th to get to 5-under overall in his final round. Elina Sinz picked up her fourth LJT victory on Tuesday and won on the course that is 10 minutes from her house. Aaron Pounds posted rounds of 70-71 to earn his first LJT victory in the Boys 14 & Under Division. He tallied seven birdies in two rounds including making birdie on the par-4 fourth and the par-5 12th during each round.

In Contention: Rustyn Goolsby of Mt. Pleasant finished runner-up in the Boys 15-18 Division at even-par 144. Three players tied for third place including 2018 Boys 15-18 Champion of this event, Connor Adams, at 1-over 145 overall. Fellow Katy residents Lauren Nguyen and Maelynn Kim placed second and third in the Girls 12-18 Division. Nguyen finished at 3-over 147, while Kim finished at 5-over 149. Sydney Givens and Delaney Martin tied for fourth in the division. Austin’s Kevin Mu made a birdie on his 36th hole to secure a second-place finish in the Boys 14 & Under Division. Montgomery’s Brecken Franklin and Houston’s Braeden Hoyt tied for third in the division at 4-over 148.

Golf Course: The Club at Falcon Point is hosting the Flodder Financial Shootout for the second time in as many years. The club is celebrating its 35th year in 2019 after opening in 1984. The duo of Bruce Devlin and Robert von Hagge designed the par-72 layout, which features 18 holes that tests the full bag of each golfer.

Weather: The weather for Tuesday’s final round was ideal for golfers. Temperatures crept up above 90 degrees but the blue skies and still winds allowed players a chance to make birdies and challenge the course.

Tournament Format: The Flodder Financial Shootout is a 36-hole stroke-play event for players ages 12-19 that have an active membership with the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. The event is divided into three divisions: Boys 15-18, Boys 14 & Under and
Girls 12-18.

Tournament History: This is the seventh year of the Flodder Financial Shootout, but the list of past champions is one of the strongest on the Legends Junior Tour. Walker Lee and Cole Hammer are past champions and have both gone on to qualify for and compete in a U.S. Open Championship. Other past champions include Travis Vick, Isha and Ashni Druva, Scott Roden, Michael Perras, Garrett Martin, Macy Fox and Treed Huang.

Tournament Exemptions: All players that finish in the top half of each division will earn points towards the LJT Player of the Year Standings. The event is ranked by Junior Golf Scoreboard and Golfweek.

Next Up: The Legends Junior Tour heads to the DFW area with the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship at Brookhaven Country Club on July 1-2. Qualifying for the Texas Junior Amateur Boys Division is underway throughout the state.  

For more information on the Flodder Financial Shootout, click here. To see all the scores from the Club at Falcon Point, click here.