Anderson, Bellendir, and McLaughlin Take Bluebonnet Championship Trophies
Brownwood – Austin Anderson clinched the Boys Division Title of the Bluebonnet Championship after a birdie on the first playoff hole. Elizabeth Bellendir won the Girls Division at 2-over, while Beckett McLaughlin won the Boys 14 & Under Division at 5-under in the 2026 LJT Bluebonnet Championship.
Winners: Austin Anderson of Gunter posted rounds of 68 and 67 to capture the title after making a birdie on the first playoff hole at Brownwood Country Club. Austin started the day three off the lead, but quickly worked his way up the leaderboard, using an eagle on the par 5 9th to vault him into a share of the lead. Anderson made a clutch birdie on the par 5 16th to retake the lead after a brief faulter. However, he needed an extra hole to finish it off, draining a putt from way downtown to win on the first playoff hole.
Making the trip from Coppell, Elizabeth Bellendir went wire-to-wire to win her first title of the year. Bellendir totaled ten birdies over her two rounds to clinch the title at 2-over-par, with rounds of 72 and 73. Bellendir credited her win to her hard work over the past few months to return to the form she feels she can play at. And that, she did. With the win today, Bellendir is exempt into the Texas Women’s Open, 100th Texas Junior Amateur, and the Hannon-Fields Junior Invitational.
Austin’s Beckett McLaughlin took the title in the Boys 14 & Under Division after carding just one bogey in 36 holes of play. McLaughlin shot 67 and 72 to win the division by two shots. Mclaughlin bounced back from a bogey at the par-5 12th with a clutch birdie on the tough par-3 13th. McLaughlin used steady play all day to fend off the rest of the field. McLaughlin’s win helped him retain his lead in the Huntington Bank LJT Player of the Year Points standings, which earns him an exemption into the Huntington Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship, which is awarded to the leader in the POY points standings in the 14 & Under division after the completion of the Bluebonnet Championship.
Top Finishers: Del Rio’s Isaac Diazshot a terrific 69 in his final round to join the playoff with Anderson. Rounding out the Top 5 was Parker Brown, Antonio Lopez Moreno, and Daxton Galyean who all finished just one shy of the tie for first at 8-under-par. Adrielle Miller of McKinney was the runner-up in the Girls Division after totaling 4-over for the two rounds. Natalie Nobles rounded out the top three with rounds of 75 and 74 to finish at 5-over for the championship. Bryar Murphy was the runner-up in the Boys 14 & Under Division after posting rounds of 69 and 72 to finish at 3-under. Wyatt Brindza finished in third place after an impressive 2-under-par round on Sunday.
Championship Statistics: Brownwood Country Club provided a 6,282-yard-long test for the boys, and the girls played a 5,729-yard layout. Over the course of the championship, the par-3 13th hole played the toughest with a 3.49 scoring average, while players had the easiest time on the par-5 16th with a 4.66 scoring average.
Weather: Beautiful conditions graced the 2026 Bluebonnet Championship. Players began play on Sunday at 7:30 am with a sunny, 48° morning. As the day went on, the sun never disappeared with temperatures reaching up to 77° in the afternoon. Winds picked up in the afternoon reaching gusts up to 17 mph.
Golf Course: Brownwood Country Club has hosted the Bluebonnet Championship every year since 2000. The club sits in central Texas and features ample opportunities for players to post a low score. The par-72 layout, a Leon Howard design, stretches to 6,300 yards for the boys and 5,800 yards for the girls.
Tournament History: The Bluebonnet Championship is a 36-hole stroke play event for players ages 12-19 that have an active membership within the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. The championship was started by Brownwood businessman Bart Johnson in 2000 and has an impressive list of past champions that include Patrick Reed, Scottie Scheffler, Pierceson Coody, Cole Hammer, Maddie Szeryk, Hailey Jones and Hailee Cooper.The Legends Junior Tour took over the event in 2007 and the field has grown to 132 players from all over the state.
POY Points Race: Competitors who finish in the top half of the field will gain points towards the Huntington Bank LJT Player of the Year Standings. By winning, Anderson, Bellendir, and McLaughlin are awarded 1500 points towards the Huntington Bank Legend Junior Tour’s Player of the Year standings. For more information on the LJT Player of the Year Points, click here.
What’s Next: The Legends Junior Tour returns to Dallas where Trinity Forest Golf Club is set to host the Huntington Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship on June 2-4, 2026. The championship is the second Major Event for the Boys Division of the year with the top players from Texas vying to etch their name on a trophy along with Jordan Spieth, Pierceson Coody, Cody Gribble and many more. For more information about the championship, 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, NTPGA, and STPGA. 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 Huntington Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship, Texas Junior Amateur, Texas Girls’ Invitational, and the Texas Cup Invitational. For More information about the Bluebonnet Championship, click here. To see all the scores from Brownwood Country Club, click here.