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Victoria CC to host Texas Girls’ Invitational

ADDISON – The Texas Girls’ Invitational travels to Victoria Country Club for the first time in the 14th edition of the event. Set for Feb. 18-20, this will be the first major championship of the 2023 LJT season.

The Texas Girls’ Invitational will feature a 76-player, girls-only field. Over the past decade it has become one of the top junior events in Texas on the schedule. The inaugural playing of this event featured 12 players back in 2010, but now boasts one of the most competitive fields each year.

In 2019, the event became a 54-hole championship held in February with World Amateur Golf Ranking points up for grabs. Additionally, the tournament also offers numerous AJGA Performance Stars to the top finishers including 12 for the champion. Prior to 2019 the event was 36 holes and annually held in the fall.

This is the first LJT event to be played at Victoria CC. Originally built by E.L. Grunder as a nine-hole course in 1924, the current eighteen-hole layout was redesigned by Joe Finger. The course is considered one of the finest in South Texas and tips out at just under 7,000 yards.

“We are very excited to host the Texas Girls’ Invitational at Victoria Country Club for the first time as we welcome many of the best girls in the state,” Tournament Coordinator Katie O’Connell said. “The field for this event continues to get stronger each year. We are excited to crown our first major champion of the year.”

Austin’s Farah O’Keefe won by an impressive seven strokes last year at the Texas Girls’ Invitational by finishing two-under par. A field of rising stars and previous LJT winners will take on the Victoria CC this year and look to etch their name on the Nez Muhleman trophy.

The ’Nez Muhleman trophy is named after Inez “’Nez” Muhleman of Houston. She was long known for her dedication to junior golf.

Past champions of this girls-only championship include Kaci McCartan, Lakareber Abe, Maddie McCrary, Vanessa Ha, Jaravee Boonchant, Anne Chen, Makenzie Niblett, Hailey Jones, and Tillie Claggett.

This is the first Major Championship for the girls of the 2023 LJT season. For more information on the Texas Girls’ Invitational, please click here.

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Austin’s Farah O’Keefe Wins 12th Texas Girls’ Invitational

MONTGOMERY – Farah O’Keefe fires a final round even-par 72 at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club’s Weiskopf course on Monday resulting in a resounding seven-stroke victory at LJTs 12th Texas Girls’ Invitational.

Competing in her first Texas Girls’ Invitational, the Austin-native posted rounds of 76-66-72. She started her final round with a birdie on No. 2 and remained 1-under until a bogey on the par 4 sixth hole. She finished off the front nine with a birdie and turned at 1-under overall. Her next birdie came on No. 11 followed by four straight pars extending her lead. O’Keefe made two bogeys in her final 9-holes to get to even-par after 18-holes.

O’Keefe’s win at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club highlights what has been an amazing run lately on the links for the high school junior. She made history shooting a tournament low round of 6-under 66 on Sunday. O’Keefe, who made her LPGA debut last summer at the Volunteers of America Classic after earning an exemption through the Northern Texas PGA’s VOA Classic Girls Championship. She recently claimed first place at the Alamo Shootout this past December, the last event on the 2021 LJT schedule.

Leaderboard:
1) Farah O’Keefe, Austin 76-66-72—214
2) Ashleen Kaur, Cypress 77-72-72—221
3) Maye Huang, Katy 75-75-73—223
4) Darrelyn Webster, Austin 79-74-71—224
5) Chaemin Kim, Austin 78-73-73—224

Full Leaderboard

Cypress’s Ashleen Kaur tiptoed up to the leader group throughout Monday’s final round matching O’Keefe’s even-par score of 72. Kaur made birdie on the 166-yard par 3 third hole followed by a bogey on No. 5 where she remained even-par after 9-holes. The high school junior finished the week with a total of eight birdies in 54-holes.

Katy’s Maye Huang, class of 2025, finished third overall with a 7-over 223. Huang carded a final round of 1-over 73 which consisted of back-to-back birdies in her first 5-holes on No’s. 2 and 3. A bogey on the 492-yard par 5 seventh hole brought her back to 1-under where she went head to head with Kaur. She dropped two-strokes back after a bogey on No. 10 and double bogey on No. 14 but made birdie on the par 5 fifteenth hole to pull off a third place finish.

Rounding out the top five at 8-over 224 overall are Austin-natives Darrelyn Webster and Chaemin Kim. After a scorecard playoff, Webster’s final round 1-under 71 resulted in a fourth place finish followed by Kim, who carded a final round 1-over 73.

The weather at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club consisted of overcast skies and light drizzle in the morning. In the afternoon temperatures reached the high 70s as the sun came out. The wind was a factor in today’s round with rising up to 17 miles per hours making the back nine the most challenging.

The Texas Girls’ Invitational is a 54-hole stroke play event for girls that are members of the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. The event is one of the top-ranked tournaments in Texas.

Next up for the Legends Junior Tour is the Spring Preview at Firewheel Golf Park’s The Bridges course in Garland. For more information about the Spring Preview, click here.

For all the scores from Monday’s action at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club, click here. To learn more about the Texas Girls’ Invitational, click here.

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O’Keefe Fires Bogey-free 6-under 66 to Take Lead at Texas Girls’ Invitational

MONTGOMERY – Austin’s Farah O’Keefe strung together a superb bogey free round of 6-under 66, the lowest round recorded at the Texas Girls’ Invitational, and leads by three strokes heading into the final round at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club.

O’Keefe is now 2-under overall following rounds of 76-66 on the first two days. Her birdie binge on today’s round started on the sixth and seventh holes, which led to No. 8 where her tee shot on the 145-yard par 3 left no doubt that a third straight birdie was coming. Making the turn at 3-under 33, O’Keefe fired another three straight birdies on No. 13, 14 and 15. The final result: six birdies total to close out a round of 66, which ultimately put her in the lead heading into Monday’s final round.

The Austin native looks to win her first Texas Girls’ Invitational and her second win with the Legends Junior Tour.

Leaderboard:
1) Farah O’Keefe, Austin 76-66—142
2) Bella Flores, Kingwood 74-70—144
3) Dresden Bounds, San Antonio 73-74—147
4) Jenna Madden, McKinney 73-75—148
T5) Ashleen Kaur, Cypress 77-72—149
T5) Caroline Dasch, Austin 76-73—149
T5) Jasmine Do, Cypress 77-72—149

Full Leaderboard

Trailing behind O’Keefe by two strokes is Bella Flores of Kingwood. Flores’ round today consisted of three birdies and a solo bogey on the 379-yard par 4 first hole which resulted in a 2-under 70. After 36 holes, she sits in second with an even-par 144 overall.

In solo third is round one co-leader Dresden Bounds of San Antonio. Bounds posted a 2-over 74 second round score consisting of five birdies and seven bogeys. She sits five strokes back from the lead with a 36 hole total of 147.

Holding onto fourth is Jenna Madden of McKinney, who was tied with Bounds for the lead after 18 holes. Madden carded a second round of 3-over 75 which consisted of three birdies on the front nine, but ran into some trouble on the back nine.

Ashleen Kaur of Cypress, Kate Bennett of McKinney, Caroline Dasch of Austin, and Jasmine Do of Cypress round out the top five at 149 overall.

The weather at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club consisted of overcast skies with temperatures peaking at the mid-60s. The wind was a factor in today’s round with breezes steady around 7 miles per out of the south, south east.

The Texas Girls’ Invitational moved to 54 holes in 2019. The championship was contested over 36 holes the previous nine years, but the LJT wanted to add a World Amateur Golf Ranking to the event as well as offer another 54-hole event on the schedule.

The final round of the Texas Girls’ Invitational is set to begin at 8:00 am on Monday, Feb. 21. Tee times will be redrawn according to scores with the leaders teeing off last. To see all the pairings for the final round, click here.

For all the scores from Sunday’s action at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club, click here. To learn more about the Texas Girls’ Invitational, click here.

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Bounds and Madden Tied for Lead After First Round of the Texas Girls’ Invitational

MONTGOMERY – Dresden Bounds and Jenna Madden are tied for the lead after the first round of the Texas Girls’ Invitational at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club. Both players posted opening-round scores of 1-over par and lead by two strokes heading into Sunday’s second round.

San Antonio’s Bounds got off to a great start with birdies on No. 1 and No. 8 but made bogey double-bogey on the par-5 seventh and turned at even-par. She had an up and down back consisting of two birdies, one bogey, and double. A bogey on No. 16 put her back to 1-over par to tie with Madden heading into Sunday.

McKinney’s Madden who played with Bounds in today’s round got off to a rough start with bogies on No. 4 and No. 6 making the turn at 2-over. Madden turned things around on the back with a solo birdie on the par-5 fifteenth which put her at 1-over for the day.

Leaderboard:
T1) Dresden Bounds, San Antonio 73
T1) Jenna Madden, McKinney 73
T3) Bella Flores, Kingwood 74
T3) Kate Bennett, McKinney 74
T5) Adrienne Ahn, Dallas 75
T5) Darcy Wright, Spring 75
T5) Maye Huang, Katy 75

Full Leaderboard

Three players sit in a tie for fifth place at 3-over-par, including Dallas’s Adrienne Ahn, Spring’s Darcy Wright and Katy’s Maye Huang. Three players also sit in a tie for eighth at 4-over-par, Tomball’s Zoe Hobbs, Austin’s Farah O’Keefe and Austin’s Caroline Dasch.

Bentwater Yacht & Country Club is hosting the Texas Girls’ Invitational for the seventh time in the tournament’s 12-year history. The Weiskopf course was designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish and features rolling fairways and greens that seem to emerge from the thick forests of hardwood pines. The Weiskopf course features a great closing nine that is highlighted by four holes that play along the shores of Lake Conroe.

The weather at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club accommodated for today’s round with temperatures starting in the low-50s and peaking to the low-60s in the afternoon. The sunshine was out all day and winds ranged from one mph in the morning, and only reached up to three mph in the late afternoon.

The second round of the Texas Girls’ Invitational will start at 11:00 am on Sunday, Feb. 20. Tee times were redrawn according to scores from the first round with the leaders teeing off last. To see all the pairings for the second round, click here.

For all the scores from Saturday’s action at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club, click here. To learn more about the Texas Girls’ Invitational, click here.

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Texas Girls’ Invitational Returns to Bentwater Yacht & Country Club

ADDISON – The Texas Girls’ Invitational returns to Bentwater Yacht & Country Club for the third year in a row and eighth time overall. The tournament is set to be played February 19-21 on the Weiskopf Course.

The Texas Girls’ Invitational, a 72-player girls-only field, has become one of the top junior events in Texas on the schedule. The inaugural playing of this event featured 12 players back in 2010, but now boasts one of the most competitive fields each year.

Bentwater Yacht & Country Club is hosting the Texas Girls’ Invitational for the eighth time in the championship’s history. Originally built in 1993, the dedicated TGA Member Club was designed by two renowned golf course architects, Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish. Their efforts created broad, rolling fairways and TiffDwarf greens that wind through the signature forests of hardwood and pines along Lake Conroe.

“We are very excited to host the Texas Girls’ Invitational at Bentwater again as we welcome many of the best girls in the state,” LJT Tournament Director Andrea Daly said. “We are also excited to work with Bentwater’s new Director of Golf Dave Troyer. Dave and his staff are phenomenal and will be instrumental in making this event a success.”

Tillie Claggett of The Woodlands won by four strokes last year at the Texas Girls’ Invitational after finishing the week four-under par. A field of rising stars and previous LJT winners will take on the Weiskopf Course this year and look to etch their name on the Nez Muhleman trophy.

The ‘Nez Muhleman trophy is named after Inez “Nez” Muhleman of Houston. She was long known for her dedication to junior golf.

“The Weiskopf course has a wonderful routing that will take the players inland and along the coast of Lake Conroe,” Director of Golf Dave Troyer said. “We are excited to showcase the course to some of the states’ best junior players.”

Past champions of this girls-only championship include Kaci McCartan, Lakareber Abe, Maddie McCrary, Vanessa Ha, Jaravee Boonchant, Anne Chen, Makenzie Niblett, Hailey Jones, and Tillie Claggett. This is the first Major Championship for the girls of the 2022 LJT season.

For more information on the Texas Girls’ Invitational, please click here.

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Claggett Claims Texas Girls’ Invitational Victory

MONTGOMERY— Tillie Claggett won the Texas Girls’ Invitational with an overall score of 4-under 212 at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club’s Weiskopf Course on Sunday. The victory marks Claggett’s second victory with the Legends Junior Tour, but first major victory. She joins the likes of fellow champions Jaravee Boonchant, Maddie McCrary and Anne Chen as players with their names etched onto the Nez Muhleman Trophy.

The Woodlands-native was the only player under par and posted rounds of 71-68-73. She started her final round with a birdie on No. 2, but dropped a shot with a bogey on No. 9 to turn at 5-under overall. She made a birdie on the par-5 11^th and finished with bogeys on holes 15 & 16 to get to 4-under and finish with four strokes ahead of the field.

The Texas Girls’ Invitational is a 54-hole stroke play event for girls that are members of the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. The event is one of the top-ranked tournaments in Texas.

Katy’s Maelynn Kim continued to improve her level of play as the tournament progressed. Starting the day three groups ahead of Claggett, Kim carded a final round 3-under 69 to finish in second place at even par 216. Kim was the only player under par in the final round and finished strong with three birdies in the final five holes.

Austin’s Darrelyn Webster finished third in the Texas Girls’ Invitational at 1-over 217. Webster matched her second round and posted a score of even-par 72 in the final round. Ashleen Kaur of Houston finished fourth in the event at 2-over 220. Cedar Park’s Jiyu Han and San Antonio’s Grace Jin both finished tied for fifth at 3-over 219, after matching final round scores of 5-over 77.

Yvonne Chamness of Austin finished in solo seventh at 4-over 220. Chaemin Kim of Austin and Sara Tomaszewski of Mexico finished tied for eight at 5-over 221, and San Antonio’s Lindsay Lee rounded out the top ten at 6-over 222.

Bentwater Yacht & Country Club hosted the Texas Girls’ Invitational for the sixth time in the tournament’s history. The event returned to the Weiskopf Course for the second year in a row. The course was designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish and stretched out to 6,125 yards for the tournament.

The day started with temperatures in the mid to low 70’s and rose into the low 90’s by the end of play. The sun was shining all day and winds remain relatively calm; wavering between 6-10 mph throughout the round.

Next up for the Legends Junior Tour is the North Texas Classic at Tangle Ridge Golf Course in Grand Prairie. The North Texas Classic routinely features one of the best tournament fields on the LJT Open event schedule.

To see all scores from the Texas Girls’ Invitational, click here. For more information on the Texas Girls’ Invitational, click here.

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Tillie Claggett Leads Texas Girls’ Invitational

MONTGOMERY – Tillie Claggett fires a 4-under 68 in the second round of the Texas Girls’ Invitational and leads by three strokes at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club heading into Sunday’s final round.

Claggett posted rounds of 71-68 on Saturday to take the lead in the final major of the LJT season. She played two consistent rounds, totaling eight birdies over both rounds to reach the 5-under mark. Her second round of 68 in the afternoon consisted of five birdies and only one bogey.

The Texas Girls’ Invitational is a 54-hole stroke-play event for girls and is playing as the final Major Tournament on the Legends Junior Tour Schedule. The event was rescheduled from February due to the winter storm and is being contested over two days. Rounds 1 & 2 were played in morning and afternoon tee times Saturday, with the final round set for Sunday morning. Players earned their way into the field by playing in Texas Junior Golf Alliance Events. Claggett is seeking her first major victory at the Texas Girls’ Invitational and her second win with the Legends Junior Tour.

Trailing Claggett by three strokes is Grace Jin of San Antonio and Jiyu Han of Cedar Park. Jin was the co-leader with Claggett after the first round, and ultimately posted rounds of 71-71 to get to 2-under 142 overall. Jin played the stretch of holes 15-18 at 6-under over both rounds. Han matched Claggett’s second round of 4-under 68 and rebounded from her opening round of 2-over 74 to make the final group on Sunday.

In fourth is Houston’s Ashleen Kaur. Like Han, Kaur also bounced back in the second round by posting 2-under 70 to finish at even-par 144 overall. Mexico’s Sara Tomaszewski, Fulshear’s Tristan Gabbard, and Austin’s Darrelyn Webster are all tied for fifth at 1-over 145.

Chaemin Kim of Austin, and Lauren Madson of Mansfield are tied for eighth at 2-over 146. Madson used a stretch of four straight birdies in her second round to pull within the top ten. Yvonne Chamness of Austin and Maelynn Kim of Katy both finished tied for 10th at 3-over 147.

Bentwater Yacht & Country Club is hosting the Texas Girls’ Invitational for the sixth time in the tournament’s 12-year history. The Weiskopf course was designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish and features rolling fairways and greens that seem to emerge form the thick forests of hardwood pines. The Weiskopf course features a great closing nine that is highlighted by four holes that play along the shores of Lake Conroe.

The weather at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club cooperated for each round with temperatures peaking in the high-80s and working down to the low-80s in the afternoon, thanks to passing rain showers in the area. The sunshine was out until 2:00 pm until intermittent showers left the rest of the day wet and cloudy. Winds ranged from three mph in the morning, to 8-10 mph in the late afternoon.

Pairings for the final round of the Texas Girls Invitational were redrawn according to scores from the first two rounds. The final round will begin off the No. 1 and No. 10 tees starting at 8:00 AM. To see all the pairings for the final round, click here.

To see all the scores from the first two rounds, click here. For more information on the Texas Girls’ Invitational, click here.

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Texas Girls’ Invitational Returns to Bentwater Yacht & Country Club

ADDISON – The Texas Girls’ Invitational returns to Bentwater Yacht & Country Club on Aug. 28-29 with the girls-only event set to take on the Weiskopf Course. The tournament was originally scheduled for Feb. 13-15 but was postponed due to the winter storm.

Conducted by the Legends Junior Tour, the Texas Girls’ Invitational is a 72-player girls-only field that has become one of the top events in the state. The event began in 2010 with 12 players and has become one of the most competitive fields on the LJT calendar.

The championship was originally 36 holes and ranked by Golfweek and Junior Golf Scoreboard and was held in the fall. In 2019, the event was moved to February and became a 54-hole championship with World Amateur Golf Ranking points up for grabs. The tournament also offers numerous AJGA Performance Stars to the top finishers including 12 for the champion.

Bentwater Yacht & Country Club is hosting the Texas Girls’ Invitational for the seventh time in the championship’s history. The dedicated TGA member club was originally built in 1993 by two renowned golf course architects, Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish. Their efforts created broad, rolling fairways and TiffDwarf greens that wind through the signature forests of hardwood and pines along Lake Conroe. The Texas Girls’ Invitational was played at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club from 2012-2016 and in 2020.

“We are very excited to host the Texas Girls’ Invitational again and welcome some of the best junior girls back to Montgomery,” Bentwater Yacht & Country Club Head Golf Professional Cord Roberson said. “The camaraderie among the juniors is great and hosting this event has had a positive impact on our community as well.”

The Texas Girls’ Invitational champion will have her name engraved on the ‘Nez Muhleman trophy. Inez “Nez” Muhleman of Houston was known for her dedication to junior golf. Muhleman never missed a girls’ national championship until she retired in 2010. In 2011, she received the USGA Joe Dey Award, which is the organization’s highest honor for volunteerism, for her service to the game and for establishing the Junior Girls’ Travel Fund to help young Texans afford travel expenses to the U.S. Girls’ Junior.

Past champions of this girls-only championship include Kaci McCartan, Lakareber Abe, Maddie McCrary, Vanessa Ha, Jaravee Boonchant, Anne Chen, Makenzie Niblett and Hailey Jones. This is the final Major Championship for the girls of the 2021 LJT season.

For more information on the Texas Girls’ Invitational, please click here.

About the LJT: The Legends Junior Tour is part of the Texas Junior Golf Alliance, which is a joint venture between the Texas Golf Association, Northern and Southern PGA and Houston Golf Association. The tour operates as part of the Texas Golf Association and its foundation. Since its inception in 2005, the tour has provided funds to promote junior golf initiatives while conducting some of the state’s top junior championships including the Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship, Texas Junior Amateur and the Texas Girls’ Invitational as well as the Texas Cup Invitational.

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Texas Girls’ Invitational Set for Feb. 13-15

MONTGOMERY – The Texas Girls’ Invitational returns to Bentwater Yacht & Country Club from Feb. 13-15 with the girls-only event set to take on the Weiskopf Course.

Conducted by the Legends Junior Tour, the Texas Girls’ Invitational was modeled after the Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship and the Texas Cup Invitational. The tournament has taken on its own identity and has become one of the top events in the state.

The 2021 starting field boasts some of the best junior girls in the country.

Lauren Nguyen of Katy is in the field. The two-time LJT Girls 12-18 Player of the Year (2019-20) and 94th Texas Junior Amateur champion will look to improve on her T6 finish from last year. Nguyen recently committed to play collegiate golf for Texas A&M University and will make her first start of the season in Montgomery.

Other notables competing at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club include the 94th Texas Junior Amateur Girls 14 & Under champion Sidney Robertson of Chandler, the 2021 Winter Classic champion Maggie Ni of Cypress, the 2020 James A. Ragan Memorial champion Darrelyn Webster of Austin and the 2020 Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship champion Farah O’Keefe of Austin.

Last year’s Texas Girls’ Invitational was conducted over two days. The field played 36 holes on Sunday and finished the 54-hole championship on Monday. Ashley Yen of Houston carded rounds of 72-69-73 to finish at 2-under par overall and win by three strokes. Yen, the 2020 USGA-AJGA Leadership Award recipient, recently committed to the admissions process at Yale University and plans to play collegiately.

The Texas Girls’ Invitational champion will have her name engraved on the ‘Nez Muhleman Trophy. Inez “Nez” Muhleman of Houston was known for her dedication to junior golf. Muhleman never missed a girls’ national championship until she retired in 2010. In 2011, she received the USGA Joe Dey Award, which is the organization’s highest honor for volunteerism, for her service to the game and for establishing the Junior Girls’ Travel Fund to help young Texans afford travel expenses to the U.S. Girls’ Junior.

Past champions of this girls-only championship include Kaci McCartan, Lakareber Abe, Maddie McCrary, Vanessa Ha, Jaravee Boonchant, Anne Chen, Makenzie Niblett and Hailey Jones. This is the first Major Championship for the girls of the 2021 LJT season.

“This is one of the best events for girls to compete in each year, “LJT Tournament Director Kevin Porter said. “The Texas Girls’ Invitational is always competitive and this year’s field will be tested.”

For more information on the Texas Girls’ Invitational, please click here.