Salome leads after First Round at 15th Texas Girls’ Invitational

BULLARD – Rylee Salome, a senior from Los Lunas, NM finished with a 2-over 73 on Saturday afternoon to separate herself from the field. The first LJT Girls’ major of the year was welcomed with cold weather in the 40s and strong wind gusts.

“I felt good. It was windy and cold, but I missed in good spots, and I had a few good ups and downs that helped my round,” said Salome.

Her opening round 73, put her 4 shots ahead of the next competitor in a talent-loaded field. She does not shy away from the tough competition though. Salome won the 4A New Mexico State Championship last year after winning the NM-WT Women’s Amateur the year before at just 15 years old.

“I slow everything down and make sure to keep my tempo and when I miss, I miss in the right spots. You don’t want to miss where you can’t get up and down,” said Salome.

Chasing Salome is Junior Riya Bapna of Coppell after a first-round 5-over 76. Daniela Sitompul of McKinney is in third after a 6-over 77.  A notable group to watch today featured some familiar individuals to the LJT and Texas Golf Association. Dresden Bounds of San Antonio is currently in an eight-way tie for fourth fresh off her LJT Winter Classic win. In the same group was Sydney Givens who finished runner-up at this same course for last year’s 102^nd Women Texas Amateur.

The conditions today played the biggest factor in every player’s round today. The temperature for the first tee time was in the high 30s with a slight breeze. After all players had teed off, temperatures rose into the middle 40’s where it remained for the rest of the day. The max wind speed was 17mph with a consistent wind of around 10mph.

The par-4 18th hole was the toughest on the course today with an average score of 5.30. The hole was blowing left to right all day leaving difficult shots into the green that sits beside a pond.

The Texas Girls’ Invitational, the of two majors for the girls on the LJT schedule is the first 54-hole format of the year.

The Second Round of the Texas Girls’ Invitational is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 18^th with tee times beginning on the No. 1 and No. 10 tee at 9 A.M. due to imminent frost on the course.

For more information on the Texas Girls’ Invitational, click here.

Adrienne Ahn Wins Texas Girls’ Invitational

VICTORIA – Dallas’ Adrienne Ahn won the 14th Texas Girls’ Invitational on Monday with a final round of even par 72. The class of 2025 sophomore captured her first LJT Major Championship victory by three strokes at Victoria Country Club.

Ahn entered Monday’s final round two shots behind the lead but grabbed the lead by the 7th hole. She played steady golf by making par on her first 11 holes. Ahn made a bogey on the par-3 12th hole but followed it up with back to back birdies.

Ahn was unflappable down the stretch and is continuing her great play from last year. The 2022 LJT Girls Player of the Year has started her 2023 campaign in spectacular fashion.

“I really didn’t think that much,” Ahn said of how she was able to capture the victory. “I didn’t expect anything. I just tried to play my best and learn new things and see what I can improve on for my next tournament.”

After finishing in a tie for 20^th last year, Ahn was determined to play better. And that she did.

“It means a lot,” Ahn said of winning the Texas Girls’ Invitational. “I didn’t play well last year, and I just wanted to play better. I never thought I would win so it really means a lot to me.”

36-hole leader, Chiara Brambilla of Southlake, finished in a three-way tie for second after a final round 5-over 77. Joining Brambilla at 3-over for the Championship, and tied for second, were Kerrville’s Raleygh Simpson and Plano’s Summer Lee. Ralyegh made a strong final round push by carding a 3-under 69.

Rounding out the top five was Austin’s Breanna Hoese at 9-over for the Championship. The Woodlands’ Veronika Exposito placed sixth at 6-over for the week. Montgomery’s Addison Surber and San Antonio’s Michelle Lee finished in a tie for seventh at 13-over.

This was the first LJT event to be played at Victoria CC. Originally built by E.L. Grunder as a nine-hole course in 1924, the current eighteen-hole layout was redesigned by Joe Finger. The course played at 5,930 yards in the final round.

The Texas Girls’ Invitational is a 54-hole stroke-play event for girls and played as the first Major Tournament on the Legends Junior Tour Schedule. Players earned their way into the field by playing in Texas Junior Golf Alliance Events.

Monday’s weather at Victoria Country Club started out with fog and a light drizzle. Temperatures rose as high as 80 degrees as the Championship concluded.

A special thanks to Victoria Country Club and their wonderful staff for serving as host of this year’s Championship.

To see the final results from Victoria Country Club, click here. For more information on the Texas Girls’ Invitational, click here.

Brambilla Takes Lead at Texas Girls’ Invitational

VICTORIA – Southlake’s Chiara Brambilla fired a 4-under 68 to take control of the Texas Girls’ Invitational at Victoria Country Club on Sunday. Her round is the lowest of the tournament thus far and only the second score under par. The class of 2024 junior is 7-under in her last 27 holes of the Major Championship.

Brambilla’s Sunday scorecard featured four birdies and no blemishes. At 2-under through 36 holes, she will take a two-shot lead into Monday’s final round of the 54-hole girls-only Major Championship. The putter has been the key to success for Brambilla.

“I put myself in good spots on the fairway and we got moved up on the par 5’s,” Brambilla said. “I had good chances to get there in two. I made a lot more putts than yesterday and it just led to a 4-under.”

After starting the Championship 6-over in her first seven holes, Brambilla’s play has been spectacular. She will look to maintain that momentum tomorrow in hopes of capturing her first LJT Major Championship. Brambilla recently won the LJT Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational last fall.

“The plan is to hit the same number of fairways, give myself some opportunities, and make putts,” Brambilla said of her plan heading into Monday’s final round.

Round one leader Adrienne Ahn trails Brambilla by two strokes after carding a second round 1-over 73. She sits at even-par for the Championship and is also seeking her first LJT Major victory.

“It was a bit of a struggle today,” Ahn said of her second round. “I kept on missing some short putts, so I am going to go work on that later. I’m hoping that I can fix my putter mistakes and play better tomorrow.”

Sitting seven shots off the lead in a three-way tie for third is Austin’s Claire Wan, Plano’s Summer Lee, and Breanna Hoese of Austin. This trio at 5-over for the Championship will look to make a major Monday move in hopes of capturing a comeback win.

Kerrville’s Raleygh Simpson shot an even par 72 to vault herself into sixth place and eight shots behind the lead heading into Monday’s final round.

This is the first LJT event to be played at Victoria CC. Originally built by E.L. Grunder as a nine-hole course in 1924, the current eighteen-hole layout was redesigned by Joe Finger. The course played at 5,929 yards in Sunday’s second round.

The weather at Victoria Country Club warmed up significantly during Sunday’s second round. Temperatures reached as high as 78 degrees and the field took advantage. Monday’s final round is forecasted for another day of great weather.

Monday’s final round will begin off the No. 1 and No. 10 tees starting at 8:00 AM. To see all the pairings, click here.

To see all the scores from the first two rounds, click here. For more information on the Texas Girls’ Invitational, click here.

Ahn Leads Texas Girls’ Invitational

VICTORIA – Adrienne Ahn of Dallas fired a 1-under 71 in the first round of the 14th Texas Girls’ Invitational to take the early lead at Victoria Country Club on Saturday.

Ahn rolled in five birdies en route to the only even par or better round of the day. Her birdies came on holes 4, 7, 11, 13, and 18. The 2022 LJT Girls Player of the Year has continued her stellar play from last year and will look to carry that momentum through the rest of this Championship.

“Well, I had an interesting practice round yesterday,” Ahn said. “So, today I was like let’s just try to get my shots mostly on the green and try to make pars because it’s extremely hard to putt here. Luckily, I was able to read my putts well. I had some birdies and some bogeys, but I’m still really happy with my score today.”

The Texas Girls’ Invitational is a 54-hole stroke-play event for girls and is playing as the first Major Tournament on the Legends Junior Tour Schedule. Players earned their way into the field by playing in Texas Junior Golf Alliance Events. Ahn is seeking her first major victory at the Texas Girls’ Invitational.

Trailing Ahn by three strokes is Southlake’s Chiara Brambilla after she carded a 2-over 74. Brambilla was 6-over after seven holes but battled back by going 4-under in her final eleven holes of the first round.

“I started out a little rough,” Brambilla said. “I didn’t have a good feel of the greens, but I made birdie on the eighth hole and kind of turned it around. I had some good putts on the back nine and gave myself good opportunities.”

Plano’s Summer Lee occupies third place after turning in a first round 3-over 75 on Saturday. Her round included birdies on the first and last hole at Victoria Country Club.

In a tie for fourth at 4-over is host club exemption Harper Edwards of Victoria and Pearland’s Krysta Loftin. McKinney’s Anika Singh, San Antonio’s Michelle Lee, Austin’s Breanna Hoese, and Austin’s Claire Wan all sit in a tie for sixth at 5-over.

This is the first LJT event to be played at Victoria CC. Originally built by E.L. Grunder as a nine-hole course in 1924, the current eighteen-hole layout was redesigned by Joe Finger. The course is considered one of the finest in South Texas and tips out at just under 7,000 yards.

The weather at Victoria Country Club has been cold and windy between Friday’s practice round and Saturday’s first round. Temperatures on Saturday started in the mid-30’s and got as high as 62 degrees in the middle of the afternoon. Sunday and Monday’s forecast look to be a little more favorable to the players.

Sunday’s second round will begin off the No. 1 and No. 10 tees starting at 8:00 AM. To see all the pairings, click here.

To see all the scores from the first round, click here. For more information on the Texas Girls’ Invitational, click here.

Victoria CC to host Texas Girls’ Invitational

ADDISON – The Texas Girls’ Invitational travels to Victoria Country Club for the first time in the 14th edition of the event. Set for Feb. 18-20, this will be the first major championship of the 2023 LJT season.

The Texas Girls’ Invitational will feature a 76-player, girls-only field. Over the past decade it has become one of the top junior events in Texas on the schedule. The inaugural playing of this event featured 12 players back in 2010, but now boasts one of the most competitive fields each year.

In 2019, the event became a 54-hole championship held in February with World Amateur Golf Ranking points up for grabs. Additionally, the tournament also offers numerous AJGA Performance Stars to the top finishers including 12 for the champion. Prior to 2019 the event was 36 holes and annually held in the fall.

This is the first LJT event to be played at Victoria CC. Originally built by E.L. Grunder as a nine-hole course in 1924, the current eighteen-hole layout was redesigned by Joe Finger. The course is considered one of the finest in South Texas and tips out at just under 7,000 yards.

“We are very excited to host the Texas Girls’ Invitational at Victoria Country Club for the first time as we welcome many of the best girls in the state,” Tournament Coordinator Katie O’Connell said. “The field for this event continues to get stronger each year. We are excited to crown our first major champion of the year.”

Austin’s Farah O’Keefe won by an impressive seven strokes last year at the Texas Girls’ Invitational by finishing two-under par. A field of rising stars and previous LJT winners will take on the Victoria CC this year and look to etch their name on the Nez Muhleman trophy.

The ’Nez Muhleman trophy is named after Inez “’Nez” Muhleman of Houston. She was long known for her dedication to junior golf.

Past champions of this girls-only championship include Kaci McCartan, Lakareber Abe, Maddie McCrary, Vanessa Ha, Jaravee Boonchant, Anne Chen, Makenzie Niblett, Hailey Jones, and Tillie Claggett.

This is the first Major Championship for the girls of the 2023 LJT season. For more information on the Texas Girls’ Invitational, please click here.

Austin’s Farah O’Keefe Wins 12th Texas Girls’ Invitational

MONTGOMERY – Farah O’Keefe fires a final round even-par 72 at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club’s Weiskopf course on Monday resulting in a resounding seven-stroke victory at LJTs 12th Texas Girls’ Invitational.

Competing in her first Texas Girls’ Invitational, the Austin-native posted rounds of 76-66-72. She started her final round with a birdie on No. 2 and remained 1-under until a bogey on the par 4 sixth hole. She finished off the front nine with a birdie and turned at 1-under overall. Her next birdie came on No. 11 followed by four straight pars extending her lead. O’Keefe made two bogeys in her final 9-holes to get to even-par after 18-holes.

O’Keefe’s win at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club highlights what has been an amazing run lately on the links for the high school junior. She made history shooting a tournament low round of 6-under 66 on Sunday. O’Keefe, who made her LPGA debut last summer at the Volunteers of America Classic after earning an exemption through the Northern Texas PGA’s VOA Classic Girls Championship. She recently claimed first place at the Alamo Shootout this past December, the last event on the 2021 LJT schedule.

Leaderboard:
1) Farah O’Keefe, Austin 76-66-72—214
2) Ashleen Kaur, Cypress 77-72-72—221
3) Maye Huang, Katy 75-75-73—223
4) Darrelyn Webster, Austin 79-74-71—224
5) Chaemin Kim, Austin 78-73-73—224

Full Leaderboard

Cypress’s Ashleen Kaur tiptoed up to the leader group throughout Monday’s final round matching O’Keefe’s even-par score of 72. Kaur made birdie on the 166-yard par 3 third hole followed by a bogey on No. 5 where she remained even-par after 9-holes. The high school junior finished the week with a total of eight birdies in 54-holes.

Katy’s Maye Huang, class of 2025, finished third overall with a 7-over 223. Huang carded a final round of 1-over 73 which consisted of back-to-back birdies in her first 5-holes on No’s. 2 and 3. A bogey on the 492-yard par 5 seventh hole brought her back to 1-under where she went head to head with Kaur. She dropped two-strokes back after a bogey on No. 10 and double bogey on No. 14 but made birdie on the par 5 fifteenth hole to pull off a third place finish.

Rounding out the top five at 8-over 224 overall are Austin-natives Darrelyn Webster and Chaemin Kim. After a scorecard playoff, Webster’s final round 1-under 71 resulted in a fourth place finish followed by Kim, who carded a final round 1-over 73.

The weather at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club consisted of overcast skies and light drizzle in the morning. In the afternoon temperatures reached the high 70s as the sun came out. The wind was a factor in today’s round with rising up to 17 miles per hours making the back nine the most challenging.

The Texas Girls’ Invitational is a 54-hole stroke play event for girls that are members of the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. The event is one of the top-ranked tournaments in Texas.

Next up for the Legends Junior Tour is the Spring Preview at Firewheel Golf Park’s The Bridges course in Garland. For more information about the Spring Preview, click here.

For all the scores from Monday’s action at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club, click here. To learn more about the Texas Girls’ Invitational, click here.

O’Keefe Fires Bogey-free 6-under 66 to Take Lead at Texas Girls’ Invitational

MONTGOMERY – Austin’s Farah O’Keefe strung together a superb bogey free round of 6-under 66, the lowest round recorded at the Texas Girls’ Invitational, and leads by three strokes heading into the final round at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club.

O’Keefe is now 2-under overall following rounds of 76-66 on the first two days. Her birdie binge on today’s round started on the sixth and seventh holes, which led to No. 8 where her tee shot on the 145-yard par 3 left no doubt that a third straight birdie was coming. Making the turn at 3-under 33, O’Keefe fired another three straight birdies on No. 13, 14 and 15. The final result: six birdies total to close out a round of 66, which ultimately put her in the lead heading into Monday’s final round.

The Austin native looks to win her first Texas Girls’ Invitational and her second win with the Legends Junior Tour.

Leaderboard:
1) Farah O’Keefe, Austin 76-66—142
2) Bella Flores, Kingwood 74-70—144
3) Dresden Bounds, San Antonio 73-74—147
4) Jenna Madden, McKinney 73-75—148
T5) Ashleen Kaur, Cypress 77-72—149
T5) Caroline Dasch, Austin 76-73—149
T5) Jasmine Do, Cypress 77-72—149

Full Leaderboard

Trailing behind O’Keefe by two strokes is Bella Flores of Kingwood. Flores’ round today consisted of three birdies and a solo bogey on the 379-yard par 4 first hole which resulted in a 2-under 70. After 36 holes, she sits in second with an even-par 144 overall.

In solo third is round one co-leader Dresden Bounds of San Antonio. Bounds posted a 2-over 74 second round score consisting of five birdies and seven bogeys. She sits five strokes back from the lead with a 36 hole total of 147.

Holding onto fourth is Jenna Madden of McKinney, who was tied with Bounds for the lead after 18 holes. Madden carded a second round of 3-over 75 which consisted of three birdies on the front nine, but ran into some trouble on the back nine.

Ashleen Kaur of Cypress, Kate Bennett of McKinney, Caroline Dasch of Austin, and Jasmine Do of Cypress round out the top five at 149 overall.

The weather at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club consisted of overcast skies with temperatures peaking at the mid-60s. The wind was a factor in today’s round with breezes steady around 7 miles per out of the south, south east.

The Texas Girls’ Invitational moved to 54 holes in 2019. The championship was contested over 36 holes the previous nine years, but the LJT wanted to add a World Amateur Golf Ranking to the event as well as offer another 54-hole event on the schedule.

The final round of the Texas Girls’ Invitational is set to begin at 8:00 am on Monday, Feb. 21. Tee times will be redrawn according to scores with the leaders teeing off last. To see all the pairings for the final round, click here.

For all the scores from Sunday’s action at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club, click here. To learn more about the Texas Girls’ Invitational, click here.