Jackie Burke Cup set for November 13-14

Addison – The Legends Junior Tour’s Jackie Burke Cup Matches head back to east Texas for the first time since 2017. Willow Brook Country Club is set to host the match play event on November 13-14. Modeled after the Ryder Cup, this two-day event will see the 24 best junior golfers of the 2021 season compete in Four-Ball, Foursome, and Singles match play.

“The Legends Junior Tour is extremely fortunate and excited to bring the Jackie Burke Cup to Willow Brook Country Club,” LJT Tournament Manager Adam Schulte said. “This is one of the best championship sites in the state, and we’re eager to get out there.”

Willow Brook Country Club is one of the premiere clubs in the state and has a long history of hosting some of the best amateur events in Texas. Originally built as a 9-hole course pre-World War II, the course has gone through various updates, with the most recent completed in 2018 by Tripp Davis. Willow Brook CC has hosted the 1964 Texas Amateur, 2020 Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play, and will host the 113th Texas Amateur next summer.

First conducted in 2005, the season-ending Jackie Burke Cup is by invitation-only and features the top 12 players from North Texas squaring off against their counterparts from South Texas in a Ryder Cup-style competition. Each team consists of eight players from the Boys 15-18 Division, two from the Girls 12-18 Division and two from the Boys 14 & Under Division.

The teams will face off in four-ball, foursome and singles matches over the two days. Matches are worth two points and a tied match is split: one point for each team. The matches start with six four-ball matches Saturday morning followed by six foursome matches in the afternoon. On Sunday, players are selected for 12 singles matches, leaving 48 possible points to be earned throughout the weekend. The North Team will need 24 points to retain the cup, while the South Team will need 25 points to win the cup.

Players earned their way onto their respective teams by accumulating points throughout the year in designated LJT and Texas Junior Golf Alliance tournaments. North and South regions are defined as either being above or below the 31’ parallel (Salado, Texas).
“Both teams always feature the top performers from the year on the Legends Junior Tour and it’s a fun event administer as it’s such a great change of pace from what the rest of the year is,” Schulte said. “These players have consistently played well on their own all season. Letting them compete in a team environment is always great to see, and a fun way to finish off another great LJT season.”

The LJT players of the year Sam Dossey of Austin, TX and Jiyu Han of Cedarpark, TX both hope to lead the South team to its first victory in the Jackie Burke Cup since 2013. Runner up for the Boys 15-18 Division player of the year Trevor Algya of Highland Village, TX and Boys 14 & Under player of the year Rhett O’Rear of Plano, TX aim to keep the cup in north Texas for the eight straight year.

Tee times for the Jackie Burke Cup will be published on the TXGA website on Friday, November 12 you can view the pairings by clicking here. For more information on the Jackie Burke Cup click here.