Mierl, Sanford tied for the lead at the Texas Cup Invitational

Tyler Sanford of Montgomery and Trenton Mierl of Austin share the lead after the First Round at the 2024 Texas Cup Invitational. Both players fired off a 3-under 68 to propel themselves to the top of the leaderboard at Eagle’s Bluff Country Club which is hosting the Texas Cup Invitational for the first time.

“I’m feeling good. My game felt sharp out there today,” shared Sanford. “I didn’t have any big mistakes out there, so it was a smooth round.” Sanford started his round with back-to-back birdies that helped set him up for a great round. After making a bogey on hole No. 7, he went on to score two more birdies on the back nine to stay at the top of the leaderboard. “I can take advantage of the par fives and get my driver out and go for it. I played the par threes well too which was an advantage for me.”

Mierl came into the Texas Cup right off his win at the 2024 Spring Preview Championship at Cedar Crest Golf Course. “It was a slow start out there,” shared the high school senior who started on No. 10 today. “I took it one shot at a time.” Mierl made five birdies on his back nine today including three straights to complete the round. “I got hot at the end especially after I chipped in on nine. I put myself in good positions and took advantage when I could.”

Tied for second are San Antonio’s Cameron Villarreal, Montgomery’s J.J. Worrell, and Round Rock’s Cole MacMillan after a two-under 69 for the First Round. “The course is nice, and the greens are rolling well. The par threes played long today but there were also some par fours that you can get after,” shared Worrell. “I got to stay feeling good and work on my tee shots tomorrow morning on the range. I need to keep the shots straighter and not have as many wayward shots.”

In a tight group tied for fifth are Charlie Dial of Fort Worth, Preston Hiller of San Antonio, Mitchell Maier of Richmond, Shiv Parmar of Selma, and Dylan Villarreal of McAllen after a First Round 1-under 70.

Colder weather welcomed the players in the morning with temperatures in the low 50’s. By the time all players made the turn, temperatures rose into the mid-to-high 60’s with a light breeze that made for a great day for golf.

Hole 13 played the toughest on the course today with an average score of 3.66. The 208-yard Par 3 sits in the pine trees where a crosswind from the south plays a major factor in landing on the green with a bunker on each side.

Official yardage for the First Round was 6,790 yards.

The Texas Cup Invitational, the first of the two boys-only majors on the LJT annual schedule, is the LJT boy’s first 54-hole event of the year.

The Second Round of the Texas Cup Invitational is scheduled for Tuesday, March 12 with tee times beginning at 8:30 AM. To see pairings, click here.

For more information on the Texas Cup Invitational, click here.