Watkins, O’Keefe and Miller Win at Lanny Wadkins Junior Champsionship

Briefly: Matthew Watkins of Heath wins the Boys 15-18 Division at 6-under 138 overall. Farah O’Keefe of Austin wins the Girls 12-18 Division by one shot, while Nathan Miller of Dallas wins the Boys 14 & Under Division.

Leaderboard:

Boys 15-18 Division

1. Matthew Watkins, Heath                              138
   2. Seth Bearden, Crowell                               140
   3. Matthew Comegys, Plano                         141
   T4. Daniel Moon, Temple                             143
   T4. Davis Ovard, Frisco                                 143

Girls 12-18

1. Farah O’Keefe, Austin                                    150
   2. Alise Knudson, Dallas                                151
   T3. Delaney Martin, Boerne                          152
   T3. Halle Whitney, Magnolia                        152
   5. Allyn Stephens, Houston                           153

Boys 14 & Under

1. Nathan Miller, Dallas                                     141
   2. Finn Burkholder, The Woodlands           147
   3. Rhett O’Rear, Plano                                    151
   4. Brooks Harper, Dallas                               153
   5. Elijah Estonilo, Allen                                 154

 

Winners: Matthew Watkins recorded rounds of 70-68 to win the Boys 15-18 Division by two shots. Watkins recorded 10 birdies over two days and played the front nine at 6-under par for the event. Farah O’Keefe birdied 18 on the final day to win by one in the Girls 12-18 Division. With her win, O’Keefe earns and exemptions in the Volunteers of America Classis Girl’s Match Play Championship on September 4-6 at Old American Golf Club. Nathan Miller posted rounds of 70-71 to earn his first LJT victory in the Boys 14 & Under Division. He tallied nine birdies over the two days to secure a six-shot victory.

In Contention: Crowell’s Seth Bearden finished in solo second at 4-under 140, thanks to a final round score of 3-under 69, which included three birdies and an eagle. Plano’s Matthew Comegys used two eagles in is final six holes to finish the tournament in solo third at 3-under 141. Playing up in the Boys 15-18 Division, Frisco’s Davis Ovard tied for fourth with Temple’s Daniel Moon at 1-under 143. Alise Knudson of Dallas finished runner up in the Girls 12-18 Division at 7-over 151. Delaney Martin of Boerne and Magnolia’s Halle Whitney finished tied for third at 8-over 152. Rounding out the top five is Houston’s Allyn Stephens at 9-over 153. The Woodlands’ Finn Burkholder used a final round 69 to finish second in the Boys 14 & Under Division at 3-over 147. Rhett O’Rear of Plano finishes in third at 7-over 151. Brooks Harper of Dallas and Allen’s Elijah Estonilo rounded out the top five at 9-over 153 and 10-over 154 respectively.

Golf Course: Brookhaven Country Club features three unique courses that were designed by Byron Nelson and Press Maxwell in 1958. The Masters Course is hosting the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship for the second straight year and stretches out to 6,900 yards in the Boys 15-18 Division, 6,500 yards in the Boys 14 & Under Division and 6,000 yards in the Girls 12-18 Division.

Weather: After a cool and cloudy morning, temperatures crept up above 94 degrees with blue skies and mild winds.

Tournament Format: The Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship is a 36-hole stroke-play event for players ages 12-19 that have an active membership with the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. The event is divided into three divisions: Boys 15-18, Boys 14 & Under and Girls 12-18.

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 and Golfweek.

Next Up: The Legends Junior Tour heads to Hurricane Creek Country Club for the Collegiate Preview on July 6-7. Qualifying for the Texas Junior Amateur Boys Division is currently underway throughout the state.

For more information on the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship, click here. To see all the scores from Brookhaven Country Club, click here.

Crowded Leaderboards at Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship

Briefly: Frisco’s Davis Ovard, Mansfield’s Cameron Beck, and Heath’s Matthew Watkins are all tied atop the leaderboard at 2-under 70 in the Boys 15-18 Division. In the Girls 12-18 Division, Alise Knudson of Dallas, Magnolia’s Halle Whitney, and Frisco’s Caroline Kent are all tied for the lead after rounds of 4-over 76. Nathan Miller of Dallas fires a 2-under 70 to take the first round lead in the Boys 14 & Under Division.

Leaderboard:

Boys 15-18 Division

T1. Davis Ovard, Frisco                         70
T1. Matthew Watkins, Heath               70
T1. Cameron Beck, Mansfield              70
4. Seth Bearden, Crowell                      69
5. Sam Dossey, Austin                           72

Girls 12-18

T1. Alise Knudson, Dallas                     76
T1. Halle Whitney, Magnolia                76
T1. Caroline Kent, Frisco                        76
T4. Lauren Rios, Coppell                        77
T4. Farah O’Keefe, Austin                      77

Boys 14 & Under

1. Nathan Miller, Dallas                             70
   2. Christian Clanton, Trophy Club       77
   T3. David Kramp, Dallas                        78
   T3. Rhett O’Rear, Plano                         78
   T3. Finn Burkholder, The Woodlands 78

 

In Contention: Seth Bearden of Crowell trails the Boys 15-18 Division leaders by one after posting a round of 1-under 71. Austin’s Sam Dossey made six birdies on the day to post an even par round of 72 and round out the top 5 after round one. Lauren Rios of Coppell, Farah O’Keefe of Austin, and Plano’s Ellie Roth all sit one shot back of the leaders after posting rounds of 5-over 77. Trophy Club’s Christian Clanton sits seven shots back after a first round score of 5-over 77. Dallas’s David Kramp and Brooks Harper are tied for third with Plano’s Rhett O’Rear and The Woodland’s Finn Burkholder at 6-over 78.

Golf Course: Brookhaven Country Club features three unique courses that were designed by Byron Nelson and Press Maxwell in 1958. The Masters Course is hosting the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship for the second straight year and stretches out to 6,900 yards in the Boys 15-18 Division, 6,500 yards in the Boys 14 & Under Division and 6,000 yards in the Girls 12-18 Division.

Tournament Format: The Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship is a 36-hole stroke play event for players ages 12-19 that have a valid membership with a member of the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. The tournament field features 120 players across three divisions: Boys 15-18, Boys 14 & Under and Girls 12-18.

Weather: The first round consisted of windy conditions with players facing winds of 18 mph throughout the day, and gusts of up to 28 mph. After a cool morning, the temperature climbed up towards 93 degrees in the early afternoon.

What’s Next: The final round of the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship is set for Tuesday, June 30. Pairings for the final round were redrawn according to scores from the first round and can be viewed by clicking here

For more information about the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship, click here. To see all the scores from Monday’s action, click here.

Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship Returns to Brookhaven Country Club

FARMERS BRANCH – Brookhaven Country Club’s Masters Course is set to host the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship for the second consecutive year. The field of 120 of the top junior golfers in Texas will take on the par-72 layout from June 29-30.

“We’re excited to be coming back to Brookhaven Country Club for this year’s Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship,” LJT Tournament Coordinator Adam Schulte said. “The Masters Course is a true test of golf and we look forward to a great event.”

The Masters Course is one of three championship courses at Brookhaven Country Club. It was built in 1959 and designed by Press Maxwell with the help of one of golf’s legendary icons, the great Byron Nelson. In the early 1990s, Jeff Brauer renovated the track creating tight landing areas, and now boasts a set of bent-grass greens from work done in 2002. The Masters Course is the most difficult test at the club, and Director of Golf Jeff Anderson is excited for the opportunity to host some of the top juniors in the state.

“We are honored to be a part of the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship,” Anderson said. “The Legends Junior Tour, Texas Golf Association and its Foundation have made a tremendous stride in promoting the game and giving Juniors the opportunity to compete.”

Lanny Wadkins won the 1970 U.S. Amateur Championship and turned professional the following year. He went on to win the 1977 PGA Championship at Pebble Beach in a three-hole sudden-death playoff against Gene Littler. Wadkins also won The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in 1979. He was a perennial member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team, playing on eight teams and winning 20 matches and 21.5 points. Wadkins was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2009.

Michael Heidelbaugh won last year’s championship in the Boys 15-18 Division. Heidelbaugh, a 2020 Texas A&M commit, carded rounds of 70-71 to post 3-under for the championship and two strokes ahead of Cedar Park’s Hanseung Chang. Remington Isaac of Montgomery won the Girls 12-18 Division at 4-over-par 148 overall, while Driftwood’s Grant Yerger defended his 2018 title and won the Boys 14 & Under Division.

Other past champions include Sam Rosenberg, Blaine Hale Jr., Matthew Zampello, Travis McInroe, Ryan Grider, Pierceson Coody, Grace Do, Amber Wang and Callie Scheffler.

The LJT staff continues to monitor the health and safety guidelines from government officials in regards to the Covid-19 pandemic. Following new strict health guidelines, the LJT has successfully managed two safe and competitive championships in June (the Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship and Flodder Financial Shootout). The LJT is committed to another safe and successful week at Brookhaven Country Club.

In total, seven events have been played this season. With eight tournaments remaining on the 2020 calendar, the race for the LJT Player of the Year is starting to heat up. Ethan Fang leads the Boys 15-18 Division, Trent Mierl leads the Boys 14 & Under Division and Summer Lee leads the Girls 12-18 Division. The Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship will offer player of the year points to the top half of each division. For full LJT Player of the Year standings, click here.

Along with LJT Player of the Year Points, players are competing for exemptions into LJT Invitational events. The winner of the Boys 15-18 Division will earn an exemption into the George Hannon Junior Invitational and the 2021 Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship. The top three finishers will earn an exemption into this year’s Texas Junior Amateur. In the Girls 12-18 Division, the champion will earn a spot in the George Hannon Junior Invitational, while the top three will earn an exemption into the 2021 Texas Girls’ Invitational.

For more information about the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship, click here.