Jaivir Pande and Kate Pickrell Win 96th Texas Junior Amateur

HORSESHOE BAY – Austin’s Kate Pickrell fended off a stacked leaderboard in Wednesday’s final round of the 96th Texas Junior Amateur to be crowned champion. The rising senior at Lake Travis High School carded a finishing 2-under 70 to win the girls title by one stroke. Houston’s Jaivir Pande sunk a 10-foot birdie putt on the eighteenth hole of Ram Rock to win the boys title. Pande capped off his week with a 5-over 76 to finish at 1-over par and win by one.

Pickrell battled eventual runner-up Grace Jin of Hunstville all day, but it was a birdie on the par-3 seventeenth hole of Apple Rock that sealed the deal for the Austinite. The Lake Travis senior has been playing well of late as she recently won the AJGA Patrick Reed Invitational earlier this summer.

“After the first round I was sitting a little further back,” Pickrell said of her play early in the championship. “I kind of knew I needed to pick it up the next few days.”

Pickrell did just that. After beginning with a 1-over 73, she posted back to back rounds of 2-under par.

“I know this is going to be my last year (of high school) so I am happy to get a win near the end of summer. I am glad I was able to win it at home,” Pickrell said.

Jin shot a final round 2-under 70 to earn the runner-up honors of the Girls 15-18 Division. Her scorecard included six birdies in Wednesday’s final round. Rounding out the top three was Cedar Park’s Jiyu Han who finished at even-par for the week.

Pande, winner of the boys’ title, didn’t have his best stuff in the final round but showed toughness in still finding a way to win. The rising senior at Kinkaid High School emphatically fist pumped as he rolled in the winning birdie putt on the final hole to finish 1-over for the championship.

“I got off to a less than ideal start today,” Pande said of his final round. “I had a couple mistakes out there, but it was playing tough for everyone, and I knew I had to just keep making pars.”

Pande’s final round 5-over 76 was a bit of a roller coaster ride on Wednesday. He had six holes of bogey or worse but was able to limit the damage with four birdies including one on the last hole.

“Not every day you’re going to play well,” Pande said. “Just being able to have the ability to with adversity is something I’m very proud of in my game.”

Pande enters his senior year of high school with great confidence and will look to build upon the win this fall.

“It’s going to give me a lot of confidence knowing I came here to the Texas Junior Amateur and came out on top. I’m looking forward to keeping the momentum going,” Pande said of his victory.

The low round of the day came from runner-up Luke Colton of Frisco with a 3-under 68 as Ram Rock played well over par for the day. Colton’s final round included six birdies as he finished 2-over for the week and one back of Pande.

Rounding out the top three was Montgomery’s Eyan Edsall who posted a final round 5-over 76 to finish 3-over for the week.

The Legends Junior Tour extends its sincere appreciation to the staff and members of Horseshoe Bay as well as our volunteers for their integral part in making the 96th Texas Junior Amateur a memorable and successful event.

For more information on the 96th Texas Junior Amateur, click here.

To view the final results, click here.

One Round Remains at 96th Texas Junior Amateur

HORSESHOE BAY – Houston’s Jaivir Pande fired a 3-under 68 in Tuesday’s second round of the Texas Junior Amateur to take a two shot lead in the Boys Division. Pande, a rising senior at Kinkaid High School, recorded an eagle on the par-5 fourteenth hole on Horseshoe Bay’s Ram Rock course to vault into the 36-hole lead. In the Girls Division, two are tied atop the leaderboard at 1-under par 143 total. Bellaire’s Kenna Lee and Austin’s Kate Pickrell lead a slew of competitors bunched at the top headed into Wednesday’s final round at Horeshoe Bay’s Apple Rock course.

Horseshoe Bay’s Ram Rock and Apple Rock courses again proved to be a stern test for the state’s best in round two. The Boys 15-18 Division are playing the Ram Rock course while the Girls 15-18, Girls 14 & Under, and Boys 14 & Under Division’s are playing the Apple Rock course.

In the Boy’s 15-18 Division, Pande tallied three birdies and an eagle in route to the solid second round score. Pande leads by two and will look to continue his strategies in Wednesday’s final round.

“Today, I did the same thing as yesterday,” Pande said. “I was able to just limit the mistakes. I only had two bogeys on the card.”

Pande is set to begin his senior year of high school in a few weeks and likes where his game is at.

“The Texas Junior Amateur is one of the biggest tournaments we have here in Texas, so to be able to be on the top of the leaderboard is very motivating and makes me want to work harder for the rest of my tournaments,” Pande said.

Eyan Edsall of Montgomery joined Pande as the only two players to post consecutive rounds under par. The incoming freshman at Stephen F Austin University sits in second and two shots back of the lead heading into Wednesday’s final round on Horeshoe Bay’s Ram Rock course. Edsall made the turn at three under in Tuesday’s second round before suffering a couple bogeys down the stretch.

Trevor Algya of Highland Village and Tyler Blackwell of Austin sit in a tie for third at 3-over for the championship and seven shots back of the lead.

The division has been cut to the low 45 players and ties heading into Wednesday’s final round.

In the Girl’s 15-18 Division, co-leaders Kenna Lee of Bellaire and Austin’s Kate Pickrell will look to battle off a stacked leaderboard headed into Wednesday’s final round. They lead by one shot over three girls sitting even-par for the championship.

“Today, I just told myself I was going to play smart golf,” Lee said. “I wasn’t going to be too aggressive. I was going to focus on shooting a good score.

Pickrell fired the low round of the day in the Girls 15-18 division with a score of 2-under 70.

“Tomorrow I am going to try and be patient and take advantage of those putts that are pretty close to the hole,” Pickrell said.

Huntsville’s Grace Jin, Cedar Park’s Jiyu Han, and San Antonio’s Marissa Loya sit one shot back of the lead in a tie for third at even-par 144 total. All three girls posted second rounds under par to position themselves nicely with eighteen holes remaining.

The division has been cut to the low 27 players and ties heading into Wednesday’s final round.

Jack Clancy of Dallas defeated Luciano Follmer of Austin in a three-hole playoff to earn the title of Boys 14 & Under Division Champion. Clancy posted a final round 3-over 75 that included two birdies on the back nine. Aiden Tiet of Garland, Dylan Ma of The Woodlands, and Asher Vargas of Spring all finished at 1-under for the championship to share third place.

Katy’s Yixin (Emily) Zhang shot her second consecutive round of 2-under 70 to claim the Girls 14 & Under Division title at 4-under total. Zhang finished five shots ahead of runner-up Kaylee Yuan of Joshua, who finished at 1-under for the championship. Rounding out the top three was Austin’s Isabel Emanuels at 8-over par for the tournament.

Round 3 of the 96th Texas Junior Amateur begins Wednesday at 7:30 a.m.

For more information, including leaderboard and pairings, click here.

Horseshoe Bay Plays Tough in Round 1 of 96th Texas Junior Amateur

HORSESHOE BAY – Frisco’s Luke Colton grabbed the lead in Monday’s first round of the 96th Texas Junior Amateur with a 2-under 69 on Horseshoe Bay’s Ram Rock course. Colton’s round was the only sub-70 score as he leads the Boys Division by one. In the Girls Division, there are three tied atop the leaderboard at 2-under par 70. Bellaire’s Kenna Lee, Camille Pazouki of San Antonio, and Huntsville’s Grace Jin all share the lead headed into Tuesday’s second round at Horeshoe Bay’s Apple Rock course.

A round under-par was hard to come by as Horseshoe Bay’s Ram Rock and Apple Rock courses proved to be a stern test for the state’s best juniors. The Boys 15-18 Division played the Ram Rock course while the Girls 15-18, Girls 14 & Under, and Boys 14 & Under Division’s played the Apple Rock course.

In the Boy’s 15-18 Division, Colton carded three birdies on the back nine to finish out a strong first round. Colton is one of the younger players in the division but showed no youth on Monday as he leads by one.

“I managed to roll in a few putts around the turn,” Colton said. “That kind of set me up for the rest of the round. The course has a lot of doglegs and it’s pretty tight, so you have to be specific off the tee on your lines. I think that works to my advantage. Usually, my driver is pretty straight.”

Carding rounds of 1-under 70 to sit in a tie for second were Houston’s Jaivir Pande and Eyan Edsall of Montgomery. Edsall tallied up three birdies on the day while Pande had six.

Austin’s Tyler Blackwell and Kyle Doolittle of New Braunfels sit two shots back of the lead after rounds of even-par 71. A stacked leaderboard will look to make moves in Tuesday’s second round on Ram Rock.

The division will cut to the low 45 players and ties after Tuesday’s second round.

In the Girl’s 15-18 Division, each of the three co-leaders took advantage of Apple Rock’s front nine. Lee made the turn at three under, while Pazouki and Jin turned at 2-under.

“The round was pretty good,” said Pazouki, a rising senior from San Antonio. “The front nine went well. Putting was just automatic on the front. The back nine started off with two bogeys but I got it under control to finish off strong.”

Sitting just one shot back of the lead at 1-under par are San Antonio’s Marissa Loya and Cedar Park’s Jiyu Han. San Antonio’s Julia Vollmer carded an even-par round of 72 to put herself in sole possession of sixth heading into the second round. Four girls sit tied for seventh at 1-over par.

The division will cut to the low 27 players and ties after Tuesday’s second round.

Jack Clancy of Dallas carded the low round of the tournament thus far with a 5-under 67 to take control of the Boys 14 & Under Division. Clancy’s solid round included an eagle on Apple Rock’s par-5 tenth hole. Clancy leads the division by two shots over Allen’s Elijah Estonilo who carded a first round 3-under 69. Sitting in sole possession of third at 2-under par is The Woodlands’ Dylan Ma.

Katy’s Yixin (Emily) Zhang shot a first round 2-under 70 to take the lead in the Girls 14 & Under Division. She will look to claim the division title tomorrow as she leads by four strokes over Joshua’s Kaylee Yuan who carded a respectable round of 2-over 74.

Both the Boys and Girls 14 & Under Divisions are playing 36 holes and will crown champions on Tuesday. The Boys and Girls 15-18 Divisions are playing 54 holes and will conclude play on Wednesday.

Round 2 of the 96th Texas Junior Amateur kicks off Tuesday at 7:30 a.m.

For more information on the 96th Texas Junior Amateur, click here. For the full leaderboard, click here.

Maelynn Kim and Aaron Pounds Win 95th Texas Junior Amateur

KINGWOOD – Maelynn Kim of Katy dominated the final day of the 95th Texas Junior Amateur finishing the 54-hole championship with a total 5-under 211 to hoist the trophy. The Woodlands’ Aaron Pounds battled from start to finish Wednesday to clinch the title at The Clubs of Kingwood’s Island course. Pounds walked off the 18th green of the Island course with a three-day total score of 11-under par 205.

Kim held the lead all three days, finally closing the tournament Wednesday afternoon. She entered the clubhouse with a final round of 3-under par 69, claiming the championship eight strokes over runner-up Kendall Jackson of Pearland. Kim started off hot with three consecutive birdies early on the front nine. She bogeyed the par-3 6^th, but quickly bounced back with a birdie on the 9th hole, turning at 3-under 33. Kim wavered on the back, starting off with a bogey on 10. She followed that up with back-to-back birdies on holes 15 and 16, a bogey on 17 for an even-par back nine 36.

“Everything worked out great today,” Kim said of her winning round. “I missed a few putts, but I couldn’t ask for a better round.”

The 16-year-old said winning this tournament ranks at the top of her all-time list.

“It feels amazing, I’m speechless,” Kim said. “I was on 18 and I couldn’t stop smiling.”

Pounds played under par all week, carding 69-70-66 for a grand total of 205 for the championship. He fired off four birdies on the front nine, turning at 4-under 32 going into the final nine holes.

“Yesterday I had a good stretch through the front nine and I had one again today, so I just tried to stay calm and play my game on the back nine,” Pounds said of his mentality today.

The 16-year-old fended off 18-year-old runner-up and playing partner Kevin Watts of Colleyville throughout the final round. Watts finished one stroke back from Pounds with three under-par rounds of 71-68-67 for a total of 206 for the 54-hole championship.

“It was definitely hard to stay focused at the end, but I tried to take it one shot at a time and hit every shot with confidence, that’s all I can really do,” Pounds said.

Pounds competed in the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship only a week ago before teeing it up for the opening round at the Clubs of Kingwood Monday. Pounds said after competing in this tournament several times, he’s dreamed of hoisting the trophy.

“It feels amazing, today feels like a blur right now, I’m speechless,” Pounds said after his round. “It was a fun round overall and a great battle. I’ve been playing in this tournament for a while now and to finally win it is such an honor.”

The Legends Junior Tour extends its sincere appreciation to the staff and members of the Clubs of Kingwood as well as our volunteers for their integral part in making the 95th Texas Junior Amateur a memorable and successful event.

For more information on the Texas Junior Amateur, click here. For the full leaderboard, click here.

Preston Stout and Maelynn Kim Lead Texas Junior Amateur

KINGWOOD – Richardson’s Preston Stout lit up the Clubs of Kingwood’s Island course, barreling into the clubhouse with a 5-under par 67 for Monday’s round of the 95th Texas Junior Amateur. The Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Champion leads the field by 2 strokes. Maelynn Kim of Katy finished her opening round at 1-under par 71 at Clubs of Kingwood’s Lake Course. Kim carded the only under par round of the day in the girl’s division and leads the field by 1 stroke going into the Tuesday’s round.

The J.J. Pearce High School junior started off strong Monday morning, with a birdie on his first hole out of the gate, par-5 1st hole. He would accumulate 3 more birdies on the front nine to turn at 4-under par 32.

“I made a lot of good putts today,” Stout said of his round. “I had a lot of 10-footers for par that I was able to make and made some good birdie putts too.”

Stout wobbled on the back, where he had a lone bogey on the par-4 13th but made up for it with a birdie on the 16th and 18th holes. He’s dialed in, confident and ready for the play in the days to come.

“Just keep the good play going the next couple days,” Stout said of his game plan for the upcoming days. “Maybe tidy up some things on the range, keep my putting and short game where it’s at and I think I’ll like where I’m at.”

In the girl’s division, Kim got off to a rough start, carding 3 bogeys on the front 9, with only a single birdie to turn at 2-over 38. Kim found her groove on the back nine, starting with a birdie on the par-5 10th hole, birding the 15th and rounding out her day with yet another birdie on the par-5 18th hole.

The 16-year-old also competed in this year’s LJT Winter Classic and Spring Preview finishing within the top 5 in both events. Kim’s LJT all-time top finish is runner-up in the 2021 Spring Preview. She finished 5-over par for the 36-hole tournament, scoring 77-70 for a total 147.

Austin’s Kate Pickrell and Sidney Robertson of Chandler share the number two spot at even-par 72 behind Kim heading into the second round of the 54-hole championship. Julia Vollmer and Grace Jin both hailing from San Antonio and Bellaire’s Kenna Lee trail behind all tied for 4th at 1-over par 73.

Noah Hankinson of Frisco skyrocketed to the top of the leaderboard in the boys 14 and under division entering the clubhouse at 7-under par 65. The clubs of Kingwood’s Lake course proved no match for Hankinson, who fired off a back-to-back birdie-eagle combo on his first two holes. Hankinson didn’t slow down, making the turn at 5-under 31. He continued to score well on the back, with two birdies. Hankinson coasted from 14 on, solidifying his score at 7-under 65. Hankinson leads the field by 3 strokes over Selma’s Shiv Parmar who grabbed solo second with a first day round of 4-under 68.

Dallas’s Adrienne Ahn holds the no. 1 spot in the girls 14 and under division with the only under par round on 3-under par 69. Ahn kept things interesting throughout the round carding 5 birdies with 2 bogeys sprinkled in. She leads the field by 3 strokes ahead of Khloe Jones of Kingwood, who sits at even-par 72. Syna Nijhawan of Houston and Charlotte Stick of the Woodlands are tied for third at 2-over 74.

Round 2 of the 95th Texas Junior Amateur kicks off Tuesday at 7:30.

For more information, including leaderboard and pairings, click here.

95th Texas Junior Amateur Set for July 26-28

ADDISON – The 95th Texas Junior Amateur will be held at The Clubs of Kingwood’s Island and Lake Course from July 26-28. This is the second time in the last three years that Kingwood has hosted this 240-player event.

“The Legends Junior Tour is excited to return to The Clubs of Kingwood for the state’s biggest championship,” LJT Tournament Director Kevin Porter said. “The Island and Lake Courses provide a top-notch test for every division and will produce great champions.”

Located in Kingwood, the club features five total golf courses with the Island and Lake Course being on the main property next to the expansive clubhouse. The Island Course is a par-72 layout designed by Joe Finger with Tiff Eagle greens. The par-5 18^th is recognized by Golf Digest as one of the toughest finishing holes and the course is ranked in the top 50 by the Dallas Morning News. The Lake Course was designed by Bruce Litell and sits on the western side of the property. The par-72 layout features Tiff Eagle greens with water on 13 of the 18 holes.

The Boys Division will be competing on the Island Course, while the Girls Division will be competing on the Lake Course. Both divisions are scheduled for 54 holes of stroke play competition with the fields being cut after the second round. The Boys and Girls 14 & Under Divisions will play on the Lake Course and are scheduled for 36 holes of stroke play competition.

The Texas Junior Amateur has been one of the strongest fields in recent years and produced some great champions. Last year’s Boys Division winner, Zach Heffernan of Fair Oaks Ranch defended his 2019 title with a 4-under 209 overall score at Horseshoe Bay Resort’s Ram Rock Course. He bested the field by one stroke to become the first back-to-back winner since Hunter Haas in 1994-95. Heffernan will look to become the event’s second three-time winner and join Buck Luce who won in 1935, 1937 and 1938.

Katy’s Lauren Nguyen won the Girls Division in 2020 after shooting 6-under 66 in the final round at Horseshoe Bay Resort’s Apple Rock Course. She won by one stroke at 3-under 213 overall and completed the sweep of winning the younger and older division of the Texas Junior Amateur.

Brooks Simmons of Dallas won the Boys 14 & Under Division last year, while Sidney Robertson of Chandler won the Girls 14 & Under Division. Simmons looks to defend his title, while Robertson moves up into the Girls Division.

Other past champions of the Texas Junior Amateur include Ben Crenshaw, Jordan Spieth, Jeff Maggert, Scott Verplank, Omar Uresti, Angela Stanford, Hunter Haas, Jacob Sosa, Sadie Englemann, Stratton Nolen, Kelsey Vines, Alex Moon, Heather Haas, Lindsey McCurdy, Morris Williams Jr. and Nancy Hager.

The Texas Junior Amateur is open to all residents of Texas. The Boys Division was built through exemptions and qualifiers, which were held throughout the state from June 15 – July 22. Exemptions were available through Texas Junior Golf Alliance events like the Northern and Southern Texas PGA Sections.

Players in the Girls Division as well as the Boys and Girls 14 & Under Divisions are entered based on the LJT Priority Entry System, which awards players that have played well in LJT events as well as Texas Junior Golf Alliance events.

The Texas Junior Amateur is ranked by Junior Golf Scoreboard, Golfweek and the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Players are also competing for points towards the LJT Player of the Year Standings as well as AJGA Performance Stars.

The First Round will begin at 7:30 am on Monday, July 26. Live scoring will be available on throughout the week.

For more information on the 95th Texas Junior Amateur at KingwoodThe Clubs of Kingwood, click here.