Funkhouser, De Marco, Portlock, and Lehner Lead Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic
Burnet – College Station’s Jackson Funkhouser leads the Boys 15-18 Division following the first round of the 2024 Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic. He carded an impressive 6-under-par 66. Stephanie De Marco of Southlake and Lydia Portlock of San Antonio both posted rounds of 2-under-par 70 and lead the Girls 12-18 Division. Edward Lehner of Dallas leads the Boys 14 & Under Division following an opening 2-over-par 74.
Division Leaders: Funkhouser was the definition of consistency en route to his first-round lead of the Boys 15-18 Division. He carded a bogey-free round with six birdies, including two on par-3’s. Funkhouser, who is looking to build momentum going into his final LJT season, leads his division by two strokes with 18 holes left to play. In the Girls 12-18 Division, De Marco battled her way to the top of the field. She carded five birdies and three bogeys to put herself in contention. Portlock played consistent golf throughout the round, carding one birdie per nine to put herself in a tie for the lead with De Marco at 2-under-par. In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Lehner carded two birdies in his first round to jump out to a commanding three-stroke lead headed into Sunday’s final round.
In Contention: In the Boys 15-18 Division, Austin’s Sterling Hurd and posted a 4-under-par 68. He sits one shot off the lead thanks to five opening round birdies and a hole in one albatross on the par-4 seventeenth hole from 297 yards out. San Antonio’s Preston Hiller also sits one shot off the lead carding a 4-under-par 68, consisting of six birdies and two bogeys. In the Girls 12-18 Division, there is a two-player tie for second place. Austin’s Isabel Emanuels and Mansfield’s Lauren Madson both sit two strokes off the lead following first round scores of even-par 72. In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Oliver McFadden of Austin sits three strokes off the lead in second place. His opening round 5-over-par 77 included just one birdie. There is a three-player tie for third place in the division after Kerrville’s Braxton Simpson, Austin’s JP Lynch, and Evan Hofferkamp of The Woodlands all carded 6-over-par 78’s.
Course: Delaware Springs Golf Club is located in the heart of Hill Country in Burnet, TX. The course is cradled by the trees and gentle rolling hills near the Highland Lakes. Picturesque and challenging, this course played from 6,800 yards for the Boys Division, 6,300 for the Boy’s 14 and Under Division and 5,900 yards for the Girl’s Division.
Weather: Moderate rain showers rolled through overnight which brought cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid 50’s for the duration of the morning. Afternoon temperatures brought slightly warmer weather with sunshine, partly cloudy skies, and highs in the mid 60’s. Winds ranged from 5 to 15 miles per hour throughout the round.
Tournament Format: The Jimmy Demaret Junior 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: Boys 15-18, Girls 12-18 and Boys 14 & Under. 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 Final Round of the Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic is scheduled for Sunday, February 4th with tee times going off the No. 1 and 10 tees. To see pairings for the final round, click here.
For more information on the Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic, click 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 PGA and Houston Golf Association. The tour operates as part of the Texas Golf Association and its foundation. Since its inception in 2005, the tour has provided funds to promote junior golf initiatives while conducting some of the state’s top junior championships including the Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship, Texas Junior Amateur and the Texas Girls’ Invitational as well as the Texas Cup Invitational.