North Leads 15-9 at 2024 Jackie Burke Cup

ANNA, Texas — The North Team leads the 2024 Jackie Burke Cup after a strong showing on Match Day One, carrying a 15-9 lead into tomorrow’s singles matches and aiming to secure the title after a three-year drought.

The Jackie Burke Cup is a team match play event modeled after the Ryder Cup, with North Texas facing South Texas. Each team features 12 players, and each match is worth two points. The team with the most points at the end of Sunday will win the cup.

The North Team started strong in the morning four-ball matches, dominating the leaderboard with players clad in blue, the team’s color. They finished the four-ball session with a 9-3 lead, thanks to several key performances. Rhett O’Rear of Plano and Nicholas Norris of Dallas were the first players to score points, defeating the South Team 3 and 2, a match that included three birdies on the front nine. In a compelling 14-and-under matchup, Austin Anderson and Declan Dent defeated four-time LJT champion JP Lynch of Austin and two-time LJT champion Evan Hofferkamp 2 and 1.

Preston Hiller of San Antonio and Grayson Petru of Tomball earned the first points for the South Team after their match ended in a tie with Landon Hilario of Garland and Dylan Wisener of Dallas. Austin Hofferkamp of The Woodlands and Shiv Parmar of Selma were the only South pairing to earn a full point, clinching a back-and-forth match on the 18th hole, finishing 1 up.

In the afternoon, the teams split points evenly in the foursomes, tying 6-6. Stephanie De Marco of Southlake and Lisa Zhang of Frisco dominated their match, winning 6 and 5. Tyler Neidel of Lakeway and Grayson Petru of Tomball responded for the South Team with a 5-and-3 win. Mackey Beckett of Lakeway and Kaden Frierson of Austin contributed to the South Team’s afternoon performance, winning their match 3 and 1. Anderson and Dent secured their second win of the day, sweeping their opponents in the foursome match, 2 up.

The day began with temperatures in the high 50s and a cool breeze off the lake at No. 18 at Hurricane Creek Country Club. By midday, temperatures rose to the low 70s, with the breeze continuing, creating ideal playing conditions.

Match Day 2 will begin at 7:30 a.m. off No. 1 on Nov. 10, continuing until the North or South Team secures victory. For full scores from Match Day One and more on the Jackie Burke Cup, visit click here.