Frierson, Brown, and Anderson Win George Hannon Jr Invitational
Briefly: Saint Mary’s commit Kaden Frierson wins the Boys 15-18 Division with a winning score of 7-under par. Gunter’s Austin Anderson wins the Boys 14 & Under Division title in a playoff at 2-under par, while University of Texas commit Shyla Brown from Dallas captured the Girls 12-18 Division by five shots at 5-under par
Austin’s Kaden Frierson fought off a slew of contenders to win his first Legends Junior Tour tournament with his final round 4-under par 67 at the challenging UT Golf Club. The future St. Mary’s Rattler built himself a 3 shot lead with five holes to play and was able to hold on for a one-stroke victory. Frierson played the tough UT Golf Club layout with only two bogeys during the 36-hole championship.
Anderson started the final round two shots off the lead and in 4th place but birdied two of his final 3 holes to force a playoff with runner up Isaiah Diaz. Anderson’s par on the first playoff hole was enough to secure his second consecutive George Hannon Junior Invitational. His final round 1-under par 70 was the only under par round in the 14 and Under Division.
Dallas’s Shyla Brown won for the third time on the Legends Junior Tour on a course she is going to become very familiar with. Brown, a 2026 grad, will be signing with the University of Texas in the coming weeks. Starting the day 2 strokes off the lead, she was able to take advantage of a solid opening nine with two birdies and seven pars to take the lead. Brown finished her round with a tough bunker hole out on the par 5 ninth for eagle to distance herself from her challengers. Brown is coming off of a third-place showing last month at the 99th Texas Junior Amateur.
In Contention: Houston’s Grant DeLorenzo finished runner up to Frierson with a final round 4-under par 67 finishing the tournament one stroke behind the champion with a 6-under par total. Andre Follmer from The Hills, and The Woodlands Finn Burkholder were tied for third place with a final score of 4-under par. Round Rock’s Ben Montreuil and Dallas’s Stone Fancher finished in a tie for 5th place at 2-under par. In the Girls Division, Plano’s Eileen Lee finished runner-up at even par 142, while Austin’s own Ava Frazier and Claire Wan finished in a tie for third place at 2-over par 144. First round leader Isaiah Diaz from Del Rio finished second in the Boys 14 & under Division losing on the first playoff hole. Celina’s Wyatt Brindza and Prosper’s Bryar Murphy finished in a tie for third at 1-under par 141.
Golf Course: The University of Texas Golf Club was designed by Bechtol Russell and opened in 2003. The course is set along the Colorado River and features stunning Texas Hill Country views along with a challenging par-71 layout. The course overlooks Lake Austin and borders the Balcones Natural Wildlife Preserve and has hosted the George Hannon Junior Invitational ten times now, including the last eight years.
Weather: Temperatures started in the mid 70’s under sunny skies for Tuesday mornings final round, with an afternoon high temperature in the mid 90’s and a heat index around 100 degrees. In a repeat from Monday’s first round, a light north wind made for ideal scoring conditions.
Tournament Format: The George Hannon Junior Invitational is a 36-hole stroke play event for players that have earned an exemption through the Texas Junior Golf Alliance or the Hannon Society. The 96-player field is one of the strongest in the state as they play 18 holes each day.
Player of the Year Points: Kaden Frierson, Shyla Brown and Austin Anderson all earned 1500 points in the Player of the Year Point Race. Points are awarded at each tournament to the top half of each age division. 2025 LJT Player of the Year Points Standings
About George Hannon: George Hannon, who was affectionately called “Coach”, coached the University of Texas golf team for 18 seasons. Coach Hannon saw his Longhorns win two National Championships in 1971 and 1972, 12 Southwest Conference Titles and three individual titles. Hannon’s Horns included Ben Crenshaw, Tom Kite, Mark Brooks, Phil Blackmar, Brandel Chamblee, Rik Massengale and Paul Thomas.
Hannon Cup Association: The Hannon Cup Association contributes to golf scholarships, supports the Austin Junior Golf Academy and hosts the George Hannon Junior Invitational and Hannon Cup Matches. Mark Coward and Brent Buckman were instrumental in conceiving the idea and in organizing and forming the initial committee for the Hannon Cup. Support was provided by a group of individuals and businesses that became known as the Hannon Society. To date the Association has distributed more than $145,000 worth of secondary education scholarships through the Southern Texas PGA Foundation.
About Texas Mutual: Texas Mutual is the presenting sponsor of the George Hannon Junior Invitational and has been caring for hardworking Texans for more than 25 years. Taking care of people is what Texas Mutual does and that’s why they invest time, energy and resources into increasing safety, wellness and education for all Texans. Texas Mutual has been the presenting sponsor of this event for the last five years.
College Golf Fellowship Challenge: College Golf Fellowship was on hand after Monday’s first round to host a lunch and par 3 tournament for all of the GHJI participants. The winner of the 6-hole par 3 event was Micah Hernandez at 4-under par followed by Alex Escamilla and Daniel Ferguson both posting a score of 3-under par. For more information about College Golf Fellowship, click here.
Texas Junior Golf Alliance: The Alliance is a joint venture between the Texas Golf Association, Northern and Southern Texas PGA and Houston Golf Association. The goal of the Alliance was to allow junior golfers a clear path to the best tournaments in Texas. Each of the three tier-two organizations (STPGA, NTPGA, HGA) conduct events that serve as qualifiers into the statewide tier-one events run by the Legends Junior Tour (LJT). This allows players to compete in local events in which they can earn spots to play in statewide tournaments.
Tournament History: The George Hannon Junior Invitational finished it’s 16th year on the Legends Junior Tour schedule and features past champions such as Adam Villanueva, Maxwell Miller, Cole Hammer, Chandler Phillips, Tayler Termeer, Hailee Cooper, Joe and Julia Beck, Matthew Comegys, Keaton Vo, Henry Guan, Farrah O’Keefe and Nicole Vivier. This event has been held at UT Golf Club for the last eight years.
Next Up: The Legends Junior Tour heads to Cedar Crest Golf Course in Dallas for the North Texas Classic on September 6-7. The George Hannon Junior Invitational caps off a busy and exciting summer for the Legends Junior Tour.
For more information on the George Hannon Junior Invitational, click here. To see all the scores from UT Golf Club, click here.