Harper, Kim and Jackson Win the Fall Challenge

Briefly: Luke Harper of Dallas cruised in with a 67 on the final day to finish the tournament at 8-under par and secure the Boys Division of the Fall Challenge at Nutcracker Golf Club in Granbury. Ashley Kim of Westlake won the Girls Division at 4-under, while Henry Jackson from Lantana won the Boys 14 & Under Division at 2-under.  This was the first Legends Junior Tour win for all three champions.

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Division Winners: Luke Harper eagled the 16^th hole and followed that up with a birdie on the 17^th hole to pull away from a tight field of golfers to finish the tournament at 8-under 136. The first time LJT winner showed the poise of a champion down the stretch. In the Girls Division, Ashley Kim fired a 3-under par round of 69 to finish with a 3-stroke victory.  Ashley was 4-under par on her first nine holes, including an eagle on the 11^th hole.  She finished the tournament with a statement birdie on her final hole to post 4-under par 140. Henry Jackson played steady golf over both days of the event and was the only player in his division to shoot under par in each round.  Jackson posted matching 71’s to finish the tournament at 2-under par 142.

Top Finishers: In the Boys Division, finishing in a three way tie for second was Blake Taylor of Mansfield, Austin Hofferkamp of The Woodlands and San Antonio’s Matt Pawly who all finished the tournament at 6-under par 138.  Rounding out the top 5 was Southlake’s Jason Lew who finished at 5 -under par 139. In the Girls Division, Lauren Madson of Arlington finished second at 1-under par, while Prosper’s Lucy Kate Smith and Dallas’s Adrienne Ahn wound up in a tie for third at 1-over. In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Austin’s Luciano Follmer and College Station’s Ryan Lee finished in a tie for second two strokes behind the leader. Houston’s Mason An wound up fourth with a 4-over per total of 148.

Golf Course: Nutcracker Golf Club, located in Granbury, TX is hosting the Fall Challenge for the first time. It was designed by Lee Singletary and opened in 1992. The course was initially carved out of the Leonard Bend Pecan Orchard and still features those same Pecan trees which line its fairways.  The course will play to 6805 yards in the Boys 15-18 Division, 6,495 yards in the Boys 14 & Under Division and 5,944 yards in the Girls 12-18 Division.

Weather: Temperatures started in the lower 60s for the final round and crept up into the mid 80s. Bright sunshine and a light breeze made for perfect conditions.

Tournament Format: The Fall Challenge is a 36-hole stroke play event with players ages 12-18 that have an active membership within the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. The 84-player field is split into a Boys Division, Girls Division and a Boys 14 & Under Division.

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 Corpus Christi for the James A. Ragan Memorial on Oct. 9-10. The 84-player field will take on the Lozano Golf Center as players continue to position themselves for Player of the Year and Jackie Burke Cup team places.

For more information on the Fall Challenge, click here.

Campbell, Ahn and Jackson Lead Fall Challenge

Briefly: Eli Walker Campbell of Richmond fired a 6-under 66 in the opening round of the Fall Challenge and leads the Boys Division by one stroke at The Nutcracker Golf Club in Granbury. Dallas’s Adrienne Ahn leads the Girls Division after shooting 2-under 70 on Saturday, while Lantana’s Henry Jackson leads the Boys 14 & Under Division at 1-under.

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Leaders: Eli Walker Campbell made four birdies and an eagle on the par 5 sixteenth to get to 6-under overall and one stroke lead in the Boys 15-18 Division. Campbell started his day on the back nine and blistered that side with a 5 under par 31.  He leveled out on the front nine posting eight straight pars until his birdie on the par 5 ninth to finish with a bogey free 66.  Adrienne Ahn holds a one-stroke lead in the Girls Division after shooting 2-under 70 in the first round. She played a solid round coupling four birdies with only 2 bogeys. Henry Jackson holds a slim 2 shot lead in the Boys 14 & Under Division after shooting 1-under on Saturday. Jackson made four birdies against 3 bogeys in his first round.  His late birdie on the picturesque par 3 seventeenth hole got him under par for the day.

In Contention: In the Boys Division, Matt Pawley fired a 5 under par 67 to trail Campbell by one stroke. Elijah Estonilo birdied his last 2 holes to finish the day at 4 under par 68 and is 2 strokes behind the leader. Three players are tied for fourth at 3-under including Jason Lew Southlake, Luke Harper of Dallas and Austin Hofferkamp of The Woodlands.  In the Girls Division, Ashley Kim of Westlake trails Ahn after shooting 1-under 71 at The Nutcracker Golf Club.  Lauren Madison of Arlington sits in third place at even-par, while Camille Pazouki of San Antonio, Raleygh Simpson of Kerrville and Lucy Kate Smith of Prosper are tied for fourth at 2-over. In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Ryan Lee of College Station sits 2 back at 1-over par 73 with Luciano Follmer of Austin at one stroke behind him at 2-over par 74.

Golf Course: Nutcracker Golf Club, located in Granbury, TX is hosting the Fall Challenge for the first time. It was designed by Lee Singletary and opened in 1992. The course was initially carved out of the Leonard Bend Pecan Orchard and still features those same Pecan trees which line its fairways.  The course will play to 6805 yards in the Boys 15-18 Division, 6,495 yards in the Boys 14 & Under Division and 5,944 yards in the Girls 12-18 Division.

Weather: Temperatures started in the 50s and crept up to the mid-80s under sunny skies. Winds were light as Mother Nature provided the competitors with a perfect day for golf.

Tournament Format: The Fall Challenge is a 36-hole stroke play event with players ages 12-18 that have an active membership within the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. The 84-player field is split into a Boys Division, Girls Division and a Boys 14 & Under Division.

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 Final Round of the Fall Challenge is scheduled for tee times at 8:00 am on Sunday, October 2nd. Pairings for the final round can be found by clicking here. Following Sunday’s play, awards will be handed out to the top finishers of each division along with LJT Player of the Year Points.

For more information on the Fall Challenge, click here.

Cooper, Han and Logis Win Fall Challenge

Briefly: Preston Cooper of Dallas made birdie on the first playoff hole to secure the Boys Division of the Fall Challenge at The Rawls Course. Jiyu Han of Cedar Park won the Girls Division at 2-under, while Nicholas Logis of Austin won the Boys 14 & Under Division at 7-under.

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Division Winners: Preston Cooper was tied with Brian Comegys at 7-under 137 following 36 holes and the two went into a sudden-death playoff to declare the champion. Cooper went first on the par-3 10^th and stuck his tee shot to just inside of 10 feet, while Comegys found the left side of the green about 40 feet away. Comegys lagged up close and tapped in his par, but Cooper left no doubt as his birdie putt went into the middle of the hole. He picked up his first win with the Legends Junior Tour. Jiyu Han played consistent golf in the West Texas winds, carding two rounds of 1-under 71 to get to 2-under overall and two strokes ahead of the Girls Division. Han is the current Girls 12-18 Division Player of the Year leader and picked up her first win of the season on Sunday. Nicholas Logis completed his wire-to-wire victory in the Boys 14 & Under Division, shooting 6-under 66 in the first round and 1-under 71 in the second to get to 7-under overall and four strokes ahead of the field. Logis amassed 10 total birdies in 36 holes.

Top Finishers: In the Boys Division, Austin’s Brian Comegys finished runner-up after falling short in the playoff to Cooper. Comegys posted rounds of 68-69 to get to 7-under overall and missed his birdie putt in the playoff by inches. Sam Dossey, who has won the last two Boys Divisions at LJT events, finished third at 6-under, while Andrew Tan and Jonathan Kim finished tied for fourth at 5-under. In the Girls Division, Grace Frei of The Colony finished second at even-par, while McKinney’s Jenna Madden finished third at 1-over. Emma Von Hoffmann and Estelle Seon tied for fourth in the division. In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Luke Colton of Frisco finished second, followed by Dallas’ Reese Roberts in third and three players tied for fourth. 

Golf Course: The Rawls Course at Texas Tech has hosted the Fall Challenge the last two times. The Rawls Course was designed by Tom Doak and opened in 2003. The course features wide fairways and contoured greens, stretching out to 7,000 yards in the Boys 15-18 Division, 6,500 yards in the Boys 14 & Under Division and 5,900 yards in the Girls 12-18 Division.

Weather: The winds picked up on Sunday as they stayed around 20 miles per hour throughout the day with gusts upwards of 30 mph. Temperatures started in the 60s for the final round and crept up into the low 80s with the sun shining.

Tournament Format: The Fall Challenge is a 36-hole stroke play event with players ages 12-18 that have an active membership within the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. The 84-player field is split into a Boys Division, Girls Division and a Boys 14 & Under Division.

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 Corpus Christi for the James A. Ragan Memorial on Oct. 10-11. The 84-player field will take on Corpus Christi Country Club as players continue to position themselves for Player of the Year and Jackie Burke Cup team places.

For more information on the Fall Challenge, click here.

Dossey, Madden and Logis Lead Fall Challenge

Briefly: Sam Dossey of Austin fired a 7-under 65 in the opening round of the Fall Challenge and leads the Boys Division by two strokes at The Rawls Course in Lubbock. McKinney’s Jenna Madden leads the Girls Division after shooting 2-under 70 on Saturday, while Nicholas Logis leads the Boys 14 & Under Division at 6-under.

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Leaders: Sam Dossey made seven birdies in his final nine holes to get to 7-under overall and two strokes ahead in the Boys 15-18 Division. Dossey started his day with a bogey on the par-3 10^th and got back to even-par with a birdie on No. 16. After making the turn at even-par he fired off five straight birdies on holes one through five followed by two pars and finished with a birdie on the par-4 eighth and another on the par-5 ninth. Jenna Madden holds a one-stroke lead in the Girls Division after shooting 2-under 70 in the first round. She made seven birdies, including three in her first five holes, including starting the day with a birdie on the par-4 first. Nicholas Logis holds a five-stroke lead in the Boys 14 & Under Division after shooting 6-under on Saturday. Logis made seven birdies in his first round, including five straight on holes No. 7-11. He kicked in two late birdies, one on the par-3 16^th and another on the par-5 17^th, to get to 6-under.   

In Contention: In the Boys Division, Hugh Donegan of Austin and Preston Cooper of Dallas trail Dossey by two strokes after shooting 5-under 67 in the first round. Five players are tied for fourth at 4-under, including Brian Comegys who won the Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic earlier this year. In total the division had 17 players at even-par or better after the first round. In the Girls Division, Jiyu Han of Cedar Park trails Madden after shooting 1-under 71 at The Rawls Course. Grace Frei of The Colony sits in third place at even-par, while Emma Von Hoffmann of Spicewood, Estelle Seon of Carrollton and Adrienne Ahn of Dallas are tied for fourth at 1-over. In the Boys 14 & Under Division, current player of the year leader Rhett O’Rear of Plano is tied with Frisco’s Luke Colton and Dallas’ Reese Roberts for second at 1-under. Austin Hofferkamp and Brooks Simmons are tied for fifth at 1-over.

Golf Course: The Rawls Course at Texas Tech is hosting the Fall Challenge for the second time in the last three years. The course was designed by Tom Doak and opened in 2003 and is truly a unique experience in the plains of West Texas. The course features wide fairways and contoured greens, stretching out to 7,000 yards in the Boys 15-18 Division, 6,500 yards in the Boys 14 & Under Division and 5,900 yards in the Girls 12-18 Division.

On a Roll: Sam Dossey is seeking his third straight win on the Legends Junior Tour after winning the George Hannon Junior Invitational in August and the North Texas Classic earlier this month. Dossey is currently in second in the LJT Player of the Year standings for the Boys 15-18 Division, trailing Trevor Algya by 278 points.

Weather: Temperatures started in the 60s and crept up to the mid-80s once the sun started to come out. Winds were steady around 10 miles per hour throughout the day, providing a good day for golf.

Tournament Format: The Fall Challenge is a 36-hole stroke play event with players ages 12-18 that have an active membership within the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. The 84-player field is split into a Boys Division, Girls Division and a Boys 14 & Under Division.

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 Final Round of the Fall Challenge is scheduled for tee times at 8:00 am on Sunday, Sept. 26. Pairings for the final round can be found by clicking here. Following Sunday’s play, awards will be handed out to the top finishers of each division along with LJT Player of the Year Points.

For more information on the Fall Challenge, click here.

Fall Challenge Heads West

ADDISON– The Fall Challenge returns to The Rawls Course in Lubbock after the event wasn’t held in 2020 due to scheduling conflicts. The 84-player event takes on the par-72 layout as players position themselves in the Player of the Year races with the season nearing the end.

This is the second event of the LJT Fall Season after the North Texas Classic crowned three champions earlier this month. The Fall Challenge is open to all players ages 12-18 with an active membership with a Texas Junior Golf Alliance Member. The tournament field was determined using the Legends Junior Tour Priority Entry System.

Boyd Owens of Baton Rouge, Louisiana won the Boys Division in 2019 at The Rawls Course with rounds of 7-70 to get to 7-under overall and four strokes ahead of the field. Frisco’s Caroline Kent won the Girls Division, while Austin’s Kevin Mu won the Boys 14 & Under Division.

The Rawls Course opened in 2003 and is designed by renowned architect Tom Doak. The course was created for Texas Tech University and was designed by taking a flat cotton field on the high plains and creating an entire landscape from scratch. The Rawls Course offers wide fairways and boldly contoured greens as players battle the winds in West Texas.

The Fall Challenge is the 15^th event on the LJT schedule and is one of three remaining in 2021. Top finishers will earn the normal allotment of points for this event and the James A. Ragan Memorial, while Invitational Points will be awarded for the Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational. The LJT Players of the Year will be crowned following the Invitational at Tempest Golf Club and Jackie Burke Cup Teams will be released.

The event will be ranked by Golfweek and Junior Golf Scoreboard along with LJT Player of the Year points. The top finishers will earn exemptions into Invitational events as well as all three LJT Majors in 2022.

Players in the Fall Challenge are all members of the Texas Junior Golf Alliance, which is a joint venture between the Texas Golf Association, the Northern Texas PGA and the Southern Texas PGA. The three have partnered together to create a path for junior golfers to take as they progress towards the next step of competitive golf.  Players compete in the regional tours in the beginning and move up to the state-wide tournaments with the LJT before heading off to compete nationally and at the collegiate level.

Scores will be updated throughout the weekend and can be followed by clicking here. Pairings for the first round will be sent out on Wednesday, Sept. 22. Pairings for the final round will be done according to scores from the first round and sent out Saturday evening.

For more information on the Fall Challenge, click here.

Owens, Kent and Mu Win Divisions at Fall Challenge

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Leaders: Owens earned his first victory in the Boys 15-18 Division by posting rounds of 67-70 and finishing four strokes ahead of the field. He made an eagle on the par-5 second hole and finished the week with two eagles and seven birdies in 36 holes. Kent held a one-stroke lead heading into Sunday’s round and finished one stroke ahead to pick up her first win with the Legends Junior Tour. She shot 5-over 77 in the final round, making birdie on holes two, four and 12. Mu was seven strokes back heading into the final round, but posted a score of 3-under 69 to win the Boys 14 & Under Division and earn his first win with the LJT. He made five birdies on Sunday and finished with seven total birdies in 36 holes.
 
Top Finishers: Shaheen Momin of Sugar Land finished runner-up in the Boys 15-18 Division after shooting rounds of 69-72. Keller’s Clifton Armstrong fired a 4-under 68 on Sunday and finished tied for third with Comfort’s Cooper New at 1-under 143.Lubbock’s Brian Boles finished fifth at 1-over 145, while Lucas Wright and Alex Kopenhaver tied for sixth at 2-over. Estelle Seon, who played in the final group with Kent, finished second in the Girls 12-18 Division at 151 overall. Plano’s Helen Park and Austin’s Emily Mu tied for third at 153, while four others tied for fifth at 154. Dallas’ Andrew Petruzzelli finished behind Mu in the Boys 14 & Under Division at 2-over 146, while Daniel Macias of Austin and Grant Yerger of Driftwood finished tied for third at 153 overall.
 
Weather: Similar to Saturday, the winds were up with an overcast sky for the final round of the Fall Challenge. Wind ranged around 25 miles per hour and gusted upwards of 40 miles per hour while temperatures crept up towards 90 degrees. There was no rain overnight, which allowed the groups to tee off on time.
 
Past Champions: Owens, Kent and Mu join a list of past champions that includes Crosby Guercio, Tucker Allen, Tomek Pickrell, Treed Huang, Hailey Jones and Halle Whitney.
 
Tournament History: The Fall Challenge was created three years ago to fill the demand of more open events on the Legends Junior Tour. The event has posted a strong 84-player field each year and The Rawls Course joins Traditions Club and The Campus Course at Texas A&M as past host sites of this event.
 
Next Up: The Legends Junior Tour will head south to Corpus Christi, Texas for the James A. Ragan Memorial at Corpus Christi Country Club. The 84-player field will take on the Robert Trent Jones Sr. course and be tested by some more windy conditions.
 
For more information on the Fall Challenge, click here.
 

Boyd Owens Fires 67 and Leads Fall Challenge

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Leaders: In the Boys 15-18 Division, Owens went off in the last group off the No. 1 tee and finished with the lowest score of the day. He made four birdies and an eagle on the day with one lone bogey. The eagle came on the par-5 ninth, which was playing into the wind at 539 yards. In the Girls 12-18 Division Kent leads after making five birdies on the day, including a birdie on her final hole, the par-5 18^th. In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Petruzzelli shot 4-under 68 and leads by seven strokes. He made four birdies in the round, but the eagle on No. 11 was his shot of the day. He was 100-yards away and after hitting the green, backed his ball back into the hole for a two on the par-4. Petruzzelli is looking for his second-consecutive victory in the Boys 14 & Under Division after winning the North Texas Classic earlier this month.
 
In Contention: Harlingen’s Mikey Bullock trails Owens in the Boys 15-18 Division by one stroke after shooting 4-under 68 in the first round. Sugar Land’s Shaheen Momin sits in third place at 3-under 69, while Spicewood’s Hunter McDonough and San Antonio’s Garrett Endicott are tied for fourth at 1-under 71. Four more players are tied for sixth at even par and five strokes back of the leader. Emily Mu of Austin trails Kent in the Girls 12-18 Division after shooting 2-over 74 on Saturday. Ally Black, Alexis Escobedo, MacKenzie Moore, Maggie Ni and Estelle Seon are all tied for third in the division at 3-over 75. Austin’s Kevin Mu trails Petruzzelli in the Boys 14 & Under Division at 3-over 75. Austin Hofferkamp of the Woodlands and Trenton Mierl of Austin are tied for third in the division at 6-over 78, while Grant Yerger of Driftwood sits alone in fifth place heading into the final round at 7-over.
 
Golf Course: The Rawls Course at Texas Tech is hosting the Fall Challenge for the first time in the tournament’s history. The Rawls Course was designed by Tom Doak and opened in 2003. The course features wide fairways and stretches out to 7,000 yards in the Boys 15-18 Division, 6,500 yards in the Boys 14 & Under Division and 5,900 yards in the Girls 12-18 Division. The fairways are wide and surrounded by fescue grass along with bunkers all throughout the property. The course sits just north of the Texas Tech University campus and is home to the Men’s and Women’s Golf Teams.  
 
Weather: Rain and lightning hit the Lubbock area around 2:30 am on Saturday and didn’t move on until around 8:00 am. The first round was delayed three hours as crews worked to clear the inch and a half of rain that fell overnight and into the morning. The sun came out around 10:00 am and so did the wind. The breeze was steady around 20 miles per hour throughout the day with gusts reaching up to 30 miles per hour.
 
Next Up: The final round of the Fall Challenge is scheduled to begin at 8:00 am on Sunday, September 29 at The Rawls Course. Players were repaired according to scores from the previous round and sent off the No. 1 and 10 tees. To see the pairings for the Final Round, click here.
 
For more information on the Fall Challenge, click here.
 

Fall Challenge Set for Sept. 28-29

LUBBOCK – The Legends Junior Tour heads to Lubbock for the first time since 2006 as the 84-player field of the Fall Challenge is set to take on The Rawls Course at Texas Tech on Sept. 28-29. 

“We’re excited to move the Fall Challenge out to West Texas and showcase more of the great golf courses throughout the state,” Legends Junior Tour Tournament Director Kevin Porter said. 

In its third year on the Legends Junior Tour schedule, the Fall Challenge will be the first tournament to be hosted in Lubbock since the West Texas Junior in 2006. The Fall Challenge was held at The Golf Club at Texas A&M last year and at The Traditions Club in 2017. 

“The Fall Challenge has become one of the most popular events on the calendar,” Porter said. “The LJT is excited to bring a great field out to The Rawls Course and test the players with a fun layout.” 

The Rawls Course opened in 2003 and was designed by Tom Doak. The renowned golf course architect also designed the world-famous Pacific Dunes in Bandon, Ore. Doak and his team excavated nearly 1.3 million yards of topsoil to sculpt the West Texas cotton field into a completely new landscape. The result was a par-72 championship golf course that can stretch out to 7,349 yards. It features a links-style layout with elevation change of up to 30 feet. 

“We are extremely excited to be involved and host our first Legends Junior Tour Fall Challenge,” The Rawls Course General Manager Greg Winter said. “We are very passionate about junior golf and we like being involved with anything that will help grow the game.” 

Scheduled for 36 holes of stroke play, the field will be split into three divisions: Boys 15-18, Boys 14 & Under and Girls 12-18. LJT Player of the Year points are up for grabs, as well as exemptions into the first annual Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational. The event will be ranked by both Golfweek and Junior Golf Scoreboard. 

At last year’s Fall Challenge, Crosby Guercio of Frisco carded rounds of 70-69 to post the only overall score in red figures and win the Boys 15-18 Division by four strokes. Three-time LJT Player of the Year, Hailey Jones of Dallas, won the Girls 12-18 Division following rounds of 73-74 while Tomek Pickrell of Cypress won the Boys 14 & Under Division. 

With the season’s end drawing near, Player of the Year Points are becoming very important as players jockey for a spot on their respective Jackie Burke Cup teams. There are only three tournaments remaining to earn points before the 2019 Player of the Year is announced for each division. Dallas Hankamer of Temple leads the Boys 15-18, while Lauren Nguyen of Katy leads the Girls 12-18 and Grant Yerger of Driftwood leads the Boys 14 & Under standings. 

Tee times for the first round begin at 8 a.m. off No. 1 and 10 tees on Sept. 28. Final Round pairings will be redrawn according to first round scores and begin at 8 a.m. off No. 1 and 10 tees on Sept. 29. 

For more information about the Fall Challenge at The Rawls Course, click here. 

Guercio, Pickrell and Jones win the Fall Challenge

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Crosby Guercio posted a 2-under round of 69 to win the Boys 15-18 Division of the Fall Challenge at The Golf Club at Texas A&M. Tomek Pickrell won the Boys 14 & Under Division, while Hailey Jones won the Girls 12-18 Division.

Guercio was the only player under par in his division. A bogey on the second hole put the Frisco-native to even par overall through 20 holes. He made a birdie on the 558-yard sixth hole and then made another bogey on the par-4 ninth to turn at 1-over.

On the 10^th hole of the day, Guercio made an eagle three on the 550-yard par-5. That eagle got him back under par for the tournament and he played the final seven holes at 2-under to win by four strokes.

Austin’s Zachary Slayton finished runner-up in the Boys 15-18 Division after matching Guercio’s 2-under 69 on Sunday and finishing at 1-over 143 overall. Spring’s Andrew Spaulding finished third in the division at 2-over 144, while T. Payne Johnson of Shreveport, Louisiana tied with Lake Jackson’s Jacob Borow and Austin’s Thomas Bockholt III, who was the leader of the Boys 15-18 Division Player of the Year Standings entering the Fall Challenge.

First-round leader Hunter McDonough finished tied for seventh along with Joshua Lim, Matthew Spaulding and Matthew Comegys at 4-over 146 overall.

Cypress’ Pickrell played 1-over in the final round after shooting 2-under 69 on Saturday to finish 1-under overall. Pickrell made nine birdies through 36 holes, including three birdies in his final nine holes. This is the first win for Pickrell on the Legends Junior Tour.

Jack Gilbert of Houston finished second in the Boys 14 & Under Division at 3-over 145, while Driftwood’s Grant Yerger finished third at 4-over 146. Dallas’ Ben Delarosa finished fourth in the division after shooting 5-under 66 in the final round, which was the lowest score of the weekend.

Dallas’ Jones picked up her first win of the season with rounds of 73-74. The three-time reigning Girls 12-18 Division Player of the Year made five birdies through two rounds and won by two strokes. Houston’s Zoe Slaughter tied with Richmond’s Valerie Routzong for runner-up in the division.

Katy’s Lauren Nguyen finished fourth, while Elina Sinz and Tillie Glaggett tied for fifth.

The final round was delayed two hours due to wet conditions on the golf course. The Golf Club at Texas A&M received close to four inches of rain overnight after the first round. This was the first time the Golf Club at Texas A&M was hosting the Fall Challenge. The course was opened in 1950 and renovated recently by Texas A&M alum Jeff Blume. The par-71 layout features an exciting 18 holes along with numerous bunkers and rolling fairways.

This is the final open event on the Legends Junior Tour schedule. The tour heads to Fort Worth for the next event, which is the Texas Cup Invitational on November 3-4.

For more information on the Fall Challenge, click here. To see all the scores from this weekend’s action, click here.
 

McDonough, Jones, Pickrell Lead Fall Challenge

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Spicewood’s Hunter McDonough carded a stellar round of 2-under-par 69 in tough playing conditions Saturday afternoon to lead after the first round of the Fall Challenge at The Golf Club at Texas A&M.

Dallas’ Hailey Jones leads the Girls 12-18 division after a 2-over-par 73. Cypress’ Tomek Pickrell leads the Boys 14 & Under division after a 2-under 69 as well. He takes a three-shot lead heading into Sunday’s final round.

Players fought 25-30 mph winds with gusts up to 35 mph Saturday afternoon at The Golf Club at Texas A&M. The Jeff Blume designed golf course sits on the north end of the Texas A&M campus on a relatively open piece of land, allowing winds to whip through the minimal trees on the course.

McDonough started on the 10^th hole, a 550-yard, downwind, par-5. He had an opening par, but carded two birdies on his opening nine, the par-4, 15^th hole and the difficult, par-4 18^th hole. McDonough had another birdie on the par-4, fourth hole, before carding his first and only bogey on the day on the difficult 191-yard, par-3 fifth hole, which played directly into the wind.

McDonough has a small lead, just one shot, over Frisco’s Crosby Guercio and Lake Jackson’s Jacob Borow, who both carded 1-under 70’s in their opening rounds. Jack Lawlor, Matthew Comegys and Patrick Kahanek sit in a tie for fourth place, four shots back of McDonough.

In the Girls 12-18 division, Jones started out steady, carding eight pars and one birdie on her opening nine. She made the turn at 1-under and was even-par heading into the 18^th hole. She made a double-bogey on the 360-yard, uphill, into-the-wind, par 4, but still leads the division.

Jones leads by one shot over Valerie Routzong, who carded a 3-over 74 Saturday afternoon. Tillie Claggett of The Woodlands and Zoe Slaughter of Houston sit in a tie for third place after 4-over 75s.

In the Boys 14 & Under division, Pickrell started out hot, making a birdie on the first hole, a split fairway, par-4. He had two more birdies on the front nine, against two bogeys to go out in 1-under-par. On the back nine, he carded two birdies on the par-5 10^th and the par-3, 14^th holes. After the second birdie, he had four straight pars coming home.

Pickrell leads by three shots heading into Sunday’s final round at The Golf Club at Texas A&M. Grant Yerger sits in second place after a 1-over 72. Houston’s Jack Gilbert is in third place, followed by Drew Wagner            and Tyler Durden tied for fourth place.

The final round is scheduled to begin Sunday morning at 8:00 off the first and 10^th tees. For more information on the Fall Challenge or Legends Junior Tour, visit www.TXGA.org.

For first round results, click here.