Petruzzelli, Singh, and Estonilo Lead at Spring Preview
Garland, Texas – Andrew Petruzzelli cards a 2-under 70 in the opening round of the Spring Preview to lead the Boys 15-18 Division at Firewheel Golf Course Anika Singh leads the Girls 12-18 Division at 2-over, while Elijah Estonilo leads the Boys 14 & Under Division at Even Par.
Boys 15-18 Division
1. Andrew Petruzzelli 70
T2. Byungho Lee 72
T3. Sterling Hurd 72
T3. Kenneth Melendrez 72
T3. Huang / Hill / Kim 72
Girls 12-18 Division
1. Anika Singh 74
T2. Emma Von Hoffman 76
T2. Adrienne Ahn 76
T4. Carley Button 77
T4. Nirjara Gulhane 77
Boys 14 & Under Division
1. Elijah Estonilo 72
2. Aiden Tiet 73
3. Collin Alstrin 74
T4. Asher Vargas 75
T4. Grant Baer 75
Leaders: Petruzzelli of Dallas posted the best round on Saturday making six birdies in his first 18 holes, including four on the front nine. McKinney’s Singh leads by two strokes in the Girls 12-18 Division after shooting 74 in the first round. Singh made two birdies on the day and looks to capture her first victory with the LJT. Elijah Estonilo of Allen leads the Boys 14 & Under Division by one stroke after shooting 72. Estonilo carded four birdies en route to his even-par round in the Boys 14 & Under Division.
In Contention: Six players are tied for second in the Boys 15-18 Division and trail Petruzzelli by two strokes heading into the final round. Plano’s Byungho Lee, Highland Village’s Kenneth Melendrez Jr, Round Rock’s Jonathan Kim, Austin’s Sterling Hurd, Plano’s Alex Huang, and Boerne’s Price Hill all shot even-par 72 on Saturday. Austin’s Henry Stone and Tyler’s Jacob Cole are tied for eight at 1-over, while Tyler Blackwell, Garrett McMellon, Noah McWilliams, and Parker Heath are tied for tenth at 2-over. In the Girls 12-18 Division, Emma Von Hoffman of Spicewood and Adrienne Ahn of Dallas are tied for second at 4-over, while Denton’s Carley Button and Cedar Park’s Nirjara Gulhane round out the top five in a tie for fourth at 5-over. Jenna Madden rounds out the top five in the division at 5-over. In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Aiden Tiet of Garland current sits one shot back in second place after a round of 1-over 73. Collin Alstrin of Prosper rounds out the top three in third place at 2-over 74. Asher Vargas of Spring and Grant Baer of Argyle are both tied for fourth at 3-over 75.
Weather: Players experienced cool and misty conditions during the morning hours. The clouds cleared and the wind picked up in the afternoon, as temperatures rose into the upper 70’s and winds blew around 20 mph.
Host Course: Firewheel Golf Course is hosting the Spring Preview for the first time in the event’s 17-year history. The Champions and Masters nines of the Bridges Course are just 18 of the 63 holes that Firewheel Golf Course has to offer, also on site are the Old and Lakes Courses. The par-72 Bridges course is playing at around 6,900 yards in the Boys 15-18 Division, 6,100 yards in the Boys 14 & Under Division and 5,800 yards in the Girls 12-18 Division.
What’s at Stake: This is the third Open Event on the LJT schedule in 2022 and player of the year points are going to be awarded to the top half of each division. Along with points, the top finishers will get AJGA Stars and exemptions into future LJT Majors like the Bluebonnet Championship, Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship and Texas Junior Amateur. The event is ranked by Junior Golf Scoreboard and Golfweek.
Next Up: Pairings for the Final Round of the Spring Preview are available and can be viewed by clicking here. Tee Times for the second round will begin at 8:00 AM off both #1 & #10 tees.
To see all the scores from Saturday’s first round, click here. For more information on the LJT Spring Preview, click here.
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