Hill, Emanuels, and Parmar Lead James A. Ragan Memorial
Briefly: Andrew Hill shot 2-under 70 in the opening round of the James A. Ragan Memorial at Corpus Christi Country Club and leads the Boys 15-18 Division by one stroke. Isabel Emanuels leads in the Girls Division at even par 72, while Aadi Parmar leads the Boys 14 & Under Division by one stroke after a 1-under round of 71.
Leaders: Corpus Christi’s own, Andrew Hill, made four birdies on the day with one coming on the Par-4 18th to boost him into the lead. Hill finished recording no bogeys on the back 9. He’s looking for his first win on the Legends Junior Tour. Austin’s Isabel Emanuels made five birdies in her first round to head into the final round with a four-shot lead. Her early lead is thanks to two quick birdies on holes 2 and 3. Selma’s Aadi Parmar leads the Boys 14 & Under Division by one stroke after shooting 1-under par on Sunday. Parmar had a steady round recording no bogeys and one birdie. His one birdie came on the short par 4 7th. He looks to continue his steady play in Monday’s final round and take home his fourth Legends Junior Tour victory of the season.
In Contention: In the Boys 15-18 Division, five players are just one shot back of Hill. Southlake’s Luke Evans, Frisco’s Ishan Ahuja, Houston’s Davis Shoaf, Austin’s Jaxon Bandelier and Mansfield’s Patrick Babb are all 1-under heading into Monday’s final round. In the Girls Division, Tomball’s Jaycee Jenkins and Laredo’s Alyssa Esparza are tied for second place after shotting 4 over 76 in today’s first round. In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Grant Clapp of Prosper is alone in second at even par. Parmar and Clapp will be joined by Spring’s Anthony Butt in the final group tomorrow. Butt is joined by Garland’s Landon Hilario, two strokes back of the lead, after today’s rounds of 1-over 73.
Course: Corpus Christi Country Club returns as the host of the James A. Ragan Memorial after taking a break in 2022 for a full course renovation which included 18 new green complexes, new bunkers, and a regrassing of the fairways. Chet Williams Design led the renovation, and the course was re-opened last November during their Centennial Celebration. Previously, Corpus Chrisi Country Club hosted the James A. Ragan Memorial since 2017. The Club was originally opened in 1909 but a hurricane destroyed the original course in 1919. John Bredemus designed a new layout in 1922 and the club expanded to 18 holes in 1938. Robert Trent Jones Sr. was tasked with a redesign in 1964 and the course reopened January of 1965 and has hosted numerous top-level amateur events along the way. Corpus Christi Country Club features an open layout that works its way through a residential area and maneuvers its way across hills and bodies of water. Tall palm trees surround the property, and the wind plays a huge factor into each shot for the player.
Weather: The temperature today in Corpus Christi reached 75 degrees under mostly cloudy skies. The winds were relatively calm all day, never gusting above 10 mph. Tomorrow’s conditions are expected to be similar with a slight increase in temperature.
Tournament Format: The tournament is a 36-hole stroke play event for players ages 12-18 that are members of the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. Players completed 18 holes on Sunday and will play the final 18 holes on Monday.
About James: James Ragan started playing on the LJT in 2008 and recorded three top-25 finishes. The Corpus Christi native won the 2010 Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic and earned a spot in the Jackie Burke Cup Matches. He would go on to win the LJT’s first Sportsmanship Award and the next year the award was named after him. Ragan was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in 2006, which is a rare type of pediatric cancer. He founded “Triumph Over Kid Cancer” which is an organization that has raised more than three million dollars for pediatric cancer research. James passed away in 2014 but TOKC has kept going with the help of the Ragan family.
About TOKC: Founded by James Ragan in 2007, Triumph Over Kid Cancer is dedicated to improving the lives of children with cancer by raising their spirits, raising the public’s awareness and funding research to improve the treatment and survivability of pediatric cancers.
What’s Next: The Final Round of the James A. Ragan Memorial is scheduled to begin at 8:00 am off the No. 1 and 10 tees on Monday, October 9th. Pairings for the final round were redrawn according to scores from the first round and can be found by clicking here.
For more information on the James A. Ragan Memorial, click here. To see all the scores from Sunday’s round, click here.