Mohon, Harper, Beckett Share the Lead after Round One of the 27th Huntington Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship
The 27th Huntington Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship roared to life Tuesday at Trinity Forest Golf Club as Preston Mohon of Southlake, Brooks Harper of Dallas, and Mackey Beckett of Lakeway each fired a sizzling 5-under 66 to share the first-round lead — one stroke clear of a deep, talented field representing junior golf’s brightest stars from across Texas and beyond.
Mohon came out swinging. The University of Incarnate Word Commit — who punched his ticket to the field on May 29 at last chance qualifying at Cedar Crest Golf Course — wasted no time announcing his arrival, rattling off five birdies on the front nine to stake an early claim atop the leaderboard. A bogey on No. 12 barely slowed him down; Mohon responded with three more birdies on the back nine and strolled into the clubhouse as the early pacesetter.
Harper matched him stroke for stroke in a different fashion. The University of Texas commit put on a ball-striking clinic with a clean, bogey-free front nine and never looked back. With just one bogey on his entire card, Harper reaffirmed why his name consistently appears near the top of major junior championship leaderboards — a testament to the consistency that makes him one of the most dangerous players in the field.
Beckett, The University of Michigan commit was the only one of the co-leaders to post a completely bogey-free round, a steely performance that looked anything but coincidental. Less than a year removed from reaching match play at the 77th U.S. Junior Amateur on this very layout, Beckett looks entirely at home and primed for a big push on Wednesday.
Hot on their heels is Brayden Verret of Farmers Branch — the Class of 2029 graduation year and multi-LJT champion has been showcasing his skills against the older competition, and it shows. Verret ignited his round with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 2 and 3 and kept the foot on the gas with consecutive birdies on Nos. 13 and 14, cruising home with a 5-under 67 to sit alone in fourth place. At one of the youngest ages near the top of the leaderboard, his performance is nothing short of remarkable.
Tied for fifth at 4-under 68 are Isaac Diaz of Del Rio and LSU commit Austin Randall of Prosper, both within striking distance heading into the second round.
Rounding out a stacked Top 10 at 3-under 69 is a group of eight competitors: Oklahoma commit Isaiah Igo (Sundown), Ben Parks (Dallas), Texas Tech commit Aadi Parmar (Selma), Micah Stewart (Alvin), Dylan Knox (Austin), JP Lynch (Austin), and Carlos Pedraza (Mexico).
The depth of this field is no illusion — ten players are bunched together at 2-under for positions 15 through 24, and 14 more sit at 1-under, including notable names Andrea Birolini (Southlake), Collin Alstrin (Prosper), and international entries Jaime Escudero and Carlos Moreno from Mexico. No fewer than eight players find themselves within three shots of the lead heading into Wednesday, setting the stage for a dramatic second round.
Round One teed off in humid, 75-degree conditions that climbed into the 90s by midday. With wind barely a factor — a gentle 7 mph out of the east with gusts reaching just 10 mph — scoring conditions were fair. The field played from 7,049 yards (par 72), with the hardest hole being No. 4 (averaging 4.54), which yielded just four birdies against 38 pars, 39 bogeys, and six double bogeys or worse.
Round 2 of the 27th Huntington Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship tees off Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. off Nos. 1 and 10 in staggered tee times. With three players sharing the lead and a pack of contenders lurking just strokes behind, the race to the top of the leaderboard is wide open.
To view results from Round One, click here. To learn more about the 27th Huntington Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship, click here.