Knobler, Marquardt, and Chen, Champions of the 2026 Flodder Financial Shootout
Briefly: Sugar Lands Jake Knobler cards a final round 71 to win the Boys Division. Knobler, the first-round leader, found himself one shot back of the lead after 9 holes. He then followed that up with a birdie-birdie 10th and 11th hole to regain the lead. This is Jake’s second LJT title of 2026, becoming the first multi-time winner in the boy’s division on the 2026 season. Sarah Marquardt of Tomball managed to hold on to her first day lead to win the Girls Division by shooting a final round 73 to win by five shots. Marquardt survived the heat along with a late push from fellow competitors to take home the trophy in what was her first Legends Junior Tour event ever. Ryan Chen of Houston came out on top in the Boys 14 & Under Division. Chen brought a four-shot lead into today’s final round and never looked back. Chen showed zero signs of nerves, beginning his first nine holes with back-to-back birdies and giving the rest of the field no chance to come and catch him. Chen’s 36 hole total of 9-under par 135 secured his first victory on the Legends Junior Tour.
In Contention: In the Boys Division, Jackson Straley of Dallas and Austins’ Cullen Jerke finished in a tie for second, one shot behind Knobler, with a two-day total of 3-under par. In fourth place was Katy’s own Hudson Rankin finishing with a two-day total of 2-under par. Rounding out the top 5 was a cluster of names finishing at five-over par for the championship. Bryar Murphy, Jacob Ringwald, Charlie Poe, and Alexander Lee all take home a piece of fifth place.
In the Girls Division, Boerne’s Julia Hansen finished in solo second place after rounds of 77-77. Hansen battled with Marquardt on the first nine holes of the day with an impressive 1-over par nine holes. Ultimately Marquardt pulled away on the final nine hole of the championship. Finishing in third place was Seabrook’s Gracyn Stewart with a two-day total of 166.
In the Boys 14 and under division, first round leader Ryan Chen led throughout the day stretching his lead over runner up Mason Hwang from Houston. Mason finished with a 36-hole total of 1-over par. Finishing in third place was Pablo Mora of Shenandoah, who fired two rounds of 73 to claim the third place trophy.
In addition to the overall champions, the low final round score was also recognized in each division. These players were recognized by the Flodder Financial Group for their commitment to finishing the tournament strong. Jackson Straley was recognized in the Boys Division with a final round 67, Mason Hwang was recognized in the Boys 14 & Under Division with a final round 71, and Julia Hansen was recognized in the Girls Division with a final round 77.
Golf Course: The Club at Falcon Point is hosting the Flodder Financial Shootout for the eighth straight year. Designed by Bruce Devlin and Robert von Hagge, the golf course features 18 championship holes forcing players to hit a variety of shots. The course is playing just over 6,600 yards in both the Boys Division and the Boys 14 & Under Division and a little less than 6,000 yards in the Girls Division.
About the Sponsor: The Flodder Financial Group has sponsored the Flodder Financial Shootout since its inception in 2010. The group’s goal is to provide the most complete and accessible set of applications to help monitor and manage accounts. Kyle Flodder is the Managing Director of Client Strategies and played junior golf in Texas before going on to play collegiately at TCU. President of the group is Steven Flodder, who enjoys coming out and watching the players during the Flodder Financial Shootout.
Tournament Format: The Flodder Financial Shootout is a 36-hole stroke play event for players ages 12-19 that have a valid membership with a member of the Texas Junior Golf Alliance.
Weather: Players battled high humidity and heat throughout the day. Temperatures for the day peaked out at 95 degrees with a little cloud cover and variable winds that gusted up to 11 mph at times.
What’s at Stake: The top half of each division field will be awarded points towards the LJT Player of the Year presented by Huntington Bank standings. The tournament is ranked by Golfweek and Junior Golf Scoreboard. Multiple Tournament Exemptions for future Championships will also be awarded to top finishers in each division.
Player of the Year Points: Jake Knobler, Sarah Marquardt, and Ryan Chen all earned 1000 points in the Player of the Year Points presented by Huntington Bank race. Points are awarded at each tournament to the top half of each age division. Player of the Year Standing can be viewed here.
What’s Next: The next stop on the LJT schedule is the Hannon – Fields Junior Invitational scheduled for August 10-11 at UT Golf Club in Austin. For more information about the Hannon – Fields Junior Invitational, click here. For more information about the Flodder Financial Shootout, click here. To see all tournament scores, click here.