Yuan and McMellon lead Collegiate Preview

Briefly: Kaylee Yuan of Joshua, TX leads the Girls Division of the Collegiate Preview after shooting an even- par 142 across 36 holes on Monday. Garrett McMellon of Garland, TX leads the Boys Division at one-under following rounds of 73-68.

Leaders: Joshua’s Kaylee Yuan leads the Girls Division after rounds of 71-71 on Monday. Her even par 71 in the second round consisted of four pars and a birdie on the last hole for the day. She heads into the final round with a substantial lead. In the Boy’s Division, Garland’s Garrett McMellon tallied five birdies across 36 holes on Monday, including a ten-hole stretch to end the second round where he went two-under par. McMellon holds a one-stroke lead going into the final round.

In Contention: In the Boys Division, Garland’s Garrett McMellon sits at the top of the leaderboard after rounds of 73-68. Austin’s Bradley O’Donnell is in second place, one-stroke off the lead. O’Donnell posted rounds of 70-72. Sitting in third place is Asher Vargas of Spring, TX. Vargas carded 76-67, his second-round total being the low round of the day. In the Girls Division, Grace Heiss of Dallas sits at T2 trails after firing an 82-85 on Monday. Grace Kalina of Frisco is also tied for second, after rounds of 83-84.

Golf Course: Shady Valley Country Club was founded in 1959 and was designed by C.H. Wilemon Jr. The par-71 layout is playing to just over 6,400 yards for the Boys Division and nearly 5,900 yards for the Girls Division. Featuring tree lined fairways, water features, and small green complexes, the course demands players hit a variety of different shots.

Weather: Round one opened on a hot morning, with temperatures in the low-90’s for the first tee time. Temperatures ramped up to the upper-90’s as players completed their first round and settled in the low-100’s throughout the second round.

Tournament Format: The Collegiate Preview is a 54-hole stroke-play event for players ages 14-19 that have an active membership with the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. The event is divided into two divisions: Boys and Girls.

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.

Player of the Year Points: 1000 points in the 2023 Player of the Year Point Race are up for grabs this week at the Collegiate Preview. Points are awarded at each tournament to the top half of each age division. 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, Golfweek, and WAGR.

Next Up: The Final Round of the Collegiate Preview is set to begin at 7:30 am off the No. 1 tee at Shady Valley Country Club on Tuesday, June 27th.

For more information on the Collegiate Preview, click here. To see all the scores from the Collegiate Preview at Shady Valley Country Club, click here.

Dossey, Gonzalez, and Barrientos Win Divisions at Weather Shortened Collegiate Preview

Briefly: For the first time in Legends Junior Tour history, Austin’s Sam Dossey and Queretaro’s Alejandro Gonzalez both claim the title of co-champions in the Boys Division after posting rounds of 4-under 68. Melena Barrientos of Plano wins the Girls Division by five shots, after a round of 4-under 68.

Leaderboard:

Boys Division

1. Sam Dossey, Austin                                       68
   1. Alejandro Gonzalez, Queretaro               68
   3. Sam Bumgardner, Fort Worth                 69
   T4. Wil Griffin, Hot Springs                          70
   T4. Cody Winkler, McKinney                       70
   T4. Nicholas Hance, Irving                           70

Girls Division

1. Melena Barrientos, Plano                             68
   2.Gabrielle Roth, Austin                                73
   3. Annika Saidleman, Austin                        74
   T4. Sydney Williams, Frisco                         75
   T4. Sophie Biediger, Dallas                           75
   T4. Alise Knudson, Dallas                              75

 

Winners: Both Sam Dossey and Alejandro Gonzalez earn their first Legends Junior Tour victory at Hurricane Creek Country Club. Dossey recorded six birdies on his round, including three of the four par fives. Gonzalez birdied his final hole of the round to finish tied with Dossey atop the leaderboard.  In the Girls Division, Plano’s Melena Barrientos cruised to a five-shot victory after posting a 4-under 68. Barrientos made five birdies on the day, also claiming her first Legends Junior Tour victory.

In Contention: Fort Worth’s Sam Bumgardner finished solo third at 3-under 69. Bumgardner birdied three of his last four holes to climb up the leaderboard. Cody Winkler of McKinney, Nicholas Hance of Irving, and Hot Springs’s Wil Griffin all finished tied for fourth at 2-under 70. Griffin finished strong and birdied his final two holes to finish in the top five. Winkler carded a bogey-free round, while Hance made five birdies and an eagle on his round. Austin’s Gabrielle Roth posted a round of 1-over 73 to finish in solo second. Annika Saidleman of Austin finishes in third after recording a round of 2-over 74. Sophie Biediger of Frisco, and Dallas’s Sydney Williams and Alise Knudson all finished tied for fourth at 3-over 75.

Golf Course: Hurricane Creek Country Club was designed by Leon Howard in 1968 and features bent grass greens with tree-lined fairways of 419 Bermuda grass. While the basic layout of the course has remained intact, significant improvements have been made over the past decade that make Hurricane Creek as striking to the eye as it is challenging to your golf game.

Weather: The second round was cancelled, and the first round was resumed Tuesday morning, as lightning delays forced play to be suspended on Monday evening. Tuesday featured a cool and cloudy morning that opened up to a sunny afternoon with temperatures that climbed into the high 80’s.

Tournament Format: The Collegiate Preview is a 54-hole stroke-play event for players ages 14-19 that have an active membership with the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. The event is divided into two divisions: Boys and Girls.

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, Golfweek, and WAGR.

Next Up: The Legends Junior Tour travels to Horseshoe Bay Resort for the 94^th Texas Junior Amateur on July 27-29. Qualifying for the Texas Junior Amateur Boys Division throughout the state wraps up next week.

For more information on the Collegiate Preview, click here. To see all the scores from Hurricane Creek Country Club, click here.

Collegiate Preview Set for July 6-7

ANNA — The Legends Junior Tour’s Collegiate Preview heads to Hurricane Creek Country Club for the third time in the tournament’s seven-year history.

Hurricane Creek Country Club recently hosted the Hurricane Creek Classic from June 9-12. The Women’s All Pro Tour event was won by LJT alumna Kristen Gillman of Austin. It was Gillman’s first victory as a professional golfer. Four weeks following the professional event, the club will welcome 96 of the top juniors in the state.

“We’re excited to be returning to Hurricane Creek Country Club for the first time since 2016,” LJT Tournament Coordinator Adam Schulte said. “The golf course is a true test and we look forward to crowning two worthy champions.”

Hurricane Creek Country Club was designed by renowned golf course architect Leon Howard in 1968. The traditional parkland golf course features tree-lined fairways and Bermuda grass greens. The 7,027-yard layout is nestled within a serene natural setting and water comes into play on 11 of the 18 holes. Hurricane Creek Country Club General Manager and Director of Golf Greg Morrison looks forward to hosting this year’s Collegiate Preview.

“Junior golf is a huge piece of what we do here,” Morrison said. “We always want to be involved in ways that we can help juniors. The golf course is in great shape and I think the players should expect a great test.”

The prestigious junior tournament was first played in 2014 at Ridgewood Country Club. Hurricane Creek Country Club played host in 2015-16, followed by a return to Ridgewood Country Club in 2017, Cimarron Hills Golf & Country Club in 2018 and Mira Vista Country Club last year.

The Collegiate Preview is restricted to players 14 years and older who are members of the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. It is a 36-hole event that is ranked nationally by Junior Golf Scoreboard, Golfweek and the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

Sugar Land’s Shaheen Momin won last year’s Boys Division at Mira Vista Country Club in Fort Worth. Momin, who went on to earn 2019 Player of the Year honors, carded rounds of 68-70-66 to post 9-under-par 204 for the tournament. He claimed the title by three strokes and it was one of his seven top-10s last year.

Mia Gaboriau of Coppell won the Girls Division in a sudden-death playoff over Canton’s Mia Nixon and Fort Worth’s Malisone Chanthapanya. Gaboriau closed out the victory with a par on the third playoff hole to claim her first LJT title.

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 successfully managed three safe and competitive championships in June (Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship, Flodder Financial Shootout and Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship). The LJT is committed to another safe and successful week at Hurricane Creek Country Club.

Along with LJT Player of the Year Points, players are competing for exemptions into LJT Invitational events. The top three finishers in the Boys Division will earn an exemption into the George Hannon Junior Invitational, Texas Junior Amateur, 2021 Texas Cup Invitational and 2021 Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship.

In the Girls Division, the champion will earn a spot in the George Hannon Junior Invitational and Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational, while the top three will earn an exemption into the 2021 Texas Girls’ Invitational.

For more information on the Collegiate Preview, click here.