Fang, Mierl, Vesely Win Winter Classic
Leaderboard:
Full Leaderboard
Division Leaders: For the second straight day, Ethan Fang posted the low round of the day on Dallas Athletic Club’s Blue Course with another 3-under 69. Fang posted six birdies on the day, and finished strong with five of them coming on the back nine. Vesely held on to win after holding a five-shot lead from the first round. Trenton Mierl made birdie on his last hole of tournament to win by one shot. Mierl posted four birdies on the day to erase a one-shot deficit.
In Contention: In the Boys 15-18 Division, Granbury’s Ty Holbrook used a final-round score of 1-under 71 to move into a tie for second along with Heath’s Andrew Baucum at 1-over par 145. After a first-round score of 4-over 76, Trevor Mierl of Austin made an eagle and two birdies on his way to a final-round score of 2-under 70. Mierl moved into a tie for fourth with League City’s Jacob Salazar at 4-over 146. In the Girls 12-18 Division, Austin’s Darrelyn Webster finished in second at 8-over 152 after a final-round score of 4-over 76. Ellie Szeryk of Allen and Richardson’s Meagan Winans both moved up the leaderboard and finished in 3rd and 4th place respectively. Ashley Liu and Summer Lee of Plano, both tied for fifth. In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Flower Mound’s Awesome Burnett finished one shot back in second place, while San Antonio’s Nathan Marion finished in third.
Weather: After a tough first round, conditions at Dallas Athletic Club’s Blue Course started to improve on Sunday. Temperatures ranged in the mid-40s throughout the day, with a consistent north wind of seven miles per hour. Despite the lower temperature, the sun was out for the second day in a row and continued to dry the course out after previous rain showers throughout the week.
Course: Dallas Athletic Club is hosting the Winter Classic for the 11th straight year. The Blue Course was originally designed Ralph Plummer and then remodeled by Jack Nicklaus in 1984. Nicklaus won the 1963 PGA Championship, which was held at Dallas Athletic Club. The course stretches out to 6,700 yards in the Boys 15-18 Division, 6,200 yards in the Boys 14 & Under Division and close to 6,000 yards in the Girls 12-18 Division.
Tournament Format: The Winter Classic is a 36-hole stroke play event for players with an active membership with the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. Players ages 12-18 are split into three different divisions. The event is ranked by Junior Golf Scoreboard, Golfweek and has AJGA Performance Stars that will be handed out to the top finishers.
What’s Next: The LJT travels to Austin for the Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic at Lakeway Country Club’s Live Oak Course on February 1-2. You can find more information on the tournament homepage 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, Northern and Southern Texas PGA and Houston Golf Association. The Tour operates as part of the Texas Golf Association and its Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. Since its inception in 2005, the Tour has provided more than $250,000 to promote junior golf initiatives and exposure to the game to those who might not otherwise have the opportunity across the state.
To learn more about the Winter Classic, click here.