First up the TJGT Houston National Junior Championship was played at the Houston National Golf Club in Cypress, Texas October 29th-30th, 2011.
Almost 80 players from Texas and Arkansas teed it up with the Boys 16-18 played 6,793 yards; the Boys 12-15 played 6,263 yards; and the Girls 12-18 played 5,563 yards
Saturday’s weather was sunny, nice with a hint of a breeze. Sunday, was a bit colder with a slightly more discernable breeze.
Once again, Cypress Texas’ Houston National Golf Club played host to the TJGT Houston National Junior Championship, and holy cow did it show it’s teeth on Saturday. Tricky pin placements paved the way for a whole mess of three and four putts. Many of the players were left wondering how a great ball striking round could slip away so easily. Easy, as most of the TJGT High School coaching staff would respond….short game, short game, short game.
Although many of the players felt a bit battered by the greens, several were able to overcome the difficulty and show their talent.
Kelly McGovern was able to outshine the field in the girls 15-18 division. Her solid play over the two round event continues her streak of quality TJGT starts. Kennedy Ishee continued her rise to the top of the golfing world with her strong 2nd place finish while Emily Gilbreth rounded out the top three.
Madison Kidd did not allow a few stumbles to derail her trek to the girls 12-14 championship. Youngster Christine Wang (3rd place) and sophomore Susan Haggar (2nd Place) just could not keep the contest within striking distance.
Mario Carmona fired one of the best rounds of the tournament, a day one 71, to lead the way to the boys 15-18 crown. Wes Artec (73) and Lonnie Smith (72) were close on his heels going into the 2nd round as the contest would not be decided until the final holes of play. Carmona was able to hold off late charges By Smith (2nd place) as well as Matt Sullivan who finished in 3rd. In the end Artec was unable to hold on to a spot on the trophy stand.
Cole Hammer put the hammer down on his competition as he jumped into 1st place with a solid 72 on Sunday in the boys 12-15, narrowly avoiding a playoff for 2nd place between Kyle Hogan and Walker Lee who finished in 3rd place.
AJGA PBE
JAS Boys 12-15 Cole Hammer Houston TX 2018
AJGA Boys 16-18 Mario Carmona Houston TX 2014
AJGA Girls 12-18 Kelly McGovern The Woodlands TX 2013
Top Finishers:
Boys 16-18
1st place Mario Carmona Houston TX 2014 71-72-143
2nd place Lonnie Smith Bellaire TX 2013 72-75-147
3rd place Matt Sullivan Katy Tx 2013 74-75=149
Boys 12-15
1st place Cole Hammer Houston TX 2018 78-72=150
2nd place Kyle Hogan Cypress TX 2016 75-76-151
3rd place Patrick Rhodes Cypress Tx 2017 77-74-151
Girls 16-18
1st place Kelly McGovern The Woodlands Tx 3013 73-74-147
2nd place Kennedy Ishee Katy Tx 2014 76-74=150
3rd place Emily Gilbreth Bellaire Tx 2013 77-73-150
Girls 12-15
1st place Madison Kidd Lake Jackson, Tx 2016 83-81-164
2nd place Susan Haggar Katy Tx 2014 94-87-181
3rd place Christine Wang Houston Tx 2020 96-96=192
Playoff details: Kennedy Ishee defeated Emily Gilbreth on the 1st hole of a playoff for 2nd place in the girls 15-18 division.
Kyle Hogan defeated Walker Lee on the 1st hole of sudden death for 2nd in the boys 12-14 division.
Next up the TJGT Onion Creek Junior Championship was played at Onion Creek on the North and Original Golf Courses in Austin, Texas October 29th-30th, 2011. The golf coach from Trinity University was in attendance watching the players battle it out in cool weather in this 36-hole, nationally-ranked event.
Day one started off cool warming in the afternoon. Day two was more of the same cool weather. Mackenzie Steiner defeated Allie Anderson on the 4th play-off hole with a birdie to capture the girls 15-18 title as well as the AJGA PBE.
Yardages played:
North Course - Boys 15-18 6,530; Boys 12-14 6,241; All Girls 6,241
Original Course – Boys 15-18 6,351; Boys 12-14 6,063; All Girls 6,063
AJGA PBE Winner:
Girls 12-18
Mackenzie Steiner, Austin, TX – 4 Stars
Qualifier Series:
Boys 15-18
1st – Tyler Elbrecht, Austin, TX
2nd – Kasen Schneider, San Antonio, TX
3rd – Thomas Hoch, Austin, TX
4th – Andrew Liu, Austin, TX
5th – Adrian Rodriguez, San Antonio, TX
5th – Jun Tao Zhang, Austin, TX
Boys 12-14
1st Place – Cooper Dossey, Austin, TX
2nd Place – Trevor Brown, Austin, TX
3rd Place – Tobin Niblett, Austin, TX
Top finishers:
· Boys 15-18
o 1st Place – Tyler Elbrecht, Austin, TX Grad Class 2012 Rounds of 76-71-147
o 2nd Place – Kasen Schneider, San Antonio, TX Class of 2012 Rounds of 75-73-148
o 3rd Place – Thomas Hoch, Austin, TX Grad Class 2013 Rounds of 75-75-150
· Boy 12-14
o 1st Place – Cooper Dossey, Austin, TX Grad Class 2016 Rounds of 73-70-143
o 2nd Place – Trevor Brown, Austin, TX Grad Class 2016 Rounds of 73-77-150
o 3rd Place – Tobin Niblett, Austin, TX Grad Class 2016 Rounds of 77-75-152
· Girls 15-18
o 1st Place – Mackenzie Steiner, Austin, TX Grad Class 2012 Rounds of 77-75-152
o 2nd Place – Allie Anderson, The Woodlands, TX Grad Class 2014 Rounds of 76-76-152
o 3rd Place – Jessica Tamen, Edinburg, TX Grad Class 2012 Rounds of 73-80-153
· Girls 12-14
o 1st Place – Hillary Hernandez, Kyle, TX Grad Class 2017 Rounds of 84-83-167
o 2nd Place – Maya Walton, Austin, TX Grad Class 2016 Rounds of 86-83-169
o 3rd Place – Megan Spinn, Austin, TX Grad Class 2015 Rounds of 88-97- 185
