Adams, Webster, O’Rear Win at James A. Ragan Memorial

Briefly: Dallas’s Connor Adams holds onto his first round lead and wins the Boys 15-18 Division of the James A. Ragan Memorial at Corpus Christi Country Club. Austin’s Darrelyn Webster wins Girls 12-18 Division by seven shots, while Rhett O’Rear won the 14 & Under Division in come from behind fashion.

Leaders: Adams wins the Boys 15-18 Division at 5-under 139, after a final round score of 2-under 70. He used some late round heroics to seal the deal. Adams holed a 40-foot birdie putt on 17, and a clutch up-and-down from 80 yards on 18 to win by one.  Webster ran away from the field after posting a final round score of 3-under 69 to finish at 3-under 141 for the tournament. She made five birdies on the round, including a strong finish with birdies on both 17 and 18. O’Rear started the day six shots off the lead in the Boys 14 & Under Division. O’Rear used three birdies and an eagle to post a round of 2-under 70 and secure the win at 2-over 146 for the tournament.

In Contention: In the Boys 15-18 Division, Austin’s Trevor Mierl finished in second at 4-under 140, after a final round of 3-under 69. Anthony Ponce III of League City used a final round score of 2-under 70 to move into third place at 3-under 141. San Antonio’s Patrick Kahanek finished fourth place at even par 144, and Davis Ovard of Frisco rounds out the top five in fifth at 1-over 145. Murphy’s Brecklyn Flanagan finished runner up in the Girls 12-18 Division at 4-over 148, after a final score of 1-under 71. Mia Nixon of Canton finished in third at 5-over 149. Austin’s Nicholas Logis finished in solo second at 3-over 147 after a final round score of 5-over 77. Samuel Padua of Cedar Park and McAllen’s Dylan Villareal finished tied for third at 5-over 149, after both posting a final round score of 2-over 74.

Course: The course features an open layout that works its way through a residential area and maneuver its way across hills and bodies of water. Tall palm trees surround the property and the wind plays a huge factor into each shot for the player. The course is being played around 6,500 yards in the Boys 15-18 Division, 6,100 yards in the Boys 14 & Under Division and almost 5,800 yards in the Girls 12-18 Division.

Course History: Corpus Christi Country Club has hosted the James A. Ragan Memorial since 2017. The Club was originally opened in 1909 but a hurricane destroyed the original course in 1919. John Bredemus designed the new layout in 1922 and the club expanded to 18 holes in 1938. Robert Trent Jones Sr. was tasked with a redesign in 1964 and the course reopened January of 1965 and has hosted numerous top-level amateur events along the way.

Tournament Format: The tournament is a 36-hole stroke play event for players ages 12-18 that are members of the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. Players completed 18 holes on Sunday and play the final 18 holes on Monday.

Weather: Temperatures climbed into the low 90’s this afternoon, with calm winds and gusts of 10-15 miles per hour.

About James: James Ragan started playing on the LJT in 2008 and recorded three top-25 finishes. The Corpus Christi native won the 2010 Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic and earned a spot in the Jackie Burke Cup Matches. He would go on to win the LJT’s first Sportsmanship Award and the next year the award was named after him. Ragan was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in 2006, which is a rare type of pediatric cancer. He founds “Triumph Over Kid Cancer” which is an organization that has raised more than $3 million dollars for pediatric cancer research. James passed away in 2014 but TOKC has kept going with the help of the Ragan family.

About TOKC: Founded by James Ragan in 2007, Triumph Over Kid Cancer is dedicated to improving the lives of children with cancer by raising their spirits, raising the public’s awareness and funding research to improve the treatment and survivability of pediatric cancers.

What’s Next: The LJT heads to Eagle Pointe Golf Club in Mont Belvieu for the Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational on October 31 – November 1. For more information on the tournament, click here.

For more information on the James A. Ragan Memorial, click here. To see all the scores from this weekend’s play, click here.