Around the Green
The latest golf-related news, notes, and feature stories from the TGA.
Gregg, Cao, O’Rear Win At Flodder Financial Shootout
Briefly: Ben Gregg of Dallas wins the Boys 15-18 Division of the Flodder Financial Shootout at 9-under-par 135. Natalie Cao of Sugar Land wins the Girls 12-18 Division out at the Club at Falcon Point, while Rhett O’Rear of Plano wins the Boys 14 & Under Division.
Leaderboard:
Boys 15-18 Division
- Ben Gregg, Dallas 135
2. Kaelen Dulany, Keller 138
3. Christian Clark, Dallas 139
4. Jack Gilbert, Houston 140
5. Andrew Baucum, Heath 141
Girls 12-18
- Natalie Cao, Sugarland 141
T2. Maelynn Kim, Katy 142
T2. Lauren Nguyen, Katy 142
4. Bentley Cotton, Austin 143
5. Mimi Burton, Boerne 146
Boys 14 & Under
- Rhett O’Rear, Plano 145
2. Bowen Ballis, Shenandoah 149
T3. Brooks Simmons, Dallas 153
T3. Finn Burkholder, The Woodlands 153
T5. Austin Hofferkamp, The Woodlands 151
Winners: Ben Gregg, Natalie Cao and RyanO’Rear all claimed their first LJT victories at this year’s Flodder Financial Shootout. Gregg’s victory came over a strong field by posting rounds of 5-under 67 and 4-under 68. His 12 birdies for the event netted him a three-stroke victory. Cao’s win can be attributed to her strong final round where she posted a score of 3-under 69. She made 10 birdies over the two rounds with only two of them coming on the same hole. O’Rear posted a winning score of 145 which consisted of rounds of 72-73 in the Boys 14 & Under Division. He tallied eight birdies over the two days to secure a four-shot victory.
In Contention: Keller’s Kaelen Dulany birdied his last four holes of the tournament to finish in second at 6-under 138. Dallas’ Christian Clark finished in third place at 5-under 139 while Jack Gilbert of Houston made five straight birdies between holes 13-17 in his final round to finish in forth place at 4-under 140. Heath’s Andrew Baucum rounded out the top five at 3-under 141. Katy residents Lauren Nguyen and Maelynn Kim finished tied for third in the Girls 12-18 Division at 2-under 142. Austin’s Bentley Cotton finished in fourth at 1-under 143, and Mimi Burton rounded out the top five at 2-over 146. Bowen Ballis of Shenandoah amassed seven birdies for the event which was good enough for solo second at 3-over par 149. Dallas’ Brooks Simmons and Finn Burkholder of the Woodlands finished tied for third at 9-over 153.
Golf Course: The Club at Falcon Point is hosting the Flodder Financial Shootout for the second time in as many years. The duo of Bruce Devlin and Robert von Hagge designed the par-72 layout, which features 18 holes that tests the full bag of each golfer.
Weather: After a mild morning, temperatures heated up in the afternoon with a high of 93 but the blue skies and still winds allowed for some low final round scores.
Tournament Format: The Flodder Financial Shootout is a 36-hole stroke-play event for players ages 12-19 that have an active membership with the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. The event is divided into three divisions: Boys 15-18, Boys 14 & Under and Girls 12-18.
Tournament History: This is the eight year of the Flodder Financial Shootout, but the list of past champions is one of the strongest on the Legends Junior Tour. Walker Lee and Cole Hammer are past champions and have both gone on to qualify for and compete in a U.S. Open Championship. Other past champions include Travis Vick, Isha and Ashni Druva, Scott Roden, Michael Perras, Garrett Martin, Macy Fox, Treed Huang, and Elina Sinz.
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 and Golfweek.
Next Up: The Legends Junior Tour heads to the DFW area with the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship at Brookhaven Country Club on June 29-30. Qualifying for the Texas Junior Amateur Boys Division gets underway throughout the state next week.
For more information on the Flodder Financial Shootout, click here. To see all the scores from the Club at Falcon Point, click here.
