Tan, Kaur and Parmar Win James A. Ragan Memorial
Briefly: Andrew Tan fires a 4-under 68 and wins the Boys Division of the James A. Ragan Memorial at Corpus Christi Country Club. Ashleen Kaur completed her wire-to-wire victory in the Girls Division after shooting 3-under to win by seven strokes, while Shiv Parmer shot 2-under in the final round to win the Boys 14 & Under Division.
Winners: In the Boys Division, Andrew Tan of Austin shot the low round of the event, making seven birdies along the way to 68 and finishing at 3-under overall after rounds of 73-68. The Louisville commit claimed his second win at this event, winning the Boys Division in 2019. In the Girls Division, Houston’s Ashleen Kaur claimed her first LJT victory by shooting rounds of 74-69 to get to 1-under overall. Kaur made 10 birdies in 36 holes, including six in her final round on Monday. She started her day off with a bogey on the par-4 10th, then birdied the par-5 11th, the par-4 12th and the par-4 13th. In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Shiv Parmar of Selma captured his first LJT victory by shooting 2-under 70 and winning by three strokes. Parmar made three birdies in the final round and only one bogey en route to his victory.
Top Finishers: In the Boys Division, Southlake’s Palmer Valdez finished in second at 3-over, while San Antonio’s Levi Keith finished third at 4-over. Maximus Cavazos and Parker Heath tied for fourth at 5-over, while four players tied for sixth at 6-over. In the Girls Division, Yvonne Chamness of Austin and Liza Lapeyre of New Orleans Finished tied for second at 6-over. Austin’s Kate PIckrell finished fourth at 7-over, while Cedar Park’s Jiyu Han finished fifth at 8-over. In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Plano’s Rhett O’Rear finished second at 5-over. O’Rear was the defending champion of the Boys 14 & Under Division and with his finish will take the lead in the Boys 14 & Under Player of the Year race. Asher Vargas of Spring and Nicholas Logis of Austin tied for third, while Jaxon Bandelier of Austin finished fifth.
Weather: The temperatures in Corpus Christi reached the upper 80s but the humidity was high and the temperatures felt like the 100s. Winds were calm, ranging around 10 miles per hour out of the east with light rain scattered throughout the day.
Course: Corpus Christi Country Club has hosted the James A. Ragan Memorial since 2017. The Club was originally opened in 1909 but a hurricane destroyed the original course in 1919. John Bredemus designed the new layout in 1922 and the club expanded to 18 holes in 1938. Robert Trent Jones Sr. was tasked with a redesign in 1964 and the course reopened January of 1965 and has hosted numerous top-level amateur events along the way. Corpus Christi Country Club features an open layout that works its way through a residential area and maneuver its way across hills and bodies of water. Tall palm trees surround the property and the wind plays a huge factor into each shot for the player.
About James: James Ragan started playing on the LJT in 2008 and recorded three top-25 finishes. The Corpus Christi native won the 2010 Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic and earned a spot in the Jackie Burke Cup Matches. He would go on to win the LJT’s first Sportsmanship Award and the next year the award was named after him. Ragan was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in 2006, which is a rare type of pediatric cancer. He founded “Triumph Over Kid Cancer” which is an organization that has raised more than $3 million dollars for pediatric cancer research. James passed away in 2014 but TOKC has kept going with the help of the Ragan family.
About TOKC: Founded by James Ragan in 2007, Triumph Over Kid Cancer is dedicated to improving the lives of children with cancer by raising their spirits, raising the public’s awareness and funding research to improve the treatment and survivability of pediatric cancers.
What’s Next: The Legends Junior Tour heads east for the Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational at Tempest Golf Club on Oct. 30-31. The invitational will be the final event of the 2021 LJT season with player of the year awards and Jackie Burke Cup roster spots on the line.
For more information on the James A. Ragan Memorial, click here. To see all the scores from the event, click here.