Ferguson and Ellestad Victorious at Alamo Shootout
San Antonio – Daniel Ferguson claims a second win on the 2024 LJT season with a 4-shot victory, thanks to an impressive 6-under 66 to finish at 9-under 135 for the tournament. Sophia Ellestad wins the Girls Division by one shot at even-par 144, after a final round of 1-under 71.
Champions: Duncanville’s Daniel Ferguson goes wire to wire in the Boys Division for his second LJT victory on the year. Starting the day with a one-shot lead over Austin’s J.P. Lynch, Ferguson hit the ground running with an opening birdie on the 1st. After giving back a shot on the par four 4th, Ferguson never looked back and cashed in four more birdies, including three in a row across holes #9, #10, and #11. The 2024 Boys Player of the year closes out the 2024 season in style and hopes to carry this momentum into 2025. In the Girls Division, Houston’s Sophia Ellestad won in dramatic fashion. Ellestad started off hot by birdieing her first two holes of the day. She later fell behind the pace midway through the round with four bogeys but ended up finishing birdie-eagle to edge out San Antonio’s Lydia Portlock by a single shot for the victory.
Top Finishers: New Braunfels’ Vincent Porras climbed the leaderboard into second place thanks to a 5-under par 67 in the final round. Porras started the day tied for fourth but will finish in second at 5-under 139, thanks to his bogey free final round. The Hill’s Andre Follmer also records a bogey free final round of 5-under 67 to finish in third at 4-under 140. San Antonio’s Cameron Villarreal continued the trend of final round 67’s en route to a fourth-place finish at 3-under 141, and San Antonio’s Matt Pawly tied the low round of the day at 6-under 66 for finish in fifth place at 2-under 142. In the Girls Division, San Antonio’s Lydia Portlock finished runner up after a solid and consistent effort this weekend. Portlock recorded an even-par 72 in the final round and finished the tournament with 33 pars, two bogeys, and a single birdie.
Event Format: The Alamo Shootout is a 36-hole stroke play event with players competing in two divisions: Boys 12-18 and Girls 12-18. The field was selected based on the order of player signups.
Weather: Players faced much more favorable conditions in the second round. The sky stayed clear of rain and lightning and temperatures started in the low 50’s in the morning and rose to 60 degrees by the early afternoon.
Golf Course: Originally designed by George Hoffman and opened in 1963, the course underwent a major renovation in 2021, using the latest in golf course infrastructure. The redesign by Jeffrey D. Blume, ASGCA, was completed in November 2021. Situated in the heart of San Antonio, just north of Brackenridge Park, Olmos Basin offers a fun and accessible experience for all golfers, from beginners to scratch players. The course features long par 3s, reachable par 5s, and a creek that adds challenge throughout.
What’s next: The LJT starts the 2025 golf season on January 18-19 with the Winter Classic at Dallas Athletic Club in Dallas, TX.
For more information on the Alamo Shootout, click here.