Rubenstein lead at the 26th Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship
DALLAS — Jeffery Rubenstein grows his lead at the 26th Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship, building a two-shot lead after firing a 2-under 68 in Wednesday’s second round at Lakewood Country Club.
The Dallas native sits at 6-under overall and heads into Thursday’s final round with momentum after a hot start. Rubenstein birdied three of his first four holes and reached 7-under for the tournament before a bogey on No. 7 briefly slowed his charge. He bounced back immediately with a birdie on No. 9 to make the turn at 2-under for the day.
“Yeah, today I got off to a hot start in the first four or five holes,” Rubenstein said. “The back nine played tough.”
He steadied his round with five straight pars on the inward nine, but a rollercoaster finish — bogey at 16, birdie at 17, and another bogey at 18 — brought him in at 68. Still, the consistent play kept Rubenstein in control heading into the final day.
“I shot 1-over on the back nine. I kind of limped in, but it’s okay,” he added.
Rubenstein is aiming to join an elite list of past champions in this prestigious junior event, which has showcased some of the best rising stars in the game.
Trailing just two shots behind is his Highland Park High School teammate, Brooks Simmons, also of Dallas. The University of Texas commit carded a steady second-round 68 and sits in solo second at 4-under. Simmons, a recent graduate, is no stranger to final-round pressure — he was in the top 10 heading into last year’s championship finale.
After starting on No. 10, Simmons bogeyed early but responded with birdies on Nos. 14 and 17. He made the turn and picked up another birdie at No. 3 after a bogey on No. 2, then added one more on No. 6 to close within striking distance.
“It was pretty grindy today,” Simmons said. “I didn’t have my best stuff, but I fought around and made a couple birdies. Had some sloppy bogeys, but it all worked out.”
Simmons credited his iron play for keeping him in contention: “My iron game is pretty solid this week. I just need to make a couple more putts, and hopefully it’ll end up good tomorrow.”
Michael Vienneau of Austin sits third at 3-under, while Aadi Parmar of Selma and Declan Dent of Grapevine are tied for fourth at 2-under, both posting back-to-back 69s.
The round’s biggest leap came from Shiv Parmar of Selma, who electrified the field with a blistering 7-under 63 — the low round of the tournament. The Texas A&M commit vaulted 61 spots on the leaderboard to enter the final round inside the top 10. Parmar, the reigning Texas Junior Amateur Boys champion and 2025 Texas Cup Invitational winner, is chasing his third straight major junior title.
The second round lived up to its “moving day” reputation, as 84 of the top junior golfers from Texas and surrounding states returned to Lakewood Country Club — the event’s host for 11 consecutive years and 23 of the last 25 tournaments.
Weather conditions were ideal for scoring, with a cool, damp start in the low 70s after overnight rain. Temperatures rose into the low 80s with a slight breeze by the afternoon.
Hole 5 proved to be the day’s toughest challenge, playing to a 3.55 average. The long, downhill par-3 yielded just two birdies all day.
At the end of the round, the field was cut to the low 30 and ties. Final-round tee times begin at 8:30 a.m. off No. 1, with players going out in threesomes.
Veritex Bank will be represented in Thursday’s finale, with four employees joining the final four groups for the closing round. It’s a fitting end to another standout year for the championship, now in its 26th edition.
The Legends Junior Tour extends its thanks to Veritex Bank for its continued commitment to junior golf and to the staff and members of Lakewood Country Club for their ongoing support of this prestigious event.
To view results from Round 2 of the 26th Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship, click here. To learn more about the tournament, click here.