Bounds, Hofferkamp, Parmar Win Winter Classic
Lake Jackson – Selma’s Shiv Parmar captures his second LJT title in a row at the 2024 Winter Classic at 8-under 136 after carding a 6-under 66 in the final round. Evan Hofferkamp of The Woodlands had a tremendous comeback to claim the Boys 14 & Under division after a final round 71 to finish with 147 on the tournament. San Antonio’s Dresden Bounds claims the Girls 12-18 Division title with a 146 after finishing with a 74 in the final round.
Division Leaders: Shiv Parmar of Selma claims his second LJT title in a row with a 136 going 6-under in the final round. Parmar showed dominance going bogey free with 4 birdies on the day and one eagle. The Woodland’s Evan Hofferkamp claims his first ever title finishing at 3-over 147 including a one-under par 71 in the final round. Hofferkamp started the day T4 and used 3 birdies and an eagle to claim the victory. After a final score 74, Dresden Bounds from San Antonio took home the Girls 12-18 Division title. Bounds went bogey free on the back nine to help her claim the first title of the 2024 season.
In Contention: In the Boys 15-18 Division, College Station’s Raines Watson finishes second with a 140 after a final round 69. Finishing tied for third was Tyler Sanford of Montgomery and Preston Hiller of San Antonio with 143. Duncanville’s Daniel Ferguson finished in fifth with 144 after a final round 67. In the Boys 14 & Under Division, The Woodlands Anthony Butt finishes in second at 148 and 76 in the final round. Henry Talarico of Austin finished third with a 149 and right behind is Pearland’s Adrian Bowers in fourth at 152. In the Girls 12-18 Division, Houston’s Sophia Ellestad secures second with 149 after a final round 76. Tyler’s Sidney Robertson finishes third with 150 after a final round 74. Finishing tied for fourth is The Woodland’s Joann Bee and Houston’s Syna Nijhawan after a 151 on the tournament.
Weather: Temperatures for the final round at The Wilderness Golf Course started in the low 40’s and reached the mid 50’s towards the end of play. for the first tee time and warmed up into the low-50’s by the early afternoon. Wind played a factor with 15-18mh winds and gusts getting up to 25 mph.
Course: The Wilderness Golf Course, located in Lake Jackson, Texas is hosting the Winter Classic for the first time. The course was designed by Jeff Brauer and opened in 2004 and highlights the natural rolling terrain nestled in the wetlands area of Lake Jackson. The course stretches out to almost 7,000 yards for the Boys 15-18 Division, 6,500 yards in the Boys 14 & Under Division and close to 6,000 yards in the Girls 12-18 Division.
Tournament Format: The Winter Classic is a 36-hole stroke play event for players with an active membership with the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. Players ages 12-18 are split into three different divisions. The event is ranked by Junior Golf Scoreboard, Golfweek and has AJGA Performance Stars that will be handed out to the top finishers.
Player of the Year Points: Dresden Bounds, Evan Hofferkamp and Shiv Parmar 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.
What’s Next: The LJT travels to the hill country for the Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic at Delaware Springs Golf Course in Burnet on February 3-4. You can find more information on the tournament homepage 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 Texas PGA and Houston Golf Association. The Tour operates as part of the Texas Golf Association and its Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. Since its inception in 2005, the Tour has provided more than $250,000 to promote junior golf initiatives and exposure to the game to those who might not otherwise have the opportunity across the state.
To learn more about the Winter Classic, click here.