Igo Fires a Bogey-Free First Round to Lead the 98th Texas Junior Amateur Boys 15-18 Division
WHITNEY – Isaiah Igo of Sundown leads the 98th Texas Junior Amateur Boys 15-18 Division after the first round. Igo, class of 2027, fired a bogey-free 4-under 68 to lead by two strokes over the field.
The White Bluff Resort – New Course welcomed the 98th Texas Junior Amateur for the second consecutive year. The state’s most prestigious junior amateur tournament featured 120 of the best junior players in Texas.
Originally scheduled for July, the 98th Texas Junior Amateur was rescheduled due to Hurricane Beryl, with the Boys 15-18 Division rescheduled for September 21-23 and the Girls 15-18 Division on December 14-16 at Tapatio Springs Resort. The Legends Junior Tour looks forward to continuing our partnership with The Clubs of Kingwood and are excited to head back in the near future for the state’s most prominent junior championship.
Igo played bogey-free golf while battling tough afternoon conditions at White Bluff Resort – New Course.
“I hit it pretty well, but I was making some putts out there and that’s the key to playing championship golf,” Igo said.
Igo, a sophomore from Sundown, is playing in his first Texas Junior Amateur in the Boys 15-18 Division. He showed that intimidation wasn’t going to be a factor today, dominating from the first tee shot to the final putt of his round.
“This summer I had been playing with the 15-18 Division, so it gave me some experience for this tournament,” Igo said.
Chasing Igo and tied for second are 2024 George Hannon Invitational champions Adam Villanueva of Kenedy, Gavin Hymer of San Antonio, and Charlie Dial of Fort Worth. All three players carded a 2-under 70 and look to chase Igo heading into round two.
“The round today was pretty straightforward,” Villanueva said. “There were a lot of shots that could’ve gone better, but I just wanted to get through the first round and put up a great score and keep it rolling heading into round two.”
Villanueva, a University of Texas golf commit, knows what championship golf looks like, having played in multiple majors and invitationals this year for the Legends Junior Tour.
“I just need to keep going over my game plan,” he said. “See what I did wrong and what I did the best. I need to see what clubs I hit badly and what clubs I hit well and take that information into the next day.”
Hymer, a high school sophomore, is another skilled player making his debut in the Texas Junior Amateur Boys 15-18 Division. He showed poise by not letting any of his three bogeys on the day bother him and continued to fight throughout his round.
“I tried to go out there and play smart,” Hymer said. “I didn’t try to go for any pins and force anything, so I just played safe, made some putts, and caught a few good breaks.”
Hymer will head into round two as one of four players in the top ten playing their first year in the older boys’ division, showing the newcomers aren’t afraid of the spotlight.
“I try to lock in on every shot, study the course better, and make sure I play the best I can,” he said.
Dial, a junior from Fort Worth, was the third player to card a 2-under 70, positioning himself well for the second round tomorrow.
“Today was good. I kept the ball in play off the tee, and out here that’s crucial because sometimes it gets tight on some holes,” Dial said. “I didn’t hit every green but got up and down when I needed to, and that definitely helped with confidence and just keeping it going.”
Finishing the first round tied for fifth are Ryan (Woojin) Lee of College Station, 2024 Winter Classic champion and Texas A&M golf commit Shiv Parmar, and Houston golf commit Matt Pawly. The three players, who all played in the morning wave, fired a 1-under 71 and sit three strokes back of the leader.
Rounding out the top ten were Brady Mann of Bridgeport, Tripp Depoy of The Woodlands, and Aadi Parmar of Selma, each finishing with an even-par 72 in conditions that varied throughout the round.
The 98th Texas Junior Amateur is an official USGA exemption event. The USGA announced in the fall of 2023 that AGA’s amateur championships would provide an exemption into the respective USGA championships. The champion of the 98th Texas Junior Amateur will be exempt from the 77th U.S. Junior Amateur at Trinity Forest Golf Club in 2025.
The first round welcomed players in the morning wave with temperatures in the high 70s and little to no wind. As the morning wave wrapped up and the afternoon players began their rounds, they faced temperatures in the low to mid-90s, with wind speeds reaching 13 mph and gusts hitting 20 mph.
The official yardage for round one was 6,923 yards, with hole No. 15, a long par 3, playing at 225 yards, featuring trees protecting the right side from tee to green. The hole included two birdies, 40 pars, 49 bogeys, and 23 double bogeys or worse.
Round two of the 98th Texas Junior Amateur will commence at 8 a.m. September 22 off No. 1 and No. 10 tees, featuring both morning and afternoon waves.
To see results for Round 1 and more information on the 98th Texas Junior Amateur, click here.