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.

Collegiate Preview Heads to Lantana Golf Club

LANTANA – The Legends Junior Tour’s Collegiate Preview moves to Lantana Golf Club for the first time in the tournament’s eighth year. 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.

Lantana Golf Club has hosted the Byron Nelson Championship Pre-Qualifying for the last eight years and PGA Q-School for the last 14 years. The club is characterized by its unique architecture and breathtaking natural setting and was designed by Jay and Carter Morrish.

“We’re excited to take this event to Lantana Golf Club for the first time,” LJT Tournament Manager Adam Schulte 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 last year’s event after Mira Vista Country Club in 2019 and Cimarron Hills Country Club in 2018.

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.

Austin’s Sam Dossey and Mexico’s Alejandro Gonzalez were co-champions of the Boys Division in last year’s event, which was weather shortened down to 18 holes. Both players shot 4-under through lightning delays and a suspension to darkness. Plano’s Melena Barrientos won the Girls Division at 4-under and was five strokes ahead of the field.

Dossey, Gonzalez and Barrientos 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 95^th Texas Junior Amateur at The Clubs of Kingwood on July 26-28 and the George Hannon Junior Invitational at UT Golf Club on Aug. 9-10.

Tee Times for the first and second rounds will be published on the TXGA website on Friday, June 25. 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.

Dossey, Gonzalez, and Barrientos Win Divisions at Weather Shortened Collegiate Preview

Briefly: For the first time in Legends Junior Tour history, Austin’s Sam Dossey and Queretaro’s Alejandro Gonzalez both claim the title of co-champions in the Boys Division after posting rounds of 4-under 68. Melena Barrientos of Plano wins the Girls Division by five shots, after a round of 4-under 68.

Leaderboard:

Boys Division

1. Sam Dossey, Austin                                       68
   1. Alejandro Gonzalez, Queretaro               68
   3. Sam Bumgardner, Fort Worth                 69
   T4. Wil Griffin, Hot Springs                          70
   T4. Cody Winkler, McKinney                       70
   T4. Nicholas Hance, Irving                           70

Girls Division

1. Melena Barrientos, Plano                             68
   2.Gabrielle Roth, Austin                                73
   3. Annika Saidleman, Austin                        74
   T4. Sydney Williams, Frisco                         75
   T4. Sophie Biediger, Dallas                           75
   T4. Alise Knudson, Dallas                              75

Winners: Both Sam Dossey and Alejandro Gonzalez earn their first Legends Junior Tour victory at Hurricane Creek Country Club. Dossey recorded six birdies on his round, including three of the four par fives. Gonzalez birdied his final hole of the round to finish tied with Dossey atop the leaderboard.  In the Girls Division, Plano’s Melena Barrientos cruised to a five-shot victory after posting a 4-under 68. Barrientos made five birdies on the day, also claiming her first Legends Junior Tour victory.

In Contention: Fort Worth’s Sam Bumgardner finished solo third at 3-under 69. Bumgardner birdied three of his last four holes to climb up the leaderboard. Cody Winkler of McKinney, Nicholas Hance of Irving, and Hot Springs’s Wil Griffin all finished tied for fourth at 2-under 70. Griffin finished strong and birdied his final two holes to finish in the top five. Winkler carded a bogey-free round, while Hance made five birdies and an eagle on his round. Austin’s Gabrielle Roth posted a round of 1-over 73 to finish in solo second. Annika Saidleman of Austin finishes in third after recording a round of 2-over 74. Sophie Biediger of Frisco, and Dallas’s Sydney Williams and Alise Knudson all finished tied for fourth at 3-over 75.

Golf Course: Hurricane Creek Country Club was designed by Leon Howard in 1968 and features bent grass greens with tree-lined fairways of 419 Bermuda grass. While the basic layout of the course has remained intact, significant improvements have been made over the past decade that make Hurricane Creek as striking to the eye as it is challenging to your golf game.

Weather: The second round was cancelled, and the first round was resumed Tuesday morning, as lightning delays forced play to be suspended on Monday evening. Tuesday featured a cool and cloudy morning that opened up to a sunny afternoon with temperatures that climbed into the high 80’s.

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.

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 Legends Junior Tour travels to Horseshoe Bay Resort for the 94^th Texas Junior Amateur on July 27-29. Qualifying for the Texas Junior Amateur Boys Division throughout the state wraps up next week.

For more information on the Collegiate Preview, click here. To see all the scores from Hurricane Creek Country Club, click here.