Electric Start: North Team leads Jackie Burke Cup 13-11

Match Day One at the 2025 Jackie Burke Cup did not disappoint in opening one of the most anticipated events of the year. The North Team took a narrow lead over the South Team, leading 13 points to 11 and looking to retain the title.

The Jackie Burke Cup is a team match-play event modeled after the Ryder Cup, with North Texas facing South Texas. Each team features 12 players, and each match is worth two points. The team with the most points at the end of Sunday will win the cup.

The Four-Ball matches kicked off in the morning to launch the 2025 Jackie Burke Cup at Galveston Country Club. The South Team would gain a narrow lead at the end of the morning matches with seven points, while the North Team brought in five points.

Landon Hilario of Garland and Abilene Christian University committed, Jaxson Henegar of Dallas faced off against Texas State University commit Corrington Case of Kingwood, and Marco Baima of San Antonio. Case and Baima dominated, winning 5 and 3 to secure the first points of this year’s event.

Declan Dent of Grapevine and Texas State commit Stone Fancher of Dallas quickly evened the score for the North team, earning two points with a win over 2024 Boys 14-and-Under Division Player of the Year J.P. Lynch and Dylan Knox of Austin.

The South team claimed the next two matches. Kaden Frierson and Older Boys Division Player of the Year William Mangione of Austin defeated Henry Jackson of Lantana and Jacob Baker of Mount Pleasant, 3 and 2. Isaac Diaz of Del Rio and Ian Chen of Houston followed with a 3-and-2 victory over Andrew Scott of Wylie and Abilene Christian University commit Matthew Lewis of Arlington. Diaz and Chen are brothers to Boys 14-and-Under Division players Isaiah Diaz of Del Rio and Ryan Chen of Houston, creating a special moment as both pairs represented their regions together.

In the Boys 14-and-Under Division, Isaiah Diaz and Ryan Chen tied their match with division player Austin Anderson and 99th Texas Junior Amateur presented by Hytera US Boys 14-and-Under Division champion Lincoln Rubis.

In the Girls Division, Player of the Year Eileen Lee of Plano, an Illinois women’s golf commit, teamed with Stephanie De Marco of Southlake to defeat Houston Christian University commit Krysta Loftin of Pearland and Julia Bar of Austin, 4 and 2, securing the final two points of the morning matches.

The Foursomes play opened the afternoon with two strong performances from the North Team, giving them early momentum. Fancher and Baker defeated Mangione and Knox, 2 and 1, while future teammates Henagar and Lewis topped Austin Westlake High School teammates Frierson and Lynch in dominant fashion, winning 4 and 3. Case and Diaz edged Dent and Jackson with a dramatic 1-up victory. Scott and Hilario closed out their match on No. 18 with a clutch putt that dropped to defeat Chen and Baima, 1 up.

In the Boys 14-and-Under Division, Diaz and Chen defeated Anderson and Rubis, 3 and 2, setting up a pair of compelling singles matches on Sunday between four players who have put together outstanding seasons.

In the Girls Division, De Marco and Lee completed the sweep, defeating Loftin and Bae, 2 and 1, to secure all four available points in their matches.

The Jackie Burke Cup, coming to the Galveston Country Club, is a special moment for the Legends Junior Tour. The all-time great golfer the tournament is named after had his first-ever Head Golf Professional job at Galveston Country Club, the oldest country club in Texas. Burke served as the Head professional in the early 1940s. While there, he set the course record with a 63, which beat Byron Nelson’s previous record.

The history combined with the future stars of tomorrow has made for a memorable event that is setting up for an incredible finish on Sunday.

Singles will commence Sunday, November 16, off of No.1 tee at 7:30 a.m. with the North team needing 24 points to retain the title, while the South Team will need 25 points to reclaim the trophy.  

To learn more about the Jackie Burke Cup, click here. To view match results from today, click here.