DALLAS — Luke Colton of Frisco and Brooks Harper of Dallas finished Round 2 tied for the lead at 9-under 133. Colton, coming off a strong round one, finished with a 4-under 67, while Harper finished with a 5-under 66.
“It was a good round,” shared Colton. “I had to scramble a bit more than yesterday, but I was able to put together a good score by making a few putts.”
Colton, continuing his strong scoring after round one, finished with a 67 that included only one bogey in the whole round.
“I am just going to keep the same routine,” shared the Wakeland High School junior. “Get a good night’s rest and head out here tomorrow and hopefully play well.”
Colton will head into the Final Round looking to win his first Legends Junior Tour Major Championship.
Brooks Harper of Dallas fired a bogey-free 5-under 66, including one eagle on the round. Harper, a two-time Legends Junior Tour winner, looks to add his name to an elite list of winners for the Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship.
“I played pretty well,” Harper shared. “I missed quite a few putts through the first 12 holes. All together I played well, and the eagle on 17 really helped. I kept the ball in play and wasn’t in a lot of trouble making things not complicated.”
Harper, a junior at Covenant Christian, will look to continue a hot streak this summer after winning his high school TAPPS State Championship.
Following the co-leaders is Trevor Gutschewski of Elkhom, Neb. The Florida University commit carded a bogey-free front nine before making the turn. He would go on to bogey two of his first four holes on the back nine but didn’t let that stop him from making an eagle on No. 17 to put himself right back into contention. Gutschewski will head into the final round looking to become the first Nebraska Native to win the Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship.
Finishing out the top five are Norman, Okla. native Collin Bond and Dallas native Brooks Simmons. Bond and Simmons both head into the final round tied for fifth after a 5-under 137 total.
“It went well. I knew I was striking the ball well,” shared Bond. “I put myself in good contention just waiting for a couple putts to fall. I have some good momentum to go into tomorrow.”
Bond, an Oklahoma State commit, will look to become the latest Poke to win the Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship. “Preston Stout is a great player,” Bond mentioned. “He’s already been so successful at Oklahoma State and has become a role model for me so if I can follow his footsteps that would be pretty cool.”
Hole two played the toughest on the course today with an average score of 4.52. The Par 4, 435-yard hole finished the day with four birdies, 45 pars, 25 bogeys, and 10 double-bogeys or worse.
Veritex Bank looks ahead to another phenomenal finish to the 25th Anniversary of the Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship. Four Veritex Bank employees will join the final four groups in tomorrow’s final round to close out what has already been another incredible championship. The Legends Junior Tour would like to thank Veritex Bank for the consistent service to junior golf.Bottom of Form
Lakewood Country Club is a proud host of this prestigious tournament. Lakewood has hosted for ten straight years and 23 and out of the last 25 tournaments. The Legends Junior Tour is thankful to Lakewood Country staff and membership for their continued service in hosting this tournament.
The final round of the 25th Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship will commence on June 6 at 8 AM. To learn more and see round two results, click here.