Campbell Wins George Hannon Junior Invitational with Birdie, Birdie Finish
AUSTIN— Richmond’s Stephen Campbell knew he had done something special when his birdie putt dropped on the 460-yard par-4 18thhole at UT Golf Club. His enthusiastic fist bump came from being one shot off the lead with two holes to play and making birdies on his final two holes. Those two consecutive birdies were enough to secure his spot on the top of the leaderboard as the 2018 George Hannon Junior Invitational champion.
Campbell fired a final round 1-under 70 which tied for the lowest round in the Boys 15-18 division. He fought hard making five birdies in his final 10 holes. He finished at 1-over for the tournament.
Jay Pabin of Lucas finished one shot behind Campbell at 2-over par for the tournament. He played consistently throughout the final round and had a chance to tie the lead with a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th.
Pearland’s Vishnu Sadagopan finished in third at 3-over par. He started his day off hot with birdies on his opening three holes. Brandon Massey of Fort Worth, Temple’s Dallas Hankamer, and Connor Adams of Dallas tied for fourth at 6-over-par.
Shoichiro Kato finished tied for seventh after a final round 1-under-par 70.
(Click here for scores.)
In the Boys 14 & Under division, Karson Grigsby of Abilene shot a final round 4-over 75 to win by four strokes. Grigsby went into the final round with a five-stroke lead after his opening even-par round. He started strong with seven consecutive pars but made a double-bogey on the 124-yard par-3 8th. He was able to bounce back with a birdie on the 526-yard par-4 9thto make the turn at 1-over.
Grigsby’s back nine was a little more up-and-down with four bogeys and one birdie which led him to shoot 4-over for the day. He finished at 4-over for the tournament as well.
Keller’s Kaelen Dulany finished in second at 8-over-par, four strokes behind Grigsby. Dulany made five birdies which lead him to a final round score of 3-over 75. Tanner Wardlaw of Dripping Springs shot a final round 5-over 76 to secure third place with a tournament total of 10-over.
Wutthichai Boonsrirat of New Braunfels and Dallas’ Andrew Petruzzelli tied for fourth with an 11-over-par tournament total.
In the Girls 12-18 division, Waco’s Eubin Shim fired a final round 3-under 68 to finish three strokes ahead of her competition. Her eyes were on the prize early as she was 1-under through five holes. A bogey on the 370-yard par-4 6thwould bring her back to even, but she was able to bounce back with a birdie on the 100-yard par 3 8thallowing her to shoot 1-under on the front nine
Shim continued playing consistent golf on the back nine making one more birdie on the 470-yard par-5 11th. She wasn’t done yet, deciding to finish in style, Shim birdied the 360-yard par-4 18thto shoot the lowest round in the girl’s division. She finished the tournament at even par.
Bentley Cotton of Austin finished in second by shooting the only other under-par round in the girl’s division with a final round 1-under 70. Cotton shot 1-over on the front nine, but it was on the last three holes where she turned it on. She birdied both the 152-yard par-3 16thand the 360-yard par-4 18thto finish three shots behind Shim at 3-over for the tournament.
Austin’s Hallie Kuhns finished in third six strokes behind the leader after a solid final round of even par. Kaylee Vesely and Jensen Jalufka, who are both also from Austin, tied for fourth with tournament totals of 7-over.
Campbell, Grigsby, and Shim will join other esteemed golfers such as Max Miller, Joe and Julia Beck, Scottie and Callie Scheffler, Brendan Redfern, Cole Hammer, Thomas Critch, Levi Valadez, Alexandra Rossi, Chandler Phillips, and Hailee Cooper as champions of the George Hannon Junior Invitational.
This tournament was the third major event on the LJT schedule for the Boys Division and the second for the Girls Division. Players earned double points towards the LJT Player of the Year Points List, which will determine the LJT Player of the Year in 2018 and define the teams for the Jackie Burke Cup in November.
The Legends Junior Tour extends its sincere appreciation to the UT Golf Club, the welcoming membership, and hard-working staff, as well as our volunteers, for all their dedication and efforts in making the 2018 George Hannon Junior Invitational a memorable event.
For more information on this year’s George Hannon Junior Invitational, including complete scoring click here