Verret, Diaz, and Bellendir Win James A. Ragan Memorial
Briefly: Brayden Verret fired a 3-under 69 in his final round to win the Boys 15-18 Division of the James A. Ragan Memorial at Corpus Christi Country Club. Alicia Bellendir’s consistent golf secured her the win, with a final round score of 5-under par 67, winning by three strokes. Meanwhile, Isaiah Diaz kept his over-night lead in the end, shooting a 2-under 71, claiming victory by a one-hole playoff in the Boys 14 & Under Division.
Farmers Branch’s Brayden Verret wins this year’s James A. Ragan Boys 15-18 with a gross score of five under par. Yesterday, Verret carded four birdies with two bogeys giving him a score of 70. Today, while carding 69, he only recorded one bogey along with another four birdies. This sound playing of his gave him the edge over his competition, allowing him to claim yet another LJT title.
Alicia Bellendir of Coppell takes first place after a magnificent bogey free round of 67. What contributed to this 5-under par round? Bellendir states, “I was consistent today, hitting a lot of fairways, and finding the greens”. She also mentioned her chipping and putting were really good both days, which contributed to her excellent 36-hole score of 4-under. As this was potentially her last junior event with the LJT, she was able to cap off her junior career on a high note, and we wish her all the best in college.
In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Isaiah Diaz out of Del Rio narrowly prevailed over Lincoln Rubis to claim first place. After both players completed 36 holes at 3-under par, they returned to the tenth hole for a playoff. Diaz quickly sealed the victory with a birdie.
In Contention: In the Boys Division, Austin’s J.P. Lynch finished second at 3-under after improving his score from round one to round two by seven strokes. McAllen’s Rex Flores and Ian Chen shared third place with a final score of 2-under. In the Girl’s Division, Boerne’s Quinn Timmerman fired 1-under par to finish solo second for the second year in a row. Austin’s Addison Bandelier finished third with a 1-over par round. In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Lincoln Rubis of Farmers Branch came in second after a birdie on his final hole to force a sudden death playoff with Diaz. Finishing in solo third with a score of 1-over, was Ryan Chen out of Houston.
Course: Corpus Christi Country Club returns as the host of the James A. Ragan Memorial after taking a break in 2022 for a full course renovation which included 18 new green complexes, new bunkers, and a re-grassing of the fairways. Chet Williams Design led the renovation, and the course was re-opened last November during their Centennial Celebration. Previously, Corpus Chrisi Country Club 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 a 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 maneuvers 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.
Weather: The temperature today in Corpus Christi reached 87 degrees under mostly clear skies. The wind stayed relatively mellow throughout the day with some gusts in the early afternoon reaching 12 mph.
Tournament Format: The tournament is a 36-hole stroke play event for players ages 12-18 that are members of the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. Players completed 18 holes on Sunday and will play the final 18 holes on Monday.
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 three 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 to Huntsville for the Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational at Bearkat Course on October 25-26. For more information on the Texas Junior Golf Alliance Invitational, click here. For more information on the James A. Ragan Memorial, click here. To see all the scores from Sunday’s round, click here.