Yuan and McMellon lead Collegiate Preview

Briefly: Kaylee Yuan of Joshua, TX leads the Girls Division of the Collegiate Preview after shooting an even- par 142 across 36 holes on Monday. Garrett McMellon of Garland, TX leads the Boys Division at one-under following rounds of 73-68.

Leaders: Joshua’s Kaylee Yuan leads the Girls Division after rounds of 71-71 on Monday. Her even par 71 in the second round consisted of four pars and a birdie on the last hole for the day. She heads into the final round with a substantial lead. In the Boy’s Division, Garland’s Garrett McMellon tallied five birdies across 36 holes on Monday, including a ten-hole stretch to end the second round where he went two-under par. McMellon holds a one-stroke lead going into the final round.

In Contention: In the Boys Division, Garland’s Garrett McMellon sits at the top of the leaderboard after rounds of 73-68. Austin’s Bradley O’Donnell is in second place, one-stroke off the lead. O’Donnell posted rounds of 70-72. Sitting in third place is Asher Vargas of Spring, TX. Vargas carded 76-67, his second-round total being the low round of the day. In the Girls Division, Grace Heiss of Dallas sits at T2 trails after firing an 82-85 on Monday. Grace Kalina of Frisco is also tied for second, after rounds of 83-84.

Golf Course: Shady Valley Country Club was founded in 1959 and was designed by C.H. Wilemon Jr. The par-71 layout is playing to just over 6,400 yards for the Boys Division and nearly 5,900 yards for the Girls Division. Featuring tree lined fairways, water features, and small green complexes, the course demands players hit a variety of different shots.

Weather: Round one opened on a hot morning, with temperatures in the low-90’s for the first tee time. Temperatures ramped up to the upper-90’s as players completed their first round and settled in the low-100’s throughout the second round.

Tournament Format: The Collegiate Preview is a 54-hole stroke-play event for players ages 14-19 that have an active membership with the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. The event is divided into two divisions: Boys and Girls.

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.

Player of the Year Points: 1000 points in the 2023 Player of the Year Point Race are up for grabs this week at the Collegiate Preview. Points are awarded at each tournament to the top half of each age division. 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, Golfweek, and WAGR.

Next Up: The Final Round of the Collegiate Preview is set to begin at 7:30 am off the No. 1 tee at Shady Valley Country Club on Tuesday, June 27th.

For more information on the Collegiate Preview, click here. To see all the scores from the Collegiate Preview at Shady Valley Country Club, click here.

Collegiate Preview Heads to Shady Valley Country Club

ARLINGTON – The Legends Junior Tour’s Collegiate Preview heads to Shady Valley Country Club for the first time in the tournament’s tenth year on June 26-27. The tournament is modeled after a collegiate-style event with players competing in 36 holes on the first day and 18 holes on the second day.

“We’re excited to take this event to Shady Valley Country Club for the first time,” LJT Tournament Director Scott Davidson said. “The field will be tested by the course and the format will mirror that of a collegiate event, which will help them prepare for the next level.”

This prestigious junior tournament was first played in 2014 at Ridgewood Country Club in Waco. Hurricane Creek Country Club hosted the event in 2020 after Mira Vista Country Club in 2019 and Cimarron Hills Country Club in 2018. Van Zandt Country Club hosted the event last year and Lantana Golf Club hosted in 2021.

The Collegiate Preview is restricted to players 14 years and older who are members of the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. It is a 54-hole event that is ranked nationally by Junior Golf Scoreboard, Golfweek and the World Amateur Golf Rankings. The tournament features a Boys and a Girls Division and offers extra points towards the LJT Player of the Year Standings.

Reese Roberts of Dallas was crowned champion of the Boys Division in last year’s event after finishing at 12-under for the tournament. Roberts won by three shots over Kingwood’s Andrew Tucker. Tyler’s Sidney Robertson won the Girls Division at 11-over and was three strokes ahead of the field.

Reese Roberts and Sidney Robertson joined a list of past champions that include Ryan Grider, Hailee Cooper, Elina Sinz, Garrett Martin, Hailey Jones, Crosby Guercio and Shaheen Momin.

Along with LJT Player of the Year Points, players are competing for exemptions into LJT Invitational events like the 97th Texas Junior Amateur at White Bluff Resort on July 24-26 and the George Hannon Junior Invitational at UT Golf Club on Aug. 7-8.

You can view the pairings by clicking here. The final round pairings will be redrawn according to scores from the first two rounds and will begin on Tuesday at 8:00 am.

For more information on the Collegiate Preview, click here.

Algya and Biediger Win at Collegiate Preview

Briefly: Trevor Algya of Highland Village won the Boys Division of the Collegiate Preview after making birdie on the second playoff hole at Lantana Golf Club. Sophie Biediger of Dallas won the Girls Division at 5-under overall.

Tournament Leaderboard

Winners: Trevor Algya shot 5-under 67 in the final round to get to 6-under overall and into a three-way tie atop the Boys Division. The sudden-death playoff was held on Lantana’s 18^th hole and his birdie on the second playoff hole secured his victory. Sophie Biediger clinched her first victory with the Legends Junior Tour after capping off a wire-to-wire victory in the Girls Division. She finished at 5-under-par and eight strokes ahead of the field. Biediger made 11 birdies in 54 holes.

Top Finishers: In the Boys Division, Austin’s Sam Dossey and Dallas’ Reese Roberts finished tied for second after falling short to Algya in the playoff. Garland’s Sam Jenkins and Austin’s Trenton Mierl Finished tied for fourth, while Austin’s Tyler Blackwell and Dripping Springs’ Tanner Wardlaw finished tied for sixth. In the Girls Division, Mallorie Luitwieler of Katy finished second at 3-over, followed by Granbury’s Mason Lewis in third, then Coppell’s Lauren Rios and Spicewood’s Emma Von Hoffmann in a tie for fourth.

Golf Course: Lantana Golf Club was founded in 2002 and the course was designed by Jay and Carter Morrish. The par-72 layout is playing to almost 6,800 yards in the Boys Division and 5,800 yards in the Girls Division. Inspired by the beauty of Texas Hill Country, the course maximizes the wooded terrain and natural beaty of the land. The signature hole on the course is the par-3 15th

Weather: The weather turned out to be great on Tuesday with temperatures in the mid-80s and the sun shining throughout the afternoon. The wind was steady around 10 miles per hour.

Tournament Format: The Collegiate Preview is a 54-hole stroke-play event for players ages 14-19 that have an active membership with the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. The event is divided into two divisions: Boys and Girls.

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 Oakmont Country Club for the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship on July 12-13. Qualifying for the 95^th Texas Junior Amateur is going on across the state and the Texas Junior Amateur returns to The Clubs of Kingwood on July 26-28.

For more information on the Collegiate Preview, click here. To see all the scores from Lantana Golf Club, click here.

Biediger and Mierl lead Collegiate Preview

Briefly: Sophie Biediger leads the Girls Division of the Collegiate Preview after shooting 2-under across 36 holes on Monday. Trenton Mierl leads the Boys Division, but still has two holes to play in his second round at Lantana Golf Club.

Tournament Leaderboard

Tournament Update: The Collegiate Preview faced a two hour and 10 minute weather delay during the second round, which was suspended due to darkness at 8:42 pm. The second round will be completed at 7:30 am on Tuesday and players will then proceed into their third round.

Leaders: Dallas’ Sophie Biediger leads the Girls Division after rounds of 74-68 on Monday. Her 4-under in the second round consisted of four birdies and no bogeys and she leads by three strokes heading into the Final Round. Austin’s Mierl tallied 10 birdies across 34 holes on Monday and leads by one over Connor Adams, while is the clubhouse leader at 7-under.

In Contention: In the Boys Division, Connor Adams holds the clubhouse lead after posting rounds of 65-71. The 7-under 65 was the lowest score on Monday and featured seven birdies with no bogeys. Garlands’ Sam Jenkins is in third at 6-under with two holes left to play in the second round, while Tyler Blackwell is in third and three players are tied for fifth. Defending champion Sam Dossey is tied for eighth with three other players at 3-under. In the Girls Division, Mallorie Luitwieler of Katy trails the leader at 1-over-par overall. Grace Frei of The Colony is tied for third along with Aubrey Tucker of Rockwall and Landry Saylor of Dallas. Mason Lewis sits in sixth place, followed by Kodi Nolen in seventh and three players tied for eighth.

Golf Course: Lantana Golf Club was founded in 2002 and the course was designed by Jay and Carter Morrish. The par-72 layout is playing to almost 6,800 yards in the Boys Division and 5,800 yards in the Girls Division. Inspired by the beauty of Texas Hill Country, the course maximizes the wooded terrain and natural beaty of the land. The signature hole on the course is the par-3 15th

Weather: Temperatures ranged in the mid to high 80s throughout the morning, but the sun was out for players during the first round. Rain and lightning swept into the area around 3:00 pm and caused a two hour and 10 minute delay during the second round.

Tournament Format: The Collegiate Preview is a 54-hole stroke-play event for players ages 14-19 that have an active membership with the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. The event is divided into two divisions: Boys and Girls.

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: 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, Golfweek, and WAGR.

Next Up: The Final Round of the Collegiate Preview is set to begin at 8:00 am off the No. 1 and 10 tees at Lantana Golf Club on Tuesday, June 29.

For more information on the Collegiate Preview, click here. To see all the scores from Lantana Golf Club, click here.