Ferguson, Murphy, Buckley Lead after the First Round of the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship
Briefly: Daniel Ferguson of Duncanville, TX, sits alone atop the Boys 15-18 Division of the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship after shooting a solid 4-under par 68 at South Shore Harbour Country Club. Ferguson, a Dallas Baptist commit and 2024 LJT Player of the Year posted 5 birdies against one bogey. He held his round together with some clutch par saves on the back 9 to keep his round going. Bryar Murphy of Prosper, holds a three-shot lead in the Boys 14 & Under division at 2-under par70. Murphy posted 4 birdies against two bogeys in his opening round with a run of three in a row on holes 4, 5, and 6. Finally, Madeline Buckley of Magnolia leads the Girls Division by six strokes after her firing a 1-under par 71 in her opening round
In Contention: 6 different players are tied for second at 1-under par 71 including Hudson Grace (The Woodlands), Hunter Houl (Diboll), Maddox Mowad (Monroe), Adrian Bowers (Pearland), Rex Flores (McAllen), and Vincent Porras (New Braunfels), as the bunched leaderboard heads into tomorrow’s final round.
In the Girls 12-18 Division, Kay’s Lora Kim sits in second place at 5-over with Dallas’s Jacqueline Zhuang in third place at 6-over par.
In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Springs Cody Borden and Tyler’s Reid Habermehl sit in a tie for second with both players shooting 1-over par 73’s. One shot behind them is Dallas’s Jacob Ringwald and Austin’s Oliver McFadden with matching 2-over par 74’s.
Host Club: South Shore Harbour Country Club is the centerpiece of a master-planned Gulf Coast community developed in the 1980s and ’90s. Officially opened in 1983, the Dave Marr and Jay Riviere 18-hole original golf design evolved into a classic waterside championship venue by the late 1990s. Since 1994, South Shore Harbour now features three nine-hole courses (South, Shore, and Harbour). The Boys Division will play from 6,886 yards, the Boys 14 and Under Division will play from 6,583 yards, and the Girls Division will play from 5,800 yards.
Weather: The weather for Monday morning’s first round started under cloudy skies with temperatures in the upper 70’s. Play was suspended two different times for lightning for a total of 3 hours. Afternoon highs reached 90 degrees with a 10-15 mph south wind.
Tournament Format: The Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship is a 36-hole stroke play event for players 12-18 years old. All players in the field are required to have an active membership with the Texas Junior Golf Alliance.
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 sections. 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.
Player of the Year Points: 1000 points in the 2025 Player of the Year Race are up for grabs this week at the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship. Points are awarded at each tournament to the top half of each age division. Click here for more information on the LJT Player of the Year Points race.
Tournament Exemptions: In the Boys Division, the Top 3 finishers will receive exemptions into the 99th Texas Junior Amateur presented by Edwin Watts Golf, George Hannon Invitational, Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational, 2026 Bluebonnet Championship and 2026 Byron Nelson Jr Championship. The top 5 in the Boys Division will receive exemptions into the 2026 Texas Cup Invitational. In the Girls Division, the Champion will receive an exemption into the 99th Texas Junior Amateur presented by Edwin Watts Golf and the George Hannon Invitational while the Top 2 will receive exemptions into the Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational. The top 3 will receive exemptions into the 2026 Texas Girls Invitational and 2026 Bluebonnet Championship.
Next Up: The Final Round is scheduled to begin at 8:00 am off the No. 1 and No. 10 tees on Tuesday, July 15th. To see the pairings for the Final Round, click here.
For more information on the Lanny Wadkins Junior Championship, click here. To see all the scores from South Shore Harbour Country Club, click here.