The Texas Junior Golf Tour once again had a triple threat Monday and Tuesday. In the Dallas area, the tour hosted the Galleria-Dallas Classic at the Tribute located in the Colony, Texas. This course was designed after the home of golf, the famous St. Andrews course in Ireland, and what a treat it was for the young men and women to play this venue so soon after the British Open was hosted at St. Andrews this year. In the Houston area, the tour hosted two events on the same course. The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center played host to the Woodlands Panther Trails Junior Championship as well as the Elite Mini Tour’s The Woodlands Panther Trails Mini Tour Championship. The story of each event was weather! On the first day in the Woodlands, play was suspended twice, and then finally halted due to inclement weather that rolled through the area. On day two, players pressed hard to finish the first round, and then played eighteen more holes as the weather hit again at about 1 pm. The Dallas area was not immune to the inclement weather either. Players were faced with about a two hour rain delay that made the first round last approximately seven hours. The staff of high school golf coaches at each venue was able to help all players finish the events.
At the Galleria-Dallas Classic, 73 players teed it up for round one at the Tribute. The boys 16-18 division played 6,754 yards, while the boys 12-15 played at 6,402 yards, and all girls played from 5,385 yards. There were red numbers all over the board in all divisons. All total, there were eight rounds of golf posted that were par or better. And there is no better time to do that than when in the presence of college coaches. The Cameron University coach was on hand to watch all of the birdies and eagles that were leading to these low rounds.
Leading the way in the boys 16-18 division was Ben Dowling, who posted a remarkable seven under par total. For two rounds, Dowling posted 12 birdies and only five bogeys. Dowling was a birdey making machine for two days. For his efforts, Dowling wins the AJGA Performance Based Entry exemption. Finishing in second place in the boys 16-18 division was Jordan Bates. Bates finished the event at even par for the two days after opening with a round of 1 under 71. Coming in third was Dylan McLure. McLure was tied with Mason Horner and several others after an opening round 75, but took the trophy by firing a 1 under 71 the second round. McLure was even par after the front nine, then reeled off eight pars and a birdie to finish the event at two over. Trophy Club’s Major Monzingo opened the event with an even par 72. Monzingo recorded two birdies and two bogeys and the rest pars on his opening round, and also made an eagle on the par five twelfth the second round.
In the boys 12-15 division, Corbin Kasten continues his torrid winning streak on the tour by winning his third event in a row. Two weeks ago, Kasten won the Allen Samuels Junior Championship at the Cowboys Golf Club in Grapevine, then followed that up with a win at the Texas Junior Masters held at Hyatt Hill Country in San Antonio. Kasten opened with a 75, then went wild in the second round posting a 5 under 67 that helped him finish at 2 under for the event. Kasten recorded an incredible seven birdies for round two that included four birdies in a row from holes three through six. Kasten also wins the Junior All Star exemption for the third week in a row. Finishing second to Kasten was Carrollton native Chris Kwon. Kwon opened with a 78, but posted a 2 under par 70 in round two to finish second. Kwon had consecutive birdies on holes 13, 14, and 15 in round two. Connor Dunn edged both Kyle Hodges and Hunter Glenn for third with steady rounds of 73-76. Glenn, who opened with an 81, tied for the second low round of the day with a 69 that included a hole in one on the short par 4 thirteenth. That’s right…a hole in one on a par four! It is believed to be the first ace on a par 4 in the history of the TJGT. Congratulations to Hunter on this rare feat!
In the girls 12-15 division, Emily Campbell from Carrollton comes back to beat Mackenzie Boydston from Keller. Boydston had the opening round lead with a 74, while Campbell opened with a 75. But in round two, Campbell stormed back to shoot a 2 under 70 to win the event. Campbell finished at 1 over for the thirty six hole event. Campbell fired an impressive 32 on the back nine to not only win the title, but also the AJGA performance based event exemption. Boydston kept the pressure on Campbell by posting a 1 over 73 for round two. Boydston shot even on the front, then recorded consecutive bogeys on 10 and 11. However, she recovered nicely with birdies on 13 and 14 to get back to even par. She recorded all pars and a bogey on her remaining four holes to finish the event with a three over total. Coming in third was Alisa Chong who bounced back nicely from an opening round of 81 to post a 76 for round two.
In the girls 16-18 division, Maggie Neece wins the event with solid rounds of 74-76. Her opening round 74 included a 1 under par back nine finish. This was the only division with a playoff. Finishing tied for second, were Julia Bazaldua and Jessica Ritter. Each girl finished at nine over par for the event. Bazaldua opened with an 82, but recovered beautifully with a one under 71. Bazaldua posted an incredible 32 on the front nine on her way to her round of 71. Ritter opened with an even par 72 that included a hole out for eagle on the par four first hole. Bazaldua then defeated Ritter in a sudden death playoff to claim second place.
Congratulations to these great junior golfers! The Galleria-Dallas Classic was a huge success, the course was in great shape, and there were some really low scores posted. Thanks to the players and parents for being patient with the weather and allowing the players to get in all 36 holes.
The AJGA PBE Award winners are:
Boys 16-18– Ben Dowling, Southlake, Tx., 2010 68-69=137
Girls 16-18 – Emily Campbell, Carrollton Tx., 2015, 75-70=145
Boys JAS (12-15)- Corbin Kasten , Southlake TX., 2013, 75-67=142
Top 3 finishers in each age group (MUST INCLUDE players name, hometown, grad year, and scores by round):
BOYS 16-18
1. Ben Dowling, Southlake, Tx., 2010 68-69=137
2. Jordan Bates, Quitman, Tx., 2012 71-73=144
3. Dylan McClure, Argyle, Tx., 2011 75-71=146
BOYS 12-15
1.Corbin Kasten , Southlake TX., 2013, 75-67=142
2.Chris Kwon, Carrollton, TX., 2013, 78-70=148
3.Connor Dunn, Dallas, Tx., 2014, 73-76=149
GIRLS 16-18
Maggie Neece, Colleville Tx., 2013, 75-77=145
Julie Bazaldua, Arlington Tx., 2012, 82-71=153
Jessica Ritter, Dallas Tx., 2011, 72-81=153
GIRLS 12-15
Emily Campbell, Carrollton Tx., 2015, 75-70=145
MacKenzie Boydston, Arlington Tx., Keller Tx., 2012, 74-73=147
Alisa Chong, Carrollton Tx., 2015, 81-76=157
The weather didn’t let up at the Woodlands Junior Championship held on the Panther Trails course at the Woodlands Resort & Conference Center. 57 junior golfers from Texas and Mexico began the first round with typical summer weather. And of course the humidity that is always present in the Houston area. The boys 16-18 division played from 6,779 yards, the boys 12-15 division played from 6,341 yards, and all girls played from 5,677 yards. Day one began with tee times at 7:30 am off the first tee box. This allowed the players that went out early to finish their round. By the end of the day, there were two groups of older boys and all of the 12-15 boys that were unable to finish the first round due to inclement weather that moved into the area. But the TJGT staff had a plan in place. The two groups of older boys that were unable to finish came back on day two and began the day at 7 am to finish the first round. After completing the first round, the players were re-paired and then began the second round with an 8 am shotgun start. All of the younger boys began the second day where they finished the first round. The players in the boys 12-15 division had to play 20 to 21 holes on day two to complete the event. All went according to plan, and all players were able to play all 36 holes to complete the event.
The weather delays and halting of play did not seem to affect the play at all. In the boys 16-18 division, Joseph Molina fired two rounds of 73 to win the event. Molina played two very solid rounds of golf on the difficult Panther Trails course. Molina recorded five birdies on his two trips around Panther Trails. Molina’s play earned him the AJGA performance based entry exemption. Finishing in second was Deer Park’s Cameron Button. Button fired two very steady rounds of 74-73 to earn the second place tie. There was a three way tie for third place with defending champion Will Oliver, Kris Keegan, and Matthew Van Winkle. Due to the inclement weather, the players were unable to have a sudden death playoff and reverted to a scorecard playoff with the #1 handicap hole being the deciding factor. The #1 handicap hole on the Panther Trails course is the difficult par five fourth hole. Keegan recorded a birdie, while Van Winkle and Oliver each recorded pars. Oliver did a great job of bouncing back after opening with a 77 to post 74 in the second round. Keegan began the day only one stroke off the lead after opening with a 74, but struggled to a 77 in round two. Making the biggest move was Matthew Van Winkle. Van Winkle opened with an 80, but fired a 1 under 71 in round two to get into a tie for third. Van Winkle’s round two score included two birdies and two bogies. Van Winkle was the only player in the older division to post under par.
In the boys 12-15 division, The Woodlands own Frederick Wedel opened with an even par 72, but closed with a very impressive bogey free 69 that included a 3 under front nine. Wedel, the only player in the event to finish under par for the tournament, earned a Junior All Star exemption for his excellent play. Finishing in a two way tie for second was Magnolia’s Reese Chance and Andrew Jacobe. Both of these fine young players opened with even par 72’s and then closed with 74’s to finish the event at 2 over. As with older boys, the weather forced a scorecard playoff. Jacobe won the scorecard playoff with a birdie on the par 5 fifth hole to finish in second.
In the girls 12-15 division, young Brooke McDougald wins the event with two very good rounds of 76-75. The thirteen year old from the Woodlands not only wins her division, but also wins the AJGA performance based event for her work. Finishing in second was Houston’s Jackie Geaccone who bounced back nicely from an opening round 93 to post an 84 in round two. The Woodland’s Allie Anderson takes third with rounds of 90-89.
In the girls 16-18 division, the Woodlands again dominated with Nicole Budnik and Katie Kilponen finishing first and third, respectively. Budnik fired two great rounds of 79-78 to earn the title, while Kilponen fired rounds of 84-81 to take third. Finishing in second was Katy’s Robyn Daniel. Daniel posted two very consistent rounds of 80-80 to claim second.
The tour would like to extend a special thank you to all the parents and players for enduring the delays and difficult conditions. The tour will be in action again next week at the TJGT/HGA Redstone Junior Championship. Hope to see you there!
AJGA Performance Based Entry:
Division Player Home town Grad Year
JAS Boys 12-15 Frederick Wedel The Woodlands, TX 2012
AJGA Boys 16-18 Joseph Molina Magnolia, TX 2011
AJGA Girls 12-18 Brooke McDougald The Woodlands, TX 2015
Boys 16-18 Name Hometown Graduation year Score
1st place Joseph Molina Magnolia, TX 2011 73-73-146
2nd place Cameron Button Deer Park, TX 2010 74-73-147
3rd place Kris Keegan Kingwood, TX 2011 74-77-151
Boys 12-15 Name Hometown Graduation year Score
1st place Frederick Wedel The Woodlands, TX 2012 72-69-141
2nd place Andrew Jacobe Houston, TX 2015 72-74-146
3rd place Reese Chance Magnolia, TX 2013 72-74-146
Girls 16-18 Name Hometown Graduation year Score
1st place Nicole Budnik The Woodlands, TX 2012 79-78-157
2nd place Robyn Daniel Katy, TX 2010 80-80-160
3rd place Katie Kilponen The Woodlands, TX 2012 84-81-165
Girls 12-15 Name Hometown Graduation year Score
1st place Brooke McDougald The Woodlands, TX 2015 76-75-151
2nd place Jackie Geaccone Houston, TX 2015 93-84-177
3rd place Allie Anderson The Woodlands, TX 2014 90-89-179
