McMellon, Lewis, and Yuan Win at Lanny Wadkins JC

Briefly:  Garland’s Garrett McMellon claims his first LJT victory in a two-hole playoff after finishing at 3-under par 137 for the tournament. Joshua’s Kaylee Yuan goes wire to wire to won the Girls 12-18 Division at even par 140, while Dallas’ Cameron Lewis won the Boys 14 & Under Division in a playoff after finishing at 1 over-par 141.

Tournament Leaderboard

Champions: Garrett McMellon entered Tuesday’s final round in the second to last group, two shots off the lead after a first round 68.  McMellon started the day with bogeys on holes #1 & #3, but rallied with birdies on Holes #4, #10, and #12 to post 1-under 69 on the day.  McMellon finished at 3-under par 137 for the tournament and secured his first LJT victory with a 12 foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole.

Joshua’s Kaylee Yuan won the Girls 12-18 Division after shooting rounds of 68-72 to finish the championship at even par and nine strokes ahead of the field. She posted the only under par round of the tournament in the girls division with a 2 under par score of 68 in the first round. This is Yuan’s second LJT victory in as many starts.

Dallas’ Cameron Lewis won the Boys 14 & Under Division at 1-over 141 overall in a playoff Dexter Zimmerman. Lewis drained a 50 foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to claim the title. Lewis recorded rounds of 72-69 for his first LJT victory.

Top Finishers: In the Boys 15-18 Division, Belton’s Chandler Cooke finished runner up after shooting rounds of 67-70 to finish at 3-under par 137 and losing in a playoff. Dallas’s Blake Goodnight, the first round leader, took home third place after finishing one off the pace at 2-under par 138. Jack Hollingsed of Dallas finished at 1-under par 139, which was good enough for fourth place, and New Braunfels’ Kyle Doolittle rounded out the top five at even-par 140.

In the Girls 12-18 Division, Prosper’s Lucy Kate Smith finished runner up at 9-over 149. Austin’s Julia Sosa finished in 3^rd place with a score of 10-over 150. San Antonio’s Abby Jimenez claimed fourth place at 11-over 151, and Dallas’s Bella Scucchi rounded out the top five at 16-over 156.

In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Dallas’s Dexter Zimmerman finishes runner up after losing in a playoff at 1-over par 141. Lantana’s Henry Jackson finishes third at 8-over par 148.

Golf Course: Iron Horse Golf Course, located in North Richland Hills, is hosting the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship for the first time in the tournament’s 15-year history. Century-old oak, mesquite and cottonwood trees frame emerald Bermuda fairways and manicured greens, which traverse beneath a working railroad trestle – with numerous doglegs, two meandering creeks which come into play on 17 holes, and unique bunkering creating both strategic diversity and a breathtaking backdrop for golf. Adding to the charm and nostalgia of the course are three authentic caboose cars, which serve as on-course facilities.

Weather: Temperatures began in the low 80’s and did not creep into the 90’s until late in the afternoon. Players enjoyed cloud cover and a cool breeze in the morning as storms rolled through the opposite side of the DFW metro.

Tournament Format: The Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship is a 36-hole stroke play event for players ages 12-18 years old. Membership with a Texas Junior Golf Alliance Partner is required to play in Legends Junior Tour events.

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:  Garrett McMellon, Kaylee Yuan and Cameron Lewis all earned 1000 points in the Player of the Year Point Race.  Points are awarded at each tournament to the top half of each age division.

Next Up: The Legends Junior Tour heads to White Bluff Resort on July 24-26 for the 97^th Texas Junior Amateur. The 240-player field is split between four division: Boys, Girls, Boys 14 & Under and Girls 14 & Under. The Boys Division will play the New Course at White Bluff, while the Girls Division and both 14 & Under Divisions will play the Old Course at White Bluff.

For more information on the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship, click here. To see all the scores from Iron Horse Golf Course, click here.

Goodnight, Yuan, and Zimmerman Lead at Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship

Briefly: Blake Goodnight of Dallas, TX, sits alone atop the Boys 15-18 Division of the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship after shooting a solid 4-under 66 at Iron Horse Golf Club. Dexter Zimmerman, also of Dallas, holds a two shot lead in the Boys 14 & Under division at even-par 70. Finally, Kaylee Yuan of Joshua leads the Girls Division by six strokes after her 2-under-par 68 in round 1.

Tournament Leaderboard

In Contention: In the Boys 15-18 division, The Colony’s Jackson Vesper and Belton’s Chandler Cooke are tied for second after rounds of 3-under par 67. Garrett McMellon of Garland finds himself in solo fourth after a round of 2-under par 68. Grapevine’s Wylie Waldrip, Flint’s Braden Bergman, and Houston’s Ford Montgomery round out the top five after rounds of 1-under par 69.

In the Girls 12-18 Division, Prosper’s Lucy Kate Smith sits six shots back in second place after an opening round of 4-over par 74. Julia Sosa rounds out the second round’s final pairing in third place after a first round of 6-over par 76.

In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Dallas’ Cameron Lewis is in second place at 2-over par 72. Lantana’s Henry Jackson currently holds third at 3-over par 73, and Houston’s Freeman Woldert is in fourth at 7-over par 77.

Golf Course: Iron Horse Golf Course, located in North Richland Hills, is hosting the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship for the first time in the tournament’s 15-year history. Century-old oak, mesquite and cottonwood trees frame emerald Bermuda fairways and manicured greens, which traverse beneath a working railroad trestle – with numerous doglegs, two meandering creeks which come into play on 17 holes, and unique bunkering creating both strategic diversity and a breathtaking backdrop for golf. Adding to the charm and nostalgia of the course are three authentic caboose cars, which serve as on-course facilities.

Weather: The weather for Monday’s first round began with cloud cover and temperatures in the mid 80’s. The clouds cleared out in the afternoon and temperatures reached the mid to upper 90’s.  Winds remained calm throughout the day, peaking around 10 mph.

Tournament Format: The Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship is a 36-hole stroke play event for players 12-18 years old. All players in the field are required to have an active membership with the Texas Junior Golf Alliance.

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.

Future Tournament Exemptions Available:

Boys Division: The top three (3) finishers in the Boy’s 15-18 Division will be awarded an exemption to play in the Texas Junior Amateur.  The Champion in the Boy’s 15-18 Division will earn exemptions to the George Hannon Junior Invitational, Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational, 2024 Texas Cup Invitational, 2024 Byron Nelson Junior Championship and the 2024 Bluebonnet Championship.

Boy’s 14 and Under Division: The Champion in the Boy’s 14 and under division will earn an exemption to play in the George Hannon Junior Invitational, Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational, and the 2024 Bluebonnet Invitational.

Girls Division: The Champion in the Girl’s Division will earn exemptions into the George Hannon Junior Invitational, Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational, 2024 Texas Girls’ Invitational, and the 2024 Bluebonnet Championship.

Player of the Year Points: 1000 points in the 2023 Player of the Year Point Race are up for grabs this weekend at the Winter Classic.  Points are awarded at each tournament to the top half of each age division.

Next Up: The Final Round is scheduled to begin at 7:30 am off the No. 1 tee on Tuesday, July 11. To see the pairings for the Final Round, click here.

For more information on the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship, click here. To see all the scores from Iron Horse Golf Course, click here.