McCollum, Partridge, and McLaughlin Lead Fall Challenge
Briefly: Austin McCollum of Wichita Falls, Michaela Partridge of Leander, and Beckett McLaughlin of Austin lead their divisions after the first round at the Legends Junior Tour Fall Challenge. McCollum leads after a first round 67, Partridge leads with a first round 69, and McLaughlin jumps out to an early lead with a first round 70.
McCollum leads the pack in the Boys Division with a bogey free 5-under 67 in the first round. McCollum started the round hot with a birdie on the par 5 10th, his opening hole. McCollum would roll in two more birdies on his opening nine, en-route to a first nine 33. He would record a pair of birdies to card 34 on the second nine and hold the first-round lead.
Partridge was locked in a back-and-forth battle with Elizabeth Bellendir for the first-round lead. Playing in the same group, both players traded birdies all throughout the front nine with Bellendir taking a one-shot lead into the second nine. Partridge reclaimed the lead thanks to four straight birdies between holes #9 through #12. Both players carded six birdies on the day, with Partridge taking a one-shot lead into the final round.
McLaughlin’s stellar play this 2026 LJT season continues at the Fall Challenge. After a bogey on his opening hole, McLaughlin righted the ship with back-to-back birdies on holes #7 & #8. He threw in one more birdie on the par 3 14th and cruised to a three-shot lead heading into the final round after posting a 2-under par 70.
In Contention: In the Boys Division, Del Rio’s Isaiah Diaz and Farmers Branch’s Lincoln Rubis will round out the final grouping in the T2 position after posting rounds of 4-under par 68. College Station’s Jackson Black, Wylie’s Andrew Scott, College Station’s Ryan Lee, Austin’s Thomas Ashy, and Farwell’s Cooper Nicholas all shot rounds of 3-under par 69 and are currently tied for fourth place.
In the Boys 14U Division, Austin’s Asher Anderson will be hot on McLaughlin’s heels in second place after posting a round of 1-over par 73. Granbury’s Jude Morning, Houston’s Dylan Hananto, and Horseshoe Bay’s Luke Willis are all tied for third after rounds of 3-over par 75.
Golf Course: Located on 300 rolling acres along the Concho River in San Angelo, Quicksand Golf Course consists of challenging golf featuring many bunkers, bodies of water and generous rolling fairways that combine to make this a unique experience. This is the first time the Fall Challenge is being played at Quicksand Golf Course. The course will play to 6,995 yards in the Boys 15-18 Division, 6,597 yards in the Boys 14 & Under Division and 5,725 yards in the Girls 12-18 Division.
Tournament Format: The Fall Challenge is a 36-hole stroke play event with players ages 12-18 that have an active membership within the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. The 84-player field is split into a Boys Division, Girls Division and a Boys 14 & Under Division.
Weather: Temperatures began in the mid-70s and crept up to the low 90s under sunny skies. The winds were moderate in the morning hours and increased up to 10-15 mph later in the afternoon. Players took advantage of great scoring conditions to light up the first-round leaderboard.
Player of the Year Points: 1000 points in the 2026 Player of the Year Point Race are up for grabs this weekend at the Fall Challenge. Points are awarded at each tournament to the top half of each age division.
What’s Next: The Final Round of the Fall Challenge starts at 8:00 am on Sunday, September 27th. Pairings for the final round can be found by clicking here. Following Sunday’s play, awards will be handed out to the top finishers of each division along with LJT Player of the Year Points.
For more information on the Fall Challenge, click here.