Hilario, Anderson, and Lee Take Bluebonnet Championship Trophies
Brownwood – Landon Hilario clinched the Boys 15-18 Division Title of the Bluebonnet Championship after finishing at 9-under. Michelle Lee won the Girls 12-18 Division at 3-under, while Austin Anderson won the Boys 14 & Under Division at 3-under in the 2025 LJT Bluebonnet Championship.
Winners: Landon Hilario of Garland posted rounds of 69 and 66 to capture the title by two shots at Brownwood Country Club. Teeing off in the penultimate group, Landon fired three birdies in his first four holes to quickly take the lead. “I made a long putt on two… and chipped in on four, so a quick start is definitely needed whenever you’re starting four [strokes] back,” Hilario said. The leaderboard remained fairly crowded throughout the day, but Landon’s three birdies on his clean back nine kept him on top, and eventually led to him lifting the trophy.
Making the trip from San Antonio, Michelle Lee went wire-to-wire to win her second title of the year. Lee totaled eight birdies over her two rounds to clinch the title at 3-under-par, with rounds of 68 and 73. Her goal for the two events she has played in was to finish in the top three to earn a few exemptions, but in her words, “I ended up winning [both],”. With the win today, Lee is exempt into the Texas Women’s Open.
Gunter’s Austin Anderson took the title in the Boys 14 & Under Division after being the only player in the division to post two rounds under-par. Anderson shot 71 and 70 to win the division by four shots. When asked about what helped him score better today than yesterday, he responded, “[I need to] take advantage of the par 5’s”. And that, he did. Anderson played the par 5’s for both rounds at 7-under total, including an eagle on the 10th hole today. Anderson’s win earns him an exemption into the George Hannon Junior Invitational Presented by Texas Mutual, which will be held in August at UT Golf Club in Austin.
Top Finishers: Brownwood native Caleb Modawell shot a terrific 62 in his final round, improving his first-round score by thirteen shots to finish in a tie for second. Joining him there was Declan Dent, both finishing at 7-under total. Daniel Ferguson, Ryan (Woojin) Lee, and William Mangione all finished tied for fourth, posting 6-under for the weekend. Ava Osborne of Austin was the runner-up in the Girls 12-18 Division after totaling 1-under for the two rounds. Stephanie De Marco rounded out the top three with rounds of 73 and 72 to finish at 1-over for the championship. Via Player of the Year Points, De Marco is now exempt into the Texas Women’s Open as well. Evan Hofferkamp was the runner-up in the Boys 14 & Under Division after posting rounds of 69 and 76 to finish at 1-over. Lincoln Rubis and Zachary Rubis finished tied for third after both finished at 4-over.
Championship Statistics: Brownwood Country Club provided a 6,282-yard-long test for the boys, and the girls played a 5,729-yard layout. Over the course of the championship, the par-3 13th hole played the toughest with a 3.54 scoring average, while players had the easiest time on the par-5 16th with a 4.71 scoring average.
Weather: Beautiful conditions graced the 2025 Bluebonnet Championship. Players began play on Sunday at 7:30 am with a sunny, 51° morning. As the day went on, the sun never disappeared with temperatures reaching up to 79° in the afternoon. Winds once again were almost perfect, with a soft breeze throughout the day, and gusts peaking around 20 mph.
Golf Course: Brownwood Country Club has hosted the Bluebonnet Championship every year since 2000. The club sits in central Texas and features ample opportunities for players to post a low score. The par-72 layout, a Leon Howard design, stretches to 6,300 yards for the boys and 5,800 yards for the girls.
Tournament History: The Bluebonnet Championship is a 36-hole stroke play event for players ages 12-19 that have an active membership within the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. The championship was started by Brownwood businessman Bart Johnson in 2000 and has an impressive list of past champions that include Patrick Reed, Scottie Scheffler, Pierceson Coody, Cole Hammer, Maddie Szeryk, Hailey Jones and Hailee Cooper. The Legends Junior Tour took over the event in 2007 and the field has grown to 132 players from all over the state.
POY Points Race: Competitors who finish in the top half of the field will gain points towards the LJT Player of the Year Standings. By winning, Hilario, Anderson, and Lee are awarded 1500 points towards the Legend Junior Tour’s Player of the Year standings. For more information on the LJT Player of the Year Points, click here.
What’s Next: The Legends Junior Tour returns to Dallas and Lakewood Country Club for the Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship on June 3-5, 2025. The championship is the second Major Event for the Boys Division of the year with the top players from Texas vying to etch their name on a trophy along with Jordan Spieth, Pierceson Coody, Cody Gribble and many more. For more information about the championship, 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, NTPGA, and STPGA. 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, Texas Girls’ Invitational, and the Texas Cup Invitational.
For More information about the Bluebonnet Championship, click here. To see all the scores from Brownwood Country Club, click here.