Verret, Lee, and Anderson Claim North Texas Classic Titles
DALLAS – Brayden Verret shot a final round 69 and prevailed in a 4-way playoff to win the Boys Division of the North Texas Classic. Megan Lee of Frisco held onto her overnight lead and shot a 1-over-par 71 to win the Girls Division. In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Austin Anderson once again came from behind to win after a final round 68.
Champions: Brayden Verret of Farmers Branch shot a final round 69 to find himself in a 4-way playoff as the sun was setting in south Dallas. Verret found himself competing with Jacob Baker, JP Lynch, and Ryan Lee, who all finished at 3-under for the tournament. Off the tee on the first playoff hole, Verret found himself as the only player of the four to miss the fairway, as he pulled his drive just left on the par-5 first hole. A good recovery on his second shot left him a 100-yard wedge shot into the green from the middle of the fairway.
With Jacob Baker and John Patrick Lynch both inside of his ball on the green with birdie putts, Verret had to putt first. The 12-foot putt broke right into the hole. Lynch and Baker would both barely miss their putts to extend the playoff, and Verret was crowned champion.
All day, Verret “trusted the putter”, which he said was his best club today. When asked what was going through his mind before that winning putt, Verret said “At that point, it’s either going to go in or it’s not. Accept the outcome, don’t be frustrated with if it does or it doesn’t. Trust what you’ve been doing all day,”. With the win, Verret gains exemption into the Byron Nelson Junior Championship, Texas Cup Invitational, among other major championships next season.
Megan Lee co-led after the first round and then maintained her position at the top of the leaderboard, winning by one stroke today. “My putting definitely saved me a couple of shots,” she told us. Lee said her number of greens in regulation could have been better, but her scrambling stats were good enough to win the division. Between rounds, Megan said that she found herself making mistakes but was able to correct them in a strong enough way to end up a champion.
Austin Anderson of Gunter today won his third division title at a Legends Junior Tour event this year, all in final-round comeback fashion. Holding a three-shot lead headed to the final hole, Anderson had his lone bogey of the day on the 18th, which was enough to win the division by a shot. “I played smart, safe golf… and made a lot of pars,” Anderson said. His first-round score of 71 had him sitting in third place overnight, but he played well enough today to jump the players ahead of him. “I feel really good when I’m behind… There’s not a lot of pressure, you just get to play free and easy golf,” Anderson said when asked about his come-from-behind success this season.
In Contention: In the Boys Division, Mt. Pleasant’s Jacob Baker, Austin’s JP Lynch, and Plano’s Ryan Lee all finished in a tie for second place after the playoff. Baker and Lynch fired final rounds of 67, while Lee shot 68 in today’s round. Declan Dent of Grapevine rounded out the top five after finishing the tournament at 1-under.
In the Girls Division, yesterday’s co-leader Naomi-Anne Phan finished in second place after a final round score of 72, 2-over-par. Kensley Cova’s seven birdies helped her shoot a division-best round of 65 today that launched her into a third-place finish, improving sixteen shots from her first round. Cova finished the tournament at 7-over-par.
In the Boys 14 & Under Division, a few late birdies from Bryar Murphy helped him to a solo-second place finish, with a tournament total of 140. Wyatt Brindza rounded out the top three with a final round of 72 to finish at 1-over for the tournament.
Golf Course: Cedar Crest Golf Course is hosting the North Texas Classic for the first time in the tournament’s ten-year history with the Legends Junior Tour. As an A.W. Tillinghast designed course, Cedar Crest is home of the 1927 PGA Championship and Golf Channel televised event, the Southwest Airlines Showcase. Tillinghast is also the creator behind Texas courses such Colonial Country Club, Lakewood Country Club, and Brook Hollow Golf Club.
The course also hosted the Dallas Open in 1936 and the USGA Public Links Championship in 1954. Located in Southern Dallas, the par 70 golf course offers a challenge to the field, stretching out to 6,600 yards in the Boys Division, 6,100 yards in the Boys 14 & Under Division and 5,600 yards in the Girls Division. Cedar Crest Golf Course is also home to the I AM a Golfer Foundation.
I AM a Golfer Foundation is committed to being a catalyst for community renewal and transformation in southern Dallas by delivering impactful programming, preserving the historic Cedar Crest Golf Course, and promoting inclusive access to the game of golf for youth and families. Through their junior golf program, they have introduced over 2,000 local kids to the sport, offering meaningful instruction and life-shaping experiences.
The paid internship program has provided high school and college young adults with hands-on, career-building opportunities, while their scholarship initiative has awarded over $400,000 in college support to 46 deserving students. For more on their work and how you can get involved, visit www.iamagolfer.com.
Tournament Format: The North Texas Classic is a 36-hole stroke play event for players 12-18 years old. All players in the field are required to have an active membership with the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. The North Texas Classic kicked off the Fall Swing of the Legends Junior Tour schedule.
Weather: Players were greeted with cloudy skies and breezy conditions throughout the morning as temperatures hovered around the 70-degree mark. Once the leaders had teed off, the sun came out and temperatures reached 82 degrees.
Player of the Year Points: Verret, Lee, and Anderson all will be awarded 1,000 Player of the Year points for their wins this weekend. For the full Player of the Year points list, click here.
Texas Junior Golf Alliance: The Alliance is a joint venture between the Texas Golf Association, Northern Texas PGA, and Southern Texas PGA. The goal of the Alliance was to allow junior golfers a clear path to the best tournaments in Texas. Each of the tier-two organizations (STPGA, NTPGA) conduct events that serve as qualifiers into the statewide tier-one events run by the Legends Junior Tour (LJT). This allows players to compete in local events in which they can earn spots to play in statewide tournaments.
What’s Next: Next up for the Legends Junior Tour, The Wilderness Golf Club will host the 2025 Fall Challenge on September 27-28. For more information on the Fall Challenge, click here.
For more information on the North Texas Classic, click here. To see all the scores from Cedar Crest Golf Course, click here.
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