Harper, McKay, and Madden Win at Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship

Harper, McKay, and Madden Win at Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship

 Briefly:  Dallas Brooks Harper wins the Boys 15-18 Division of the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship at Tangle Ridge Golf Club shooting an 8-under-par 136 to claim a one shot victory. McKinney’s Jenna Madden won the Girls 12-18 Division at even par , while Dallas’ Duff McKay won the Boys 14 & Under Division also shooting an 8-under-par 136.

Champions: Brooks Harper entered Wednesday’s final round in the leading group two shots back on the lead after a first round 67.  Harper started the day off strong with a birdie on hole 3 that would have him tied for first early in the round.  The back nine Harper came alive birdying 4 of the 9 holes. 18 saw Harper and Dortch tied at -7 both Harper and Dortch sent their drives into the same fairway bunker.  Harper put his bunker shot to 3 feet and a tap in birdie claimed him the Boys 15-18 title.

McKinney’s Jenna Madden won the Girls 12-18 Division after shooting rounds of 70-74 to finish the championship at even par and five strokes ahead of the field. She posted the only under par round of the tournament in the girls division with a 2 under par score of 70 in the first round.

Dallas’ Duff McKay won the Boys 14 & Under Division at 8-under overall after rounds of 71-65 at Tangle Ridge Golf Club. His final round was one he will forever remember as Duff holed his tee shot on the 316 yard par 4 3^rd hole to record his third career hole in one.  Duff put the tournament out of reach from his competitors with a run of four straight birdies on holes 10 through 13.

 Top Finishers: In the Boys 15-18 Division, Ethan Dufresne of The Hills finished T-2 with Dortch and claimed the trophy by way of a scorecard playoff by shooting a 34 on the back nine.  Dallas Aiden Dortch finished T-2 with Dufresne losing scorecard playoff with his 36 on the back nine for the final round. Luke Colton of Frisco finished fourth firing a second round low total of 66 to climb up the leaderboard after entering the day at even par.

In the Girls 12-18 Division, two girls tied for second at 5 over par. Coppell’s Lauren Rios and Kate Strickland from Lincoln, Nebraska fought hard but could not catch Jenna Madden on the scoreboard.  Dallas’ Sonia Hao finished alone in fourth place at 6 over par respectably.

In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Spring Branch’s Hunter Grimes finished runner up at 4 under par 140 for the championship.  Jack Clancey fired a 67 on Wednesday to secure third place with a 2 under par 36 hole total.  Highland Village’s Tyson Embry finished fourth at even par, followed by the trio of Plano’s Ryan Lee, Spring’s Asher Vargas and Houston’s Austin Le who all finished in a tie for fifth place at 1 over par for the championship.

 Golf Course: Tangle Ridge Golf Club, located in Grand Prairie, is hosting the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship for the first time in the tournament’s 14-year history. The par-72 layout opened in 1995 and was designed by Jeffrey Brauer. The course features exciting elevation changes, subtle Champion Ultra dwarf Bermuda Grass Greens along with it’s tree lined fairways and multiple bunkers and water challenges..  The course played to 6788 yards for the boy’s 15-18 division, 6335 yards for the boy’s 12-14 division and 5870 yards for the girl’s division.

Weather: Wednesday’s weather was similar to Tuesday’s with the sun out and temperatures approaching 105 Degrees. The 5 – 10 mph winds did offer a little relief to the players battle with the course and the heat.

Tournament Format: The Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship is a 36-hole stroke play event for players ages 12-18 years old. Membership with a Texas Junior Golf Alliance Partner is required to play in Legends Junior Tour events.

 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 Legends Junior Tour heads to Horseshoe Bay Resort on July 25-27 for the 96^th Texas Junior Amateur. The 240-player field is split between four division: Boys, Girls, Boys 14 & Under and Girls 14 & Under. The Boys Division will play the Ram Rock Course, while the Girls Division and both 14 & Under Divisions will play the Apple Rock Course.

A. Dortch, McKay, Madden Lead at Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship

A. Dortch, McKay, Madden Lead at Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship

Briefly: Aiden Dortch of Dallas, TX, sits alone atop the Boys 15-18 Division of the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship after shooting a scorching 7-under 65 at Tangle Ridge Golf Club. Duff McKay also of Dallas holds 1 shot lead in the Boys 14 & Under division at 1-under-par 71. Finally, Jenna Madden of McKinney leads the Girls Division by four strokes after her 2-under-par 70 in round 1.

Tournament Leaderboard

Leaders: In the Boys 15-18 Division, Aiden Dortch leads after a 7-under-par 65 first round total.  Dortch birdied his first three holes of the day and kept the momentum rolling through his entire round including an eagle on the par 5 529 yard 18^th hole and carding only one bogey for the round.

In the Girls 12-18 Division, McKinney’s Jenna Madden leads after posting 2-under 70 in her opening round. Madden birdied four of her last six holes on the back nine to claim the lead after day one.

In the Boys 14 & Under Division, McKay used back-to-back birdies on holes 12 and 13 to get off to a hot start on the back nine and came home with an even 36 on the front.

In Contention: In the Boys 15-18 division Tyler Blackwell of Austin and Brooks Harper of Dallas share a tie for second after the first round both carding 5-under par 67.  Also in contention Ethan Dufresne of The Hills sits alone in fourth at 68,  Reese Roberts of Dallas rounds out the top 5 at 2-under-par 70.

In the Girls 12-18 Division, two players sit 4 shots behind the leader Madden.  Lauren Rios of Coppell and Sonia Hao of Dallas both finished Round 1 at 2-over-par 74.

In the Boys 14 & Under Division Asher Vargas of Spring and Hunter Grimes of Spring Branch hold a tie for second both shooting even par 72 on the day. Also in contention in the Boys 14 & Under Division is Ryan Lee of Plano sitting 3 shots back at 1-over-par 73

Golf Course: Tangle Ridge Golf Club, located in Grand Prairie, is hosting the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship for the first time in the tournament’s 14-year history. The par-72 layout opened in 1995 and was designed by Jeffrey Brauer. The course features exciting elevation changes, subtle Champion Ultra Dwarf Bermuda Grass Greens along with it’s tree lined fairways and multiple bunkers and water challenges..  The course played to 6805 yards for the boy’s 15-18 division, 6307 yards for the boy’s 12-14 division and 5939 yards for the girl’s division.

Weather: The weather for Tuesday’s First Round was extreme, reaching temperatures of up to 104 degrees at the hottest parts of the day.  Winds picked up during the afternoon tee times blowing a consistent 15-20 mph.

Tournament Format: The Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship 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.

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.

Tournament Exemptions: The top three finishers of the boy’s 15 – 18 division will earn an exemption into the upcoming Texas Junior Amateur at Horseshoe Bay Resort on July 25-27.

Next Up: The Final Round is scheduled to begin at 7:30 am off the No. 1 and 10 tees on Wednesday, July 13. The Girls 12-18 and Boys 14 & Under Divisions will tee off in the morning wave, while the Boys 15-18 Division will tee off in the afternoon wave. To see the pairings for the Final Round, click here.

For more information on the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship, click here. To see all the scores from Tangle Ridge Golf Course, click here.

Schultz Wins 2022 North Mid-Amateur

BRIEFLY – Jason Schulz of Allen recorded a birdie on the first playoff hole of the North Mid-Amateur at Paris Golf and Country Club to capture the championship. Schultz and Scott Maurer of Dallas both finished 7-under-par after 54 holes. Schultz and Maurer entered the final round tied 5-under-par for the tournament. On the 18th hole Schultz lost his ball and made a 15-foot putt to save bogey while Maurer was able to get up and down for par to force the playoff. Schultz has now gone back-to-back in regional championship events winning the 2021 North Amateur at the Bridges Golf Club in Gunter. Along with the championship, Schultz was also awarded the Mid-Master recognition for the highest finish of players in the field 40 and older.

LEADERBOARD:
T1 Maurer, Scott Dallas -7 67 68 68 203
T1 Schultz, Jason Allen -7 70 65 68 203
3 Johnson, Robert Abilene -2 65 75 68 208
4 Wheeler, Christopher Addison -1 70 71 68 209
T5 Strickland, Mark Frisco 1 70 70 71 211
T5 Bills, Gant Plano 1 70 69 72 211
T7 Sullivan, Matthew Lewisville 2 67 75 70 212
T7 Ezmerlian, Gary Fort Worth 2 69 73 70 212
9 Fraley, Justin Allen 3 73 70 70 213
10 Kelley, Kyle Rowlett 4 72 71 71 214

Complete Results

GOLF COURSE: Paris Golf and Country Club was built in 1916, making it one of the oldest courses in Texas, and redesigned in 2000 by PGA Tour player John Adams. The course features elevation changes and small Bermuda grass undulating greens that will test even the best golfers. The course is Par 70 set at just over 6,300 yards.

WEATHER: Friday’s first round temperatures ranged from 50 degrees to 75 degrees. The first round featured the least amount of wind for the weekend blowing at about five mph all day. Round 2 the wind picked up blowing at about 20 mph during the second half of the day with gusts up to 30 mph. The final round temperatures reached 78 degrees with the wind once again blowing between 20 and 30 mph.

Winners Info: Jason Schulz fired rounds of 70-65-68 to finish tied for the lead after 54 holes. Schultz only required one playoff hole to win the championship making birdie on hole number one. Schultz made three birdies on the back nine in the final round to stay in contention with Maurer and managed to save bogey on 18 after Maurer got up and down for par.

In Contention: Scott Maurer was tied for the lead entering the final round and finished tied for first after 54 holes after shooting three consecutive rounds under par 67-68-68. Maurer was able to save par on hole number 18 after hitting the ball left into thick mud. On the playoff hole Maurer attempted to drive the green and ended with a par.

WHAT’S NEXT: Registration for the 113th Texas Amateur qualifying end on March 30 at 5pm. The 2022 North Senior Amateur takes place at Golf Club of Dallas April 5-6. The North Four-Ball at Tempest Golf Club takes place April 9-10.

MORE INFO: The Texas Golf Association extends its sincere thanks to the staff and members at Paris Golf & Country Club as well as the volunteers that made this event a great success.

Mallory Matthews wins 2022 Women’s Eclectic

BLANCO – Mallory Matthews of Hondo, TX captured the 2022 Women’s Eclectic at Vaaler Creek Golf Club in Blanco, TX besting Malisone Chanthapanye of Fort Worth and Cindy Gilkeson of Sugar Land by two strokes. Matthews shot a five-under-par 67 over two days of the Eclectic format. Matthews entered the final round two strokes behind Chanthapanya but improved her Eclectic score by eight strokes to capture the championship. Cindy Gilkeson finished in a tie for second with Chantapanye after improving her overall Eclectic score by thirteen strokes in the final round. Wendi Ewbank claimed the Overall Net Championship with a combined net score of ten-under-par 62. Ewbank of Katy shot five net birdies and four net eagles to beat Lorraine Werner of The Woodlands by 1 stroke.

GROSS LEADERBOARD:
1 Matthews, Mallory Hondo 67 (-5)
T2 Chanthapanya, Malisone Fort Worth 69 (-3)
T2 Gilkeson, Cindy Sugar Land 69 (-3)
T4 Schultz, Anna Heath 71 (-1)
T4 Moake, Meghan Houston 71 (-1)

NET LEADERBOARD:
1 Ewbank, Wendi Katy 62 (-10)
2 Werner, Lorraine The Woodlands 63 (-9)
T3 Gilkeson, Cindy Sugar Land 65 (-7)
T3 Bosman, Margaret The Woodlands 65 (-7)
T5 Brady, Donna Fair Oaks Ranch 66 (-6)

Complete Results

GOLF COURSE: Vaaler Creek Golf Club is one of the Hill Countries premiere public golf courses. Designed by Michael Lowry and JP Newman the course and it was ranked #19 on best new Golf Courses of 2011. The courses features great views of the Texas Hill Country and rolling topography and an abundance of live oaks.

WEATHER: Monday’s first round was overcast with consistent winds between around 20 mph up to gusts 30 mph. The strong winds returned for the Final Round blowing out of the north west around 15 mph throughout the day. The high for the final round reached 70 degrees.

WHAT’S NEXT: The 2022 Women’s Partnership Match Play heads to Walden on Lake Conroe in Montgomery, TX.

MORE INFO: For complete coverage of the 2022 Women’s Eclectic, click here.

Jackie Burke Cup set for November 13-14

Addison – The Legends Junior Tour’s Jackie Burke Cup Matches head back to east Texas for the first time since 2017. Willow Brook Country Club is set to host the match play event on November 13-14. Modeled after the Ryder Cup, this two-day event will see the 24 best junior golfers of the 2021 season compete in Four-Ball, Foursome, and Singles match play.

“The Legends Junior Tour is extremely fortunate and excited to bring the Jackie Burke Cup to Willow Brook Country Club,” LJT Tournament Manager Adam Schulte said. “This is one of the best championship sites in the state, and we’re eager to get out there.”

Willow Brook Country Club is one of the premiere clubs in the state and has a long history of hosting some of the best amateur events in Texas. Originally built as a 9-hole course pre-World War II, the course has gone through various updates, with the most recent completed in 2018 by Tripp Davis. Willow Brook CC has hosted the 1964 Texas Amateur, 2020 Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play, and will host the 113th Texas Amateur next summer.

First conducted in 2005, the season-ending Jackie Burke Cup is by invitation-only and features the top 12 players from North Texas squaring off against their counterparts from South Texas in a Ryder Cup-style competition. Each team consists of eight players from the Boys 15-18 Division, two from the Girls 12-18 Division and two from the Boys 14 & Under Division.

The teams will face off in four-ball, foursome and singles matches over the two days. Matches are worth two points and a tied match is split: one point for each team. The matches start with six four-ball matches Saturday morning followed by six foursome matches in the afternoon. On Sunday, players are selected for 12 singles matches, leaving 48 possible points to be earned throughout the weekend. The North Team will need 24 points to retain the cup, while the South Team will need 25 points to win the cup.

Players earned their way onto their respective teams by accumulating points throughout the year in designated LJT and Texas Junior Golf Alliance tournaments. North and South regions are defined as either being above or below the 31’ parallel (Salado, Texas).
“Both teams always feature the top performers from the year on the Legends Junior Tour and it’s a fun event administer as it’s such a great change of pace from what the rest of the year is,” Schulte said. “These players have consistently played well on their own all season. Letting them compete in a team environment is always great to see, and a fun way to finish off another great LJT season.”

The LJT players of the year Sam Dossey of Austin, TX and Jiyu Han of Cedarpark, TX both hope to lead the South team to its first victory in the Jackie Burke Cup since 2013. Runner up for the Boys 15-18 Division player of the year Trevor Algya of Highland Village, TX and Boys 14 & Under player of the year Rhett O’Rear of Plano, TX aim to keep the cup in north Texas for the eight straight year.

Tee times for the Jackie Burke Cup will be published on the TXGA website on Friday, November 12 you can view the pairings by clicking here. For more information on the Jackie Burke Cup click here.

Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational Set for October 30-31

TEMPEST – The Legends Junior Tour’s Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational moves to Tempest Golf Club after spending the last two years at Eagle Pointe Golf Club. The 36-hole tournament is set for the weekend of October 30-31.

Tempest Golf Club is rated the #1 golf course in East Texas and a Top 50 course in the state. Tempest tabbed architect Jeffrey Brauer to reinvent the course in 2016 with renovations being completed in 2018. Since reopening in 2018 Tempest has hosted a USGA Amateur qualifier as well as the annual Tempest Intercollegiate Division III golf tournament.

“The Legends Junior Tour is excited to take the TJGA Invitational to east Texas,” LJT Tournament Manager Adam Schulte said. “The field of players is strong and we are excited to see some competitive golf.”

The Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational was first played in 2019 at Eagle Pointe Golf Club in Mont Belvieu, TX and the event returned to Eagle Pointe in 2020.

The Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational is restricted to players with an active membership with the TJGA with the majority of players earning exemptions through North and South Texas PGA events, as well as LJT events. The tournament will be competed in three divisions, Girls 12-18, Boys 14 & Under, and Boys 15-18.

Colleyville’s Kevin Watts captured the Boys 15-18 championship in 2020 with a two-under-par 140. Jason Shwartz from Bellaire, TX won the Boys 14 & Under division shooting even for the tournament, and Lauren Nguyen of Katy, TX won the Girls Division also shooting even par.

Watts, Shwartz, and Nguyen joined the short list of champions with 2019’s champions Henry Frizzell, Daniel Zou, and Elina Sinz.

Along with competing for LJT Player of the Points players will be competing for exemptions into LJT events like next year’s Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship, George Hannon Junior Invitational and other invitational events.

Tee Times for the first round will be published on the TXGA website on Friday, October 29. You can view the pairings by clicking here. The final round pairings will be redrawn according to scores from the first round and will begin Sunday at 8:00 am.

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

James A. Ragan Memorial Returns to Corpus Christi Country Club

ADDISON – The Legends Junior Tour is set to head south for the seventh James A. Ragan Memorial at Corpus Christi Country Club on Oct. 10-11.

James Ragan was a former Legends Junior Tour Player that was diagnosed with a rare type of bone cancer when he was 13 years old. Ragan founded the Triumph Over Kids Cancer Foundation, which has raised more than $3 million for cancer research.

James started playing on the Legends Junior Tour in 2008 and recorded three top-25 finishes. The Corpus Christi native won the 2010 Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic and earned his way into the prestigious Jackie Burke Cup. The same year, he was presented with the LJT’s first Sportsmanship Award and a year later the award was named after him. James passed away in February of 2014.

Corpus Christi CC has hosted this event each year since 2017 and was the home course of James Ragan. The course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and features 18 holes of championship golf nestled next to Corpus Christi Bay. The club was originally founded in 1909 and relocated to the current spot in 1963.

The James A. Ragan Memorial is ranked nationally by Junior Golf Scoreboard and Golfweek. The event’s 84-player field will vie for exemptions into future LJT Invitational events like the Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship, the Texas Junior Amateur, The Texas Girls’ Invitational and the Texas Cup Invitational as well as compete for AJGA Performance Stars.

The tournament starts on Sunday, Oct. 10 with tee times starting at 8:00 AM. The final round is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 11 with tee times starting at 8:00 AM. The awards ceremony will take place as soon as play is completed on Monday.

For more information about the James A. Ragan Memorial, click here. If you would like to learn more about James’ foundation, Triumph Over Kids Cancer, click here.