De Marco leads Girls 12-18 Division, Knox, and Lynch lead Boys 14 & Under division, Boys 15-18 Division suspended due to lightning
Brownwood — Jackson Hymer leads the Boys 15-18 Division of the Bluebonnet Championship after shooting a 7-under 65 with 9 groups still left to finish their first round. Dylan Knox and JP Lynch currently sit tied atop the Boys 14 & Under Division leaderboard at 1-under. Stephanie De Marco is in front in the Girls 12-18 division after a 1st round 72, even par.
Leaders: Jackson Hymer of San Antonio leads the Boys 15-18 Division after shooting 7-under 65 in the opening round. The first round for the Boys 15-18 division will finish Sunday morning. Hymer finished hot, he birdied five of the last eight holes to jump to the top of the leaderboard. In the Boys 14 & Under division, Dylan Knox of Austin is currently sits tied atop the leaderboard with JP Lynch of Austin. Knox was able to recover his round after a double bogey at the Par 3 4th carding three birdies and just one bogey to finish the round at 1-under. Lynch was able to card a total of 4 birdies on the day, taking advantage of a few of the short Par 5s Brownwood Country Club has to offer. Stephanie De Marco of Southlake currently sits atop the leaderboard for the Girls 12-18 Division even par. She played the front nine in 1-under par and continued her steady play throughout the rest of the day.
In Contention: Three players, Jaxon Bandelier, Greyson Petru, and Kellen Young are all one stroke back of the leader in the Boys 15-18 Division sitting at 6-under. Youngs round was cut short due to lightning, as he will finish the remaining three holes Sunday morning. Antonio Lopez Moreno sits alone in 5th at 5-under. In the boys 14 & Under Division, Lincoln Rubis of Farmers Branch is currently alone in second place after a round of 73, 1-over. Saahi Naraharasetty of Cedar Park and Naomi-Anne Phan of Grand Prairie are just one stroke behind the leader at 1-over par. Destiny McNeil of Castroville and Adrienne Ahn of Dallas are tied for third at 2-over par.
Weather: Thunderstorms rolled through overnight which brought cloudy skies and temperatures in the lower 70’s for the duration of the morning. A light rain showered the course for much of the morning. Afternoon temperatures brought slightly warmer weather with thunderstorms late in the day. Play was suspended at 5:20 pm and will restart Sunday morning. Winds ranged from 10 to 20 miles per hour throughout the round.
Course: Brownwood Country Club has hosted the Bluebonnet Championship every year since its inception in 2000. The club sits in central Texas and features ample opportunities for players to go low and make birdies. The par-72 layout stretches to 6,300 yards for the boys and 5,800 yards for the girls.
Tournament History: The Legends Junior Tour continues its tradition of hosting the annual Bluebonnet Championship with the 24th playing of the event this year. The Bluebonnet Championship was started by local businessman Bart Johnson in 2002 and has been played at Brownwood Country Club since its inception. The 36-hole championship features three separate divisions: Boys 15-18, Girls 12-18, and Boys 14 & under. This championship is ranked by both Junior Golf Scoreboard and Golfweek. The top three finishers (and ties) in the Boys 15-18 Division will earn a spot in the 2024 Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship and the top three finishers for the 98th Texas Junior Amateur. Along with rankings on the Legends Junior Tour, the top finishers in each division will earn AJGA stars based on their finishes.
POY Points Race: Competitors who finish in the top half of the field will gain points towards the LJT Player of the Year Standings. The champions will each get 1500 points towards the statewide honor followed by 1200 for runner-up, 1050 for third, 900 for fourth and 750 for fifth. For the full LJT POY points breakdown, click here.
What’s Next: The final round of the Bluebonnet Championship will begin early Sunday morning with tee times continuing through early afternoon. Champions in all three divisions will be crowned following the completion of play.
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 PGA and Houston Golf Association. 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 Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship, Texas Junior Amateur and the Texas Girls’ Invitational as well as the Texas Cup Invitational.
For More information about the Bluebonnet Championship, click here. To see all the scores from Brownwood Country Club, click here.