Jackie Burke Cup Set for Nov. 14-15

HOCKLEY – The state’s top 24 junior golfers from North and South Texas will gather at The Clubs at Houston Oaks for the 16th Annual Jackie Burke Cup from Nov. 14-15.

“The Legends Junior Tour is very fortunate to be able to bring the Jackie Burke Cup to The Clubs at Houston Oaks,” LJT Tournament Director Kevin Porter said. “This is one of the most incredible properties in the state and the top-rated course will pose a great challenge to our teams this year.”

The new Chet Williams-designed golf course, which in 2020 was ranked by the Dallas Morning News as the second-best course in Texas, will welcome the Legends Junior Tour for the first time. After a 17-month reimaging and overhaul of the existing property, the modern-day Houston Oaks course was unveiled in 2017. Williams’ stunning 7,007-yard, par-71 layout if framed by groves of oak trees, natural water features and vast native areas.

“The Clubs at Houston Oaks is proud to be the host venue for the Jackie Burke Cup in 2020,” Head Golf Professional Nick Holligan said. “The Jackie Burke Cup is not only the best of junior golf in Texas, it also allows funds to be raised for fantastic causes. I’m sure the smooth fast greens, pure fairways and challenging bunkers will be a delight for the competitors to show off their vast array of skills. Texas has so many fantastic golf courses, and we could not be happier to be the chosen venue for the premier tournament on the junior calendar.”

First conducted in 2005, the season-ending Jackie Burke Cup is by invitation-only and features the top 12 players from North Texas squaring off against their counterparts from South Texas in a Ryder Cup-style competition. Each team consists of eight players from the Boys 15-18 Division, two from the Girls 12-18 Division and two from the Boys 14 & Under Division.

The teams will face off in four-ball, foursome and singles matches over the two days. Matches are worth two points and a tied match is split: one point for each team. The matches start with six four-ball matches Saturday morning followed by six foursome matches in the afternoon. On Sunday, players are selected for 12 singles matches, leaving 48 possible points to be earned throughout the weekend. The North Team will need 24 points to retain the cup, while the South Team will need 25 points to win the cup.

Players earned their way onto their respective teams by accumulating points throughout the year in designated LJT and Texas Junior Golf Alliance tournaments. North and South regions are defined as either being above or below the 31’ parallel (Salado, Texas).

“Both teams always feature the players that played the best all year on the Legends Junior Tour and it’s a fun event to sit back and watch from an administration standpoint,” Porter said. “These players have consistently finished toward the top all season. Now, they get a chance to compete with each other in a team event and have some fun to finish off another great LJT season.”

The North Team has won the last six Jackie Burke Cup matches and leads the overall series 8-7. Leading the North in 2020 is Plano’s Matthew Comegys, who earned Player of the Year honors in the Boys 15-18 Division. Connor Adams of Dallas, Trevor Algya of Highland Village, Ben Delarosa of Dallas, Gage Doyle of Colleyville, Ethan Fang of Plano, Matthew Foster of Dallas and Davis Ovard of Frisco round out the older boys competing for the North Team. North Texas will also be represented by Savannah Barber of Fort Worth and Sophie Beidiger of Dallas. Plano’s Rhett O’Rear, the Boys 14 & Under Player of the Year, and Brooks Simmons of Dallas will round out this year’s North Team.

The South Team, which looks to win its first Jackie Burke Cup since 2013, will consist of Austin’s Sam Dossey, who finished second in the Boys 15-18 Player of the Year Standings, Spring’s Andrew and Matthew Spaulding, Houston’s Preston Rouse, Austin’s Andrew Tan, Trevor Mierl and Keaton Vo. Following the players from Boys 15-18 Division, the South will be represented by San Antonio’s Julia Vollmer, who finished second in the Girls 12-18 Player of the Year Standings, and Grace Jin of San Antonio. Daniel Zou of The Woodlands and Trenton Mierl of Austin will represent the South from the Boys 14 & Under Division.

At the 2019 Jackie Burke Cup, hosted by Wichita Falls Country Club in Tyler, the North Team claimed their eighth overall victory and sixth straight win over the South Team 34-14.

For more information on the 16th Jackie Burke Cup, click here.

NORTH TEAM:

Name	City	Age	Top Finishes
Connor Adams	Dallas	Boys 15-18	James A. Ragan Memorial – Champion North Texas Classic – 3rd Bluebonnet Championship – T5 Starts: 10 | Top-10s: 3
Trevor Algya	Highland Village	Boys 15-18	NTPGA All-American Tour Ahead Bagpipe Open – Champion George Hannon Junior Invitational – 2nd NTPGA All-American Tour Challenge at The Tribute – T7 Starts: 9 | Top-10s: 4
Matthew Comegys	Plano	Boys 15-18	North Texas Classic – Champion Bluebonnet Championship – Champion Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship – 3rd Starts: 6 | Top 10s: 5
Ben Delarosa	Dallas	Boys 15-18	NTPGA All-American Tour Spring Finale – 2nd 94th Texas Junior Amateur – T7 Bluebonnet Championship – T7 Starts: 10 | Top-10s: 6
Gage Doyle	Colleyville	Boys 15-18	NTPGA All-American Tour Azalea Trail Junior Classic – 3rd NTPGA All-American Tour Srixon / Cleveland Golf Cowboys Classic – T4 Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic – T18 Starts: 12 | Top-10s: 7
Ethan Fang	Plano	Boys 15-18	Winter Classic – Champion Texas Cup Invitational – T2 Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship – T28 Starts: 3 | Top-10s: 2
Matthew Foster	Dallas	Boys 15-18	NTPGA All-American Tour October Open – Champion NTPGA All-American Tour Round-Up at Rockwall – Champion North Texas Classic – T10 Starts: 11 | Top-10s: 7
Davis Ovard	Frisco	Boys 15-18	NTPGA All-American Tour North Texas Junior Showcase – 2nd Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship – T4 James A. Ragan Memorial: 5th Starts: 13 | Top-10s: 4
Savannah Barber	Fort Worth	Girls 12-18	NTPGA All-American Tour Spring Finale – Champion George Hannon Junior Invitational – 6th Texas Girls’ Invitational – T12 Starts: 8 | Top-10s: 5
Sophie Biediger	Dallas	Girls 12-18	Bluebonnet Championship – 2nd NTPGA All-American Girls Series #6 – T3 Collegiate Preview – T4 Starts: 12 | Top-10s: 6
Rhett O’Rear	Plano	Boys 14 & Under	James A. Ragan Memorial – Champion Flodder Financial Shootout – Champion Bluebonnet Championship – 2nd Starts: 10 | Top-10s: 9
Brooks Simmons	Dallas	Boys 14 & Under	94th Texas Junior Amateur (Boys 14 & Under) – Champion Flodder Financial Shootout – T3 Winter Classic – 4th Starts: 8 | Top-10s: 7

 

SOUTH TEAM:

Name	City	Age	Top Finishes
Sam Dossey	Austin	Boys 15-18	Collegiate Preview – Champion STPGA Prestige Tour Mid-Summer Showcase – Champion George Hannon Junior Invitational – 4th Starts: 10 | Top-10s: 5
Trevor Mierl	Austin	Boys 15-18	James A. Ragan Memorial – 2nd STPGA Prestige Tour Aggieland Classic – T3 Winter Classic – T4 Starts: 15 | Top-10s: 6
Preston Rouse	Houston	Boys 15-18	STPGA Prestige Tour Challenge – Champion North Texas Classic – T4 Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational – T7 Starts: 13 | Top-10s: 8
Andrew Spaulding	Spring	Boys 15-18	Texas Cup Invitational – T5 George Hannon Junior Invitational – T5 Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship – 7 Starts: 5 | Top-10s: 4
Matthew Spaulding	Spring	Boys 15-18	94th Texas Junior Amateur – T2 Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational – T2 STPGA Prestige Tour Summer Preview – T2 Starts: 6 | Top-10s: 4
Andrew Tan	Austin	Boys 15-18	STPGA Prestige Tour San Antonio Open – T2 George Hannon Junior Invitational – 3rd James A. Ragan Memorial – T6 Starts: 11 | Top-10s: 5
Keaton Vo	Austin	Boys 15-18	George Hannon Junior Invitational – Champion Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship – 6th 94th Texas Junior Amateur – T12 Starts: 3 | Top-10s: 2
Daniel Zou	The Woodlands	Boys 15-18	STPGA Prestige Tour Fore Challenge – Champion STPGA Prestige Tour Summer Preview – T2 Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship – T3 Starts: 6 | Top-10s: 6
Grace Jin	San Antonio	Girls 12-18	STPGA Prestige Tour Aggieland Classic – Champion STPGA Prestige Tour Shootout In The Hills – Champion James A. Ragan Memorial – 8th Starts: 14 | Top-10s: 10
Julia Volmer	San Antonio	Girls 12-18	STPGA Prestige Tour New Braunfels Showcase – Champion Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational – T2 George Hannon Junior Invitational – T7 Starts: 12 | Top 10s: 8
Bowen Ballis	Shenandoah	Boys 14 & Under	Bluebonnet Championship – Champion Flodder Financial Shootout – 2nd 94th Texas Junior Amateur (Boys 14 & Under) – T2 Starts: 7 | Top-10s: 7
Trenton Mierl	Austin	Boys 14 & Under	North Texas Classic – Champion Spring Preview – Champion Winter Classic – Champion Starts: 9 | Top-10s: 9

Padden Nelson Holds Lead at 37th Texas Mid-Amateur

SAN ANTONIO – Padden Nelson started the second round of the 37th Texas Mid-Amateur one-shot off the lead. Following a 2-under-par 69 and one of the few rounds in red figures on Saturday, the 40-year-old mid-amateur from Houston holds a three-shot advantage headed into the Sunday’s final round at Oak Hills Country Club.

Padden, who teed off in the morning wave, flared his opening tee shot into the right trees on the par-5 10th. He punched it back into the fairway and left himself 122 yards for his approach. Padden smoothed his 52-degree wedge and, not even realizing it, holed-out for eagle to begin his second round.

“I didn’t even really see it go in,” Padden said. “The guys in front of us did, but pretty good for the putting stats.”

He carried the momentum from his great start throughout his round. On a day playing tougher for the field compared to Round 1, Padden carded three birdies and three bogeys to card one of 10 rounds under par.

“It was kind of the same thing as yesterday,” Padden said. “Hit one shot at a time. I made a couple pretty good length putts for par and just kind of hung in there.”

Padden seeks his first TGA major championship victory, but as for preparation for the final round he plans to keep it lose.

“I plan to drink a couple beers, watch some college football, have a good lunch and good dinner and that’d be about it,” Padden said.

Sitting in solo second and three shots behind Nelson is Houston’s Johnathan Schnitzer. The former Texas Longhorn carded eight birdies en route to a 7-under-par 64 and jumped 53 spots up the leaderboard. It was the low round of the day by four strokes and he’ll look carry the momentum into Sunday’s final round.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a final group, so it’s good to get the feeling back,” Schnitzer said. “I’m just going to go out there and try and have fun and be patient. There’s a lot of opportunities out  here and you have to know they are going to come if you be patient.”

The defending champion Chris Wheeler of Addison is tied third with Oak Hills member Brett Nichols at 2-under-par 140. Wheeler closed out his second round with a bogey-free 2-under 33 on his final nine highlighted by a 20-foot birdie on the par-3 ninth. He will look to become the third player in history to win back-to-back Texas Mid-Amateur titles.

“Obviously, those guys ahead of me are playing great golf and I’m happy to be in the last group,” Wheeler said. “It is always the goal to win when you tee it up, but yeah I don’t want to let go of that trophy.”

Nichols played his closing 15 holes in 3-under par and attributed his great play over the past two days to local knowledge.

“It is pleasant to see how the golf course is withstanding the best mid-am players in the state of Texas,” Nichols said. “We have a lot of fun out here and there’s a lot of support for our members to play well in this.”

Sean Heidrick of Plano and Blake Parks of Odessa are tied fifth at 1-under-par 141, while three players sit in seventh at even par including Oak Hills member Danny Simmerman, 2015 Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play champion Justin Kaplan of Houston and 2020 Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play champion Aaron Hickman of Tyler.

Through two rounds, there are only six players under par for the championship. The field played Oak Hills from 6,687 yards in Round 2 and 57 players made the 36-hole cut at 8-over 150 or better.

The third round of the 37th Texas Mid-Amateur begins Sunday at 8 a.m. at Oak Hills. For more information on this championship, click here.