Lee, Von Hoffmann and Tiet Win at Spring Preview

Garland, Texas – Byungho Lee shoots 2-under 70 in the Final Round to win the Spring Preview’s Boys 15-18 Division at Firewheel Golf Course. Emma Von Hoffmann captured the Girls 12-18 Division, while Aiden Tiet won in the Boys 14 & Under Division.

Winners: Plano’s Byungho Lee trailed by two strokes heading into Sunday’s Final Round. He finished with rounds of 72-70 to get to 2-under 142 overall and a one-shot victory. Emma Von Hoffmann of Spicewood captured the Girls 12-18 Division after shooting rounds of 76-74. She overcame a two-shot deficit to start the day and held on to win by one stroke to claim her second LJT victory. Aiden Tiet of Garland won the Boys 14 & Under Division after shooting 1-under 71 in the Final Round and emerging from a three-way playoff. Tiet recorded two eagles and one birdie in his final 18 holes en route to finishing at even-par 144 overall.

Top Finishers: After holding a two-shot lead after round one, Andrew Petruzzelli posted a 1-over 73 to finish in second place in the Boys 15-18 Division at 1-under 143. Grant Yerger posted the low round of the day at 3-under 69 and finished in third place at even-par 144. Sterling Hurd finished in fourth place at 1-over 145. Henry Stone and Jonathan Kim finished tied for fifth at 2-over 146.  In the Girls 12-18 Division, Adrienne Ahn finished second at 7-over 151. Finishing at 8-over 152, and tied for third, was Lucy Kate Smith, Nirjara Gulhane, and Raychel Nelke. In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Elijah Estonilo and Asher Vargas finished tied for second after coming up short in the three-man playoff.

Weather: Sunday’s weather mimicked Saturday’s weather with cool, cloudy conditions and winds consistently blowing around 20 miles per hour with gusts upwards of 35 mph. The sun shined a little more than the previous day, but the wind added bite to the golf course.

Host Course: Firewheel Golf Course is hosting the Spring Preview for the first time in the event’s 17-year history. The Champions and Masters nines of the Bridges Course are just 18 of the 63 holes that Firewheel Golf Course has to offer, also on site are the Old and Lakes Courses. The par-72 Bridges course is playing at around 6,900 yards in the Boys 15-18 Division, 6,100 yards in the Boys 14 & Under Division and 5,800 yards in the Girls 12-18 Division.

Next Up: The Legends Junior Tour heads to Abilene on March 11-13 for the Texas Cup Invitational. Abilene Country Club is hosting the first Major event for the Boys 15-18 Division on the 2022 LJT Schedule

To see all the scores from Sunday’s second round, click here. For more information on the LJT Spring Preview, click here.

Petruzzelli, Singh, and Estonilo Lead at Spring Preview

Garland, Texas – Andrew Petruzzelli cards a 2-under 70 in the opening round of the Spring Preview to lead the Boys 15-18 Division at Firewheel Golf Course Anika Singh leads the Girls 12-18 Division at 2-over, while Elijah Estonilo leads the Boys 14 & Under Division at Even Par.

Boys 15-18 Division

1. Andrew Petruzzelli       70

T2. Byungho Lee               72

T3. Sterling Hurd              72

T3. Kenneth Melendrez    72

T3. Huang / Hill / Kim     72

 

Girls 12-18 Division

1. Anika Singh                     74

T2. Emma Von Hoffman  76

T2. Adrienne Ahn               76

T4. Carley Button                77

T4. Nirjara Gulhane            77

 

Boys 14 & Under Division

1. Elijah Estonilo               72

2. Aiden Tiet                       73

3. Collin Alstrin                  74

T4. Asher Vargas               75

T4. Grant Baer                   75

Leaders: Petruzzelli of Dallas posted the best round on Saturday making six birdies in his first 18 holes, including four on the front nine. McKinney’s Singh leads by two strokes in the Girls 12-18 Division after shooting 74 in the first round. Singh made two birdies on the day and looks to capture her first victory with the LJT. Elijah Estonilo of Allen leads the Boys 14 & Under Division by one stroke after shooting 72. Estonilo carded four birdies en route to his even-par round in the Boys 14 & Under Division.

In Contention: Six players are tied for second in the Boys 15-18 Division and trail Petruzzelli by two strokes heading into the final round. Plano’s Byungho Lee, Highland Village’s Kenneth Melendrez Jr, Round Rock’s Jonathan Kim, Austin’s Sterling Hurd, Plano’s Alex Huang, and Boerne’s Price Hill all shot even-par 72 on Saturday. Austin’s Henry Stone and Tyler’s Jacob Cole are tied for eight at 1-over, while Tyler Blackwell, Garrett McMellon, Noah McWilliams, and Parker Heath are tied for tenth at 2-over. In the Girls 12-18 Division, Emma Von Hoffman of Spicewood and Adrienne Ahn of Dallas are tied for second at 4-over, while Denton’s Carley Button and Cedar Park’s Nirjara Gulhane round out the top five in a tie for fourth at 5-over. Jenna Madden rounds out the top five in the division at 5-over. In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Aiden Tiet of Garland current sits one shot back in second place after a round of 1-over 73. Collin Alstrin of Prosper rounds out the top three in third place at 2-over 74. Asher Vargas of Spring and Grant Baer of Argyle are both tied for fourth at 3-over 75.

Weather: Players experienced cool and misty conditions during the morning hours. The clouds cleared and the wind picked up in the afternoon, as temperatures rose into the upper 70’s and winds blew around 20 mph.

Host Course: Firewheel Golf Course is hosting the Spring Preview for the first time in the event’s 17-year history. The Champions and Masters nines of the Bridges Course are just 18 of the 63 holes that Firewheel Golf Course has to offer, also on site are the Old and Lakes Courses. The par-72 Bridges course is playing at around 6,900 yards in the Boys 15-18 Division, 6,100 yards in the Boys 14 & Under Division and 5,800 yards in the Girls 12-18 Division.

What’s at Stake: This is the third Open Event on the LJT schedule in 2022 and player of the year points are going to be awarded to the top half of each division. Along with points, the top finishers will get AJGA Stars and exemptions into future LJT Majors like the Bluebonnet Championship, Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship and Texas Junior Amateur. The event is ranked by Junior Golf Scoreboard and Golfweek.

Next Up: Pairings for the Final Round of the Spring Preview are available and can be viewed by clicking here. Tee Times for the second round will begin at 8:00 AM off both #1 & #10 tees.

To see all the scores from Saturday’s first round, click here. For more information on the LJT Spring Preview, click here.

#TGA#