Villanueva, Wan and Lehner Lead George Hannon Junior Invitational
Briefly: Adam Villanueva fired a 7-under 64 in the opening round of the George Hannon Junior Invitational leading the Boys 15-18 Division by three strokes. Edward Lehner leads the Boys 14 & Under Division at University of Texas Golf Club, and Claire Wan stayed focused and finished Round 1 as the sole leader of the Girls Division.
Leaders: Austin’s Adam Villanueva shot 7-under par 64, on Monday at the UT Golf Club. Villanueva’s round included 8 birdies, which all came on his first 12 holes. His hot putter cooled off a bit coming in and finished off his stellar round with a disappointing bogey on his final hole. Villanueva is a 2025 graduate and has already committed to play at the University of Texas.
Austin’s Claire Wan played a steady round of golf to stand alone as the leader of the Girls 12-18 Division. Her even par round of 71 consisted of 2 birdies, 2 bogeys and 14 pars. Wan will take a 3 shot lead into tomorrow’s final round.
In the Boys 14 & Under Division, Edward Lehner from Dallas made 2 birdies versus one bogey in his one under par round of 70 and will start the final round with a 2 shot lead.
In Contention: Austin Randall played his way into second place with a bogey free round of 4 under par 67. There are eight players tied for third place in the Boy’s Division at 1-under par 70 including College Stations Ryan ‘Woojin’ Lee, Richmond’s Mitchell Maier and Grayson Sebastian, Dallas’s Jeffrey Rubenstein and Duff Mckay, Leander’s Taylor Cussimanio, Lakeway’s Mackey Beckett, and Austin’s Bennett Kuhns. Trailing Lehner by two strokes in the Boys 14 & Under is Declan Dent from Grapevine and Gunter’s Austin Anderson with both players finishing their rounds at 1 over 72. In the Girls Division, Southlake’s Stephanie De Marco and Austin’s Eden McSpadden trail leader Wan by three strokes with both players posting 3 over par rounds. DeMarco is the current 2024 Player of the Year points leader on the Legends Junior Tour.
Golf Course: The University of Texas Golf Club was designed by Bechtol Russell and opened in 2003. The course is set along the Colorado River and features stunning Texas Hill Country views along with a challenging par-71 layout. The course overlooks Lake Austin and borders the Balcones Natural Wildlife Preserve and has hosted the George Hannon Junior Invitational six times now, including the last four years.
Weather: Temperatures started in the mid 70’s under mostly sunny skies on Monday and with temperature peaking out in the high 90’s. Winds were light and out of the south at 5-10 mph.
Tournament Format: The George Hannon Junior Invitational is a 36-hole stroke play event for players that have earned an exemption through the Texas Junior Golf Alliance or the Hannon Society. The 90-player field is one of the strongest in the state as they play 18 holes each day.
Player of the Year Points: 1500 points in the 2024 Player of the Year Point Race are up for grabs to the winners this week at the George Hannon Junior Invitational. Points are awarded at each tournament to the top half of each age division.
About George Hannon: George Hannon, who was affectionately called “Coach”, coached the University of Texas golf team for 18 seasons. Coach Hannon saw his Longhorns win two National Championships in 1971 and 1972, 12 Southwest Conference Titles and three individual titles. Hannon’s Horns included Ben Crenshaw, Tom Kite, Mark Brooks, Phil Blackmar, Brandel Chamblee, Rik Massengale and Paul Thomas.
Hannon Cup Association: The Hannon Cup Association contributes to golf scholarships, supports the Austin Junior Golf Academy and hosts the George Hannon Junior Invitational and Hannon Cup Matches. Mark Coward and Brent Buckman were instrumental in conceiving the idea and in organizing and forming the initial committee for the Hannon Cup. Support was provided by a group of individuals and businesses that became known as the Hannon Society. To date the Association has distributed more than $145,000 worth of secondary education scholarships through the Southern Texas PGA Foundation.
About Texas Mutual: Texas Mutual is the presenting sponsor of the George Hannon Junior Invitational and has been caring for hardworking Texans for more than 25 years. Taking care of people is what Texas Mutual does and that’s why they invest time, energy and resources into increasing safety, wellness and education for all Texans. Texas Mutual has been the presenting sponsor of this event for the last five years.
Texas Junior Golf Alliance: The Alliance is a joint venture between the Texas Golf Association, Northern and Southern Texas PGA and Houston Golf Association. The goal of the Alliance was to allow junior golfers a clear path to the best tournaments in Texas. Each of the three tier-two organizations (STPGA, NTPGA, HGA) 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.
Next Up: The Final Round of the George Hannon Junior Invitational is scheduled for Tuesday with tee times starting at 7:30 am off the No. 1 and 10 tees. Following Tuesday’s Final Round, awards will be handed to the top five in the Boys Division and top three in the Girls and Boys 14 & Under Divisions.
For more information on the George Hannon Junior Invitational, click here. To see all the scores from UT Golf Club, click here.