Austin's Fox Shoots 65 To Win 92nd Texas Junior Amateur

HORSESHOE BAY, Texas – Austin’s Macy Fox fires a 7-under 65 in the final round to win the Girls Division of the 92^nd Texas Junior Amateur at Horseshoe Bay Resort’s Slick Rock Golf Course.

Trailing by two strokes after 36 holes, Fox teed off in the penultimate group and started her day with a birdie on No. 1. She made a bogey on No. 2 and then made par on her next six holes before another birdie on nine.

“I had chances on the front side but wasn’t making any birdie putts until No. 9,” said Fox, “The birdie on nine gave me some momentum and it carried over into the back nine.”

After making the turn at 1-under-par, Fox made a birdie on the par-5 10^th, the par-5 12^th and then four straight birdies on holes 14-17 to get to 11-under overall. She got up and down for par on the 18^th, which capped off her sensational 6-under 30 in the final nine holes of the championship.

The win earns Fox a spot on The Dorothy Franey-Langkop Trophy, which is awarded to the winner of the Girls Division of the Texas Junior Amateur. The event has a strong list of past champions, which includes Angela Stanford, Courtney Dow, Annika Clark, Hailey Jones, Kelsey Vines and Bronwyn Burke.

Kingwood’s Elise Parel finished runner-up in the Texas Junior Amateur at 9-under 207 overall. Parel posted rounds of 68-70-69 to get to 9-under overall, making 18 birdies total through the 54-hole championship.

Austin’s Bentley Cotton and Jensen Jalufka, who were paired with Parel in the final group on Wednesday, finished third and fourth in the championship. Cotton shot 1-over 73 in the final round to get to 4-under 212 overall, while Jalufka shot 3-over 75 to get to 2-under 214 overall.

Eubin Shim of Waco, Calynne Rosholt of Cedar Park and Leah Alberto of Kingwood all tied for fifth in the Girls Division at 1-under 215. Maddi Olson finished eighth, Kaylee Vesely finished ninth, while Delaney Martin, Jackie Feldman and Madelyn Jones tied for 10th.

Maggie Ni and Natalie Cao tied for 13^th at 220 overall, while Libby Singleton rounded out the top 15 at 221 overall after shooting 2-under 70 in the final round.

The Texas Junior Amateur is the largest junior golf tournament in the state. The event features 240 players spread out over four divisions. The Girls Division competed on the Slick Rock Golf Course at Horseshoe Bay Resort on July 23-25, while the Boys and Girls 14 & Under Divisions played 36 holes on the same golf course. The Boys Division played 54 holes on the Summit Rock Golf Course at Horseshoe Bay Resort.

Horseshoe Bay Resort has hosted the Texas Junior Amateur in eight of the last nine years. The Slick Rock Golf Course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and features bentgrass greens along with more than 70 bunkers and a dozen water hazards on the course. The par-72 layout was stretched out to 6,011 yards for the Girls Division this week.

The 60-player field in the Girls Division was cut to the low 27 players after Tuesday’s second round. Players that were 10-over or better after 36 holes made the cut and played on Wednesday. Of the 27 players that made the cut, 10 of them were even-par or better in the final round.

This was the first Major Tournament on the Legends Junior Tour schedule for the Girls Division. Players earned double points towards the LJT Player of the Year Standings, which determines the LJT Player of the Year along with the field for the George Hannon Junior Invitational, which is the next Major Tournament on the LJT schedule, and the teams for the Jackie Burke Cup.

For more information on the 92^nd Texas Junior Amateur, Click Here. To see all the scores from the Girls Division, click here. 

Texas Junior Am Round 1 at Slick Rock Complete

Horseshoe Bay, Texas – Elise Parel of Kingwood and Logan Zurn of Grapevine shoot 4-under 68 in the first round of the 92^nd Texas Junior Amateur and lead their divisions at the Slick Rock Golf Course. Carrollton’s Symran Shah leads the Girls 14 & Under Division at 3-under.

Parel got her day going early with back-to-back birdies on her second and third hole after starting on No. 10. She made a bogey on the par-4 16^th but bounced back with three birdies in her final nine holes, including the par-4 ninth to finish at 4-under.

Tied for second in the Girls Division are Jensen Jalufka of Austin and Eubin Shim of Waco. The duo fired matching 3-under 69s on Monday and will head into Tuesday’s second round one back. Austin’s Kaylee Vesely is tied with fellow Austin-native Ally Black in fourth at 2-under 70, while Jackie Feldman Macy Fox and Leah Alberto are tied for sixth at 1-under 71

The Girls Division of the Texas Junior Amateur is scheduled for 54 holes of stroke play competition on the Slick Rock Course at Horseshoe Bay Resort. Following Tuesday’s second round, the division will be cut down to the low 27 players and ties for Wednesday’s final round.

Zurn leads the Boys 14 & Under Division, which is competing in 36 holes of stroke play competition on the Slick Rock Golf Course.  He made five birdies in the afternoon heat, which reached temperatures upwards of 110 degrees on Monday, including back-to-back birdies on holes 13 and 14.

Keller’s Jase Summy and Dallas’ Andrew Petruzzelli are tied for second in the Boys 14 & Under Division at 2-under 70. Five players are tied for fourth in the division and are three strokes back heading into Tuesday’s final round for the division.

Shah holds a four-stroke advantage in the Girls 14 & Under Division after the first round. She made six birdies on the day, including the par-3 second hole and the picturesque par-4 14^th, which features a scenic water fall in front of players tee shots.

Spicewood’s Brooke McDonough, Austin’s Darrelyn Webster and Cedar Park’s Briana Lemaire are tied for second in the division, while Harper Edwards, Ella Fisher and Lauren Rios are tied for fifth at 4-over.

The Girls 14 & Under Division is competing at the Slick Rock Golf Course over 36 holes of stroke play competition.

Horseshoe Bay Resort is hosting the Texas Junior Amateur for the eighth time in the last nine years. The event moved to The Woodlands Country Club for 2016, but has returned to the renovated Slick Rock Golf Course. Slick Rock was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and features more than 70 bunkers and 12 water hazards including the water fall on the par-4 14^th.

Pairings for Tuesday’s play will start at 7:30 am off both the No. 1 and No. 10 tees. The Boys and Girls 14 & Under Divisions will stretch from 7:30 to 9:00 am, while the Girls Division will take on the heat in the 12:00 to 1:30 pm wave.

For more information on the Texas Junior Amateur, click here. 
 

Horseshoe Bay Resort Hosting Texas Junior Amateur

DALLAS – Horseshoe Bay Resort is hosting the Texas Junior Amateur on July 23-25 as the state’s largest championship is set for its 92^nd year.

Horseshoe Bay Resort has hosted the Texas Junior Amateur in seven of the last eight years. After spending 2016 at The Woodlands Country Club, the event returned to Horseshoe Bay on the Summit Rock and Slick Rock golf courses last year. This will be the second year that Summit Rock has hosted the Boys Division, while the other three divisions return to the renovated Slick Rock.

Summit Rock is a Jack Nicklaus signature course and opened in October 2012. The Hill Country style venue features a rocky terrain surrounded by native grass on each hole. The course has Bermuda fairways and bent grass greens, which will challenge all the golfers in the Boys Division.

“We’re happy to be coming back to Summit Rock for the Boys Division,” Kellen Kubasak, LJT Director of Operations, said. “The course offers a great test for our field along with Slick Rock for our Girls and younger Boys and Girls.”

Slick Rock was built in 1971 and designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. The course is known as a “hard par, easy bogey” course and features 71 bunkers throughout the 18-hole layout with a dozen water hazards.  The par-4 14^th at Slick Rock is a picturesque hole that has golfers tee off over a stunning waterfall and onto the fairway. The course was renovated in 2016 and updated with bent grass greens.

San Angelo’s Jansen Smith won the Boys Division last year after making an eagle on the final hole of the tournament. Smith holed out from 72 yards on the 54^th hole to win by one stroke over San Antonio’s John Keefer. The win was Smith’s second of the year and he would go on to win Player of the Year honors in the Boys 15-18 Division.

Austin’s Sadie Englemann won the Girls Division at Slick Rock by one stroke over Dallas’ Hailey Jones, who was looking for her third straight win in the tournament. Englemann, who has committed to play golf at Stanford, posted rounds of 66-64-71 to get to 15-under 201 overall after 54 holes.

Argyle’s Gaven Lane won the Boys 14 & Under Division at 3-under after posting rounds of 69-72 in the 36-hole tournament at Slick Rock. Katy’s Lauren Nguyen won the Girls 14 & Under Division at 1-under 143 overall.

Other past champions of this event include Ben Crenshaw, Bruce Lietzke, Jeff Maggert, Stratton Nolen, Will Griffin, Angela Stanford, Annika Clark, Courtney Dow, Kaitlyn Papp and Jordan Spieth.

The Boys Division and the Girls Division will each play 54 holes with a cut after 36 holes, while the Boys and Girls 14 & Under Divisions will play 36 holes. The first round for all four divisions will begin on Monday, July 23.

Players earned their way into the Boys Division by earning an exemption or competing in one of 12 qualifying events across the state. Players in the Girls Division and the Boys and Girls 14 & Under Division were added based on the LJT Priority Entry System. 

The Texas State Junior Championship is Golfweek and Junior Golf Scoreboard ranked, while the older Boys and Girls Divisions are recognized by the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Exemptions into future LJT Invitational Tournaments will be up for grabs along with AJGA Performance Stars.

For more information on the 92^nd Texas Junior Amateur, click here.
 
 

The Texas Junior Amateur Emerges for 92nd Playing

After serving the state for more than 90 years, the Texas State Junior Championship has earned a makeover. The Texas Junior Amateur is set to return to Horseshoe Bay Resort on July 23-25 with a new name and logo.

“We felt one of the country’s oldest and largest state championships deserved a rebranding,” Kellen Kubasak, the Legends Junior Tour Director of Operations, said. “Consistency with other leading golf organizations such as the Texas Golf Association and the USGA was one of the leading factors of changing the name.”

The championship, which has been conducted by the Legends Junior Tour since 2005, has been one of the strongest fields in recent years and produced some great champions. Last year’s winner, Jansen Smith, won in dramatic fashion after holing a 72-yard approach shot on the 18^th hole at Horseshoe Bay Resort’s Summit Rock Golf Course, his 54^th and final hole of the tournament.

San Angelo’s Smith won by one stroke in the 2017 installment of the event, which returned to Horseshoe Bay Resort for the seventh time in the last eight years. Austin’s Sadie Englemann won the Girls Division, holding off Dallas’ Hailey Jones, who was looking to win her third straight championship at the Slick Rock Golf Course.

The Championship was played at The Woodlands Country Club in 2016. The rain-shortened event saw a three-way tie atop the Boys Division on Friday. Logan Pate, Pierceson Coody and Parker Coody were tied at 4-under overall at The Tournament Course at The Woodlands. All three players went into a sudden-death playoff, which resulted in Pate winning with a par on the par-4 18^th.

In 2015, Mason Greenberg posted rounds of 71-64-72 to win by nine strokes at Horseshoe Bay’s Ram Rock Golf Course. The second-round score of 7-under was three strokes better than the next best score in the field that week.

Other past champions of the Texas Junior Amateur include Ben Crenshaw, Jordan Spieth, Jeff Maggert, Scott Verplank, Omar Uresti, Angela Stanford, Hunter Haas, Stratton Nolen, Kelsey Vines, Alex Moon, Heather Haas, Lindsey McCurdy, Morris Williams Jr and Nancy Hager.

For the Boys division, the Texas Junior Amateur is open to all residents of Texas with players earning an exemption through the Texas Junior Golf Alliance or by competing in one of 12 qualifiers for the championship. Qualifiers are spread throughout the state and feature 18 holes of stroke play competition to get into the championship, which returns to Summit Rock Golf Course for a second straight year.

Players in the Girls Division as well as the Boys and Girls 14 & Under Divisions are entered based on the LJT Priority Entry System, which awards players that have played well in LJT events as well as Texas Junior Golf Alliance Events. The Alliance is made up of the Northern and Southern Texas PGAs along with the Houston Golf Association.  

Horseshoe Bay Resort is hosting again in 2018, with the Boys Division competing on the scenic Summit Rock Golf Course and the other three divisions playing on the Slick Rock Golf Course.

The Boys and Girls Divisions are 54 holes of stroke play competition while the Boys and Girls 14 & Under Divisions are 36 holes of stroke play. All four events are ranked by Junior Golf Scoreboard and Golfweek, while the Boys and Girls Divisions are World Amateur Golf Ranked. American Junior Golf Association Performance Stars are handed out to the top finishers of each division as well as double LJT Player of the Year Points.

Registration for the Texas Junior Amateur opens on March 7, 2018. To view all the past champions of this venerable event, click here.

Texas State Junior Championship Returns to Horseshoe Bay Resort

DALLAS — The Legends Junior Tour returns to Horseshoe Bay Resort for the 91^st playing of the Texas State Junior Championship on July 24-28. The tournament features some of the top players in the state competing in four divisions: Boys 15-18, Girls 15-18, Boys 14 & Under and Girls 14 & Under.

Horseshoe Bay Resort has hosted the Texas State Junior Championship in six of the last seven years. After spending 2016 at The Woodlands Country Club, the event returns to compete on the Summit Rock and Slick Rock golf courses at Horseshoe Bay. This will be the first year that Summit Rock has hosted the Boys 15-18 Division, while the other three divisions return to the renovated Slick Rock.

Summit Rock is a Jack Nicklaus signature course and opened in October 2012. The Hill Country style venue features a rocky terrain surrounded by native grass on each hole. The course has Bermuda fairways and bent grass greens, which will challenge all the golfers in the Boys 15-18 field.

“Horseshoe Bay Resort is a great venue to host one of the oldest state championships,” Kellen Kubasak, LJT Director of Operations, said. “Moving the Boys 15-18 division to Summit Rock, which is one of the best courses in the state, was a no-brainer and will challenge the best players in Texas.”

Slick Rock was built in 1971 and designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. The course is known as a “hard par, easy bogey” course and features 71 bunkers throughout the 18-hole layout with a dozen water hazards.  The par-4 14^th at Slick Rock is a picturesque hole that has golfers tee off over a stunning waterfall and onto the fairway. The course was renovated in 2016 and updated with bent grass greens.

Richmond’s Logan Pate won the weather shortened Boys 15-18 Division last year in a playoff. Pate posted rounds of 68-72 to get to 140 overall and won the tournament with a par of the first playoff hole. Heavy rain and lightning in the area caused the final round to get canceled.

Dallas’ Hailey Jones won the Girls 15-18 Division by five strokes in 2016. Jones got to 8-under overall for the championship with rounds of 67-68-73 over 54 holes. Kennedy Pedigo finished runner-up, while Christine Wang finished third.

Austin’s Evan Vo won the Boys 14 & Under Division after shooting 4-under 68 in the final round. Vo made five birdies in his final round to win by two strokes. Gabriella Tomanka of Grapevine won the Girls 14 & Under Division by three strokes after shooting rounds of 70-75 to get to 1-over 145 overall.

Other past champions of this event include Ben Crenshaw, Bruce Lietzke, Jeff Maggert, Stratton Nolen, Will Griffin, Angela Stanford, Annika Clark, Courtney Dow, Kaitlyn Papp and Jordan Spieth.

The Boys 15-18 Division and the Girls 15-18 Division will each play 54 holes with a cut after the first 36 holes. The Boys 15-18 Division’s first round will begin on Monday, July 24, while the Girls 15-18 Division’s first round will begin on Wednesday, July 26. The Boys and Girls 14 & Under Divisions will play 36 holes starting on Wednesday, July 26.

The Texas State Junior Championship is Golfweek and Junior Golf Scoreboard ranked, while the older Boys and Girls Divisions are recognized by the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Exemptions into future LJT Invitational Tournaments will be up for grabs along with AJGA Performance Stars.

For more information on the 91^st Texas State Junior Championship, click here.
 
 

Pate Wins Boys 90th Texas State Junior

THE WOODLANDS – Logan Pate won the weather-shortened 90th Texas State Junior Championship presented by Merrill Lynch at The Woodlands Country Club’s Tournament Course in a playoff.

Richmond’s Pate was tied with Pierceson and Parker Coody of Plano at the conclusion of play on Friday, sending the three players into a sudden-death playoff on the 18th hole, a demanding 442-yard par four with water in front of and to the right of the green.

Pate was first to play and found the left rough with his tee shot. Pierceson Coody’s drive caught a tree and ended up short in the left rough, while Parker Coody drove it into the right rough in front of the water hazard. Both Coody brothers punched out to the fairway with their second shot, while Pate was able to escape the trees and find the green. Pate was left with a little over 60 feet for birdie and lagged up to a couple of feet short. After Parker hit his third shot in the water, Pierceson hit the green just beyond the hole for his third shot. Pierceson missed his par putt, while Pate sank his to seal his victory.

The championship was shortened to 36 holes after rain and lightning suspended play in both the first and second rounds. There were two delays on Wednesday and one delay on Thursday. All three players finished their second rounds early on Friday and had to wait out the second wave to begin their playoff.

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Pate Wins Weather-Shortened 90th Texas State Junior Championship Presented by Merrill Lynch

The Woodlands—Logan Pate wins the weather-shortened 90^th Texas State Junior Championship presented by Merrill Lynch at The Woodlands Country Club’s Tournament Course in a playoff.

Richmond’s Pate was tied with Pierceson and Parker Coody of Plano at the conclusion of play on Friday, sending the three players into a sudden-death playoff on the 18^th hole. No. 18 is a 442-yard par four with water in front of and to the right of the green.

Pate was first to play and found the left rough with his tee shot. Pierceson Coody’s drive caught a tree and ended up short in the left rough, while Parker Coody drove it into the right rough in front of the water hazard. Both Coody brothers punched out to the fairway with their second shot, while Pate was able to escape the trees and find the green. Pate was left with a little over 60 feet for birdie and lagged up to a couple of feet short. After Parker hit his third shot in the water, Pierceson hit the green just beyond the hole for his third shot. Pierceson missed his par putt, while Pate sank his to seal his victory.

The championship was shortened to 36 holes after rain and lightning suspended play in both the first and second rounds. There were two delays on Wednesday and one delay on Thursday. All three players finished their second rounds early on Friday and had to wait out the second wave to begin their playoff.

Despite all the rain delays, Pate was able to stay focused on the golf course. “I just kept to my routine and the birdie on No. 7 helped keep me close,” said Pate, “Relaxing with friends helped keep me patient during the delays.”
In both rounds, Pate was able to make nine birdies including the par-5 first and the par-4 seventh holes both rounds. Pate birdied three of his final four holes in the first round to shoot 4-under 68.

Parker was tied with Pate after the first round, making seven birdies en route to his 4-under 68. Parker shot even-par in the second round, making a birdie on his final hole, the par-4 ninth, to 4-under overall. He was the runner-up at the Byron Nelson Junior Championship last month, losing in a playoff.

Pierceson fired back-to-back rounds of 70 to get to 4-under overall. Pierceson, who is the reigning Boys 15-18 Division Player of the Year, was the runner-up in the 2015 Byron Nelson Junior Championship, losing in a playoff. Pierceson made four birdies and 13 pars in his first 17 holes on Friday, before a double-bogey on the par-4 ninth pushed him back to 4-under.

Houston’s William Moll, who was tied with Parker and Pate after the first round, finished fourth in the championship at 3-under 141. Dallas’ Turner Hosch, who won the Spring Preview earlier this year, finished tied for fifth with Jun Min Lee of Mission and first round leader Peyton Coursey of Mansfield.

Austin’s Michael Rome and Fort Worth’s Zachery Cole finished tied for eighth while Austin’s Nicholas Costello, Conroe’s Chad Sewell, Dallas’ Andy Lopez and Austin’s Trey Bosco finished tied for 10^th at 1-over 145.

The Woodlands Country Club hosted the championship after it spent six years at Horseshoe Bay Resort. The Tournament Course at The Woodlands CC is home to several prestigious tournaments including the Insperity Invitational, a Champions Tour event. Robert von Hagge, a renowned golf course designer, created the Tournament Course.

The top five finishers of the championship earned exemptions into the George Hannon Junior Invitational, while the top finishers gained entry into the Texas Cup Invitational and the 2017 Byron Nelson Junior Championship. Player of the year points were doubled for this major championship and numerous AJGA Stars were given to the top finishers.

For more information about the Boys 15-18 Division, click here.

To see all the scores from the championship, click here.
 

Weather Shortens Championship to 36 Holes

The Woodlands—Heavy rain and lightning halted play once again in the second round of the 90^th Texas State Junior Championship presented by Merrill Lynch.

The first round, which was suspended due to darkness at 8:20 PM on Wednesday, resumed at 8:00 AM on Thursday. Those players that finished their first round Thursday morning then started their second round right away. They were able to get in between 5-11 holes before play was halted again at 11:50 AM.

Mansfield’s Peyton Coursey was able to finish his opening round, posting a score of 5-under 67 at The Woodlands Country Club’s Tournament Course. Coursey made seven birdies in his first round, including four in a row on holes No. 13-16.

Trailing Coursey by one stroke is Plano’s Parker Coody, The Woodlands’ Shuai Ming Wong, Houston’s William Moll, Mission’s Jun Min Lee and Richmond’s Logan Pate. Coody and Wong finished runner-up and third, respectively, in the Byron Nelson Junior Championship last month.

Plano’s Pierceson Coody, who is the reigning Boys 15-18 Division Player of the Year, and Fort Worth’s Zachery Cole sit three strokes back at 2-under 70 after the completed first round. McKinney’s Jake Kuwitzky, Austin’s Michael Anthony Rome and Boerne’s Jake Stevenson are at 1-under 71.

The Legends Junior Tour Championship staff shortened the championship to 36 holes once play was suspended for the day. Play will resume at 8:00 AM on Friday for players that started their second round on Thursday. Tee times for the second wave of the second round begin at 10:00 AM on Friday and continue until 11:30 AM.

This is the first time in more than 10 years that the Texas State Junior Championship has been shortened due to rain. Past champions of this championship include Ben Crenshaw, Jeff Maggert, Scott Verplank, Clay Hodge, Stratton Nolen and Will Griffin.

For more information about the 90^th Texas State Junior Championship, click here.

To see all the scores from the first round, click here

Weather Halts First Round of 90th Texas State Junior Championship

The Woodlands—The opening round of the 90^th Texas State Junior Championship presented by Merrill Lynch saw two separate rain delays, but Richmond’s Logan Pate and Houston’s William Moll finished at 4-under 68. The first round was suspended at 8:20 PM due to darkness and will continue Thursday at 8:00 AM.

The 120-player field was split into two waves of 60 players. The morning wave teed off at 7:30 AM before rain hit. Play was suspended at 9:30 AM due to heavy rain and lightning in the area. Play resumed back at 12:20 PM and players were able to get in almost of hour of play before the horns were blown at 1:30 PM again. The lightning let up at 2:40 PM and
players were let back out on the course for the remainder of the day.

Moll, who teed off at 8:00 AM, started his day with five birdies in his first 16 holes before making bogey on the par-3 eighth hole.  Pate, whose original tee time was 12:30 PM, made six birdies on Wednesday, including three of his last four holes. He shot 32 on the back side at The Woodlands Country Club’s Tournament Course. He tee off at 4:00 and was the last group to finish, nearly four hours and 30 minutes later.

Parker Coody currently sits at 4-under, but the Plano native is only through 16  holes in his opening round. Coody was the runner-up in the Byron Nelson Junior Championship last month. Shuai Ming Wong, who finished behind Coody in the Byron Nelson, is tied with the leaders through 16 holes also.

Zachery Cole of Fort Worth finished his first round 2-under, 70, while Jake Stevenson of Boerne, Jake Kuwitzky of McKinney and Michael Anthony Rome of Austin finished at 1-under 71.

Play will resume at 8:00 AM for those players that did not finish their first round. Tee times for the second round will be delayed one hour and 30 minutes and will start at 9:00 AM off the No. 1 and No. 10 tees.

The Woodlands Country Club is hosting the Texas State Junior Championship after the tournament spent six years at Horseshoe Bay Resort and Country Club. The Tournament Course is host to numerous tournaments throughout the year, including the Insperity Invitational on the Champions Tour.

For more information about the 90^th Texas State Junior Championship, click here.
 

The Woodlands Set to Host 90th Texas State Junior Championship

DALLAS — One of the country’s oldest and largest state junior competitions moves to The Woodlands Country Club on July 25-29, featuring 240 players spread out in four different divisions.
    
The Legends Junior Tour will conduct the 90th playing of the Texas State Junior Championship presented by Merrill Lynch. The field is compiled into four groups: Boys 15-18, Girls 15-18 and Boys and Girls 14 & under. The Boys 15-18 Division will compete on the Tournament Course, while the other three divisions will compete at Panther Trail Golf Course.
 
In the Boys 15-18 division, there were 53 players exempt for the 120-player field. Nearly 200 other boys attempted to qualify for the remaining 67 spots. The Girls 15-18 division features a 60-player field, while there are 48 boys competing in the Boys 14 & Under Division and 12 girls playing in the Girls 14 & Under Division all filled based on the LJT Priority Entry System.
 
The Boys and Girls 15-18 Divisions will be playing 54 holes of stroke play competition. The Boys 15-18 Division will cut to the low 45 players and ties after 36 holes, while the Girls 15-18 Division will cut to the low 27 players and ties after 36 holes. The Boys and Girls 14 & Under Divisions will play 36 holes of stroke play competition over two days.
 
Past champions of this prestigious event include Ben Crenshaw, Bruce Lietzke, Jeff Maggert, Stratton Nolen, Will Griffin, Angela Stanford, Annika Clark and Courtney Dow.
 
This year’s championship features another top-notch field including 12 winners on the Legends Junior Tour already in 2016 and three winners from the 89^th Texas State Junior Championship last year.
 
In the Boys 15-18 Division Jack Anderson of Round Rock is coming off a victory in the Flodder Financial Shootout at the Golf Club at Cinco Ranch. Austin’s Brandon Hoff won the Boys 15-18 Division at the Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic in March, Dallas’ Turner Hosch won the Spring Preview in February and Austin’s Thomas Bockholt III won the Boys 14 & Under Division at the Winter Classic in January.
 
In the Girls 15-18 Division Dallas’ Hailey Jones, who is the defending champion, has won three times in 2016. Jones captured victories at the Winter Classic, the James A. Ragan Memorial and the Collegiate Preview. Kingwood’s Hanna Alberto, who finished runner-up in last year’s Texas State Junior Championship, won the Spring Preview in February. Valerie Routzong of Richmond is coming off a win at the Flodder Financial Shootout and was the winner of the Girls 14 & Under Division in 2015. Sara Camarena of Lake Travis won the Bluebonnet Championship in May, while Macy Fox of Marble Falls won the Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic in March.
 
In the Boys 14 & Under Division Pearland’s Vishnu Sadagopan has won twice, claiming victories at the Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic and the Bluebonnet Championship. Sadagopan finished tied for 27^th at the Byron Nelson Junior Championship last month. Cypress’ Lucas Borrero is coming off a victory at the Flodder Financial Shootout in the Boys 14 & Under Division, while Austin’s Cole Sherwood won the Spring Preview’s Boys 14 & Under Division earlier this year.
 
Runners-up to Mason Greenberg in the Boys 15-18 Division last year were Sam Bennett of Madisonville and Pryce Beshoory of Pearland. Both players are competing in the 90^th Texas State Junior Championship at The Woodlands Country Club this year, along with 2014 runner-up Dalton Hankamer.
 
Jenson Rogenes of Frisco won the Boys 14 & Under Division at last year’s championship and is competing in the Boys 15-18 Division this year. Rogenes finished tied for third in the Boys 15-18 Division at the Winter Classic.
 
Shuai Ming Wong, who is leading the Player of the Year standings in the Boys 15-18 Division has recorded three top-5 finishes on the Legends Junior Tour in 2016. Wong is coming off a third-place finish at the Byron Nelson Junior Championship.
 
Along with points towards the Player of the Year standings, players will have a chance to earn exemptions into future LJT Invitationals as well as AJGA Performance Stars. The top five finishers in the Boys 15-18 Division and the top three finishers in the Girls 15-18 Division will earn “Fully Exempt” status with the AJGA. To see all the AJGA Stars available, click here.
 
Play begins on Monday, July 25, when the Girls 15-18 Division tees off on the Panther Trail Golf Course followed by the Boys and Girls 14 & Under Divisions. The Boys 15-18 Division begins on Wednesday, July 27, at the Tournament Course.
 
For more information about the Boys and Girls 14 & Under Divisions, click here.
 
For more information about the Girls 15-18 Division, click here.
 
For more information about the Boys 15-18 Division, click here.
    
The LJT has administered the prestigious State Junior since 2005.