Hailey Jones of Dallas was two strokes behind leader Hanna Alberto of Kingwood as she headed into her final two holes of play
HORSESHOE BAY, Texas — Hailey Jones of
Dallas was two strokes behind leader Hanna
Alberto of Kingwood as she headed into her final
two holes of play at the 89th Texas State Junior
Championship presented by Merrill Lynch. With
Alberto directly behind her, it was up to Jones to
make a move.
After making birdie on the par 3, 17th, Jones
made another challenging eight footer on the
18th green to make her second consecutive
birdie and tie the lead at 6-under-par. Jones
finished the final round with an impressive 4-
under-par 68 to add to her previous rounds of 2-
under 70 and even-par 72, bringing her total
score to 6-under 210.
“I honestly just tried to make as many birdies as
I could and eliminate the stupid mistakes,” said
the 14-year-old Jones. “I was able to get up and
down a lot and chipped in for birdie on nine to
get myself to 1-under. That really helped get my
momentum going.”
Although Jones felt good about her round,
Alberto was still left to play. Having twelve feet
left on the 72nd hole, Alberto had a chance to
close out the tournament and claim the title. It
fell short.
Jones and Alberto were tied at 6-under and
would head into a playoff to decide the Girls 15-
18 champion.
On the first playoff hole, after a wayward tee
shot into a fairway bunker on the par-4 18th,
Jones thought her chances were over while
Alberto lay nicely in the fairway. However, Jones
managed to scramble and make a clutch bogey
putt while Alberto three putted, continuing the
playoff.
The second and final playoff hole saw Alberto
make another bogey while Jones made a routine
par and claiming her first Legends Junior Tour
title.
“It’s awesome! Just so much fun,” said the newly
crowned champion, “To win and have my name
on the trophy with girls like Courtney Dow, and
others, it’s really cool.”
Hanna Alberto finished second in the Girls 15-18
division and joined her younger sister, Leah, in
bringing home a crystal trophy from the
Championship. Leah finished third in the Girls 14
& Under division Tuesday.
Also bringing home a trophy was 12-year-old
Sadie Engelmann of Austin who impressively
finished solo third at 2-under 214 and Emma
Ballard of Kingwood at 1-under 215. McKinney’s
Kenzie Wright was the fifth and final girl to be
awarded a trophy at even-par 216 after narrowly
defeating Erin Fahey of Austin in a scorecard
playoff.
The 89th Texas State Junior Championship is the
first of three LJT major championships this year
for the girls, and the Slick Rock Course at
Horseshoe Bay Resort has played a large role in
its success. The Legends Junior Tour would like
to extend its sincere appreciation to Horseshoe
Bay Resort, its staff, and all volunteers for their
excellent service and hospitality in hosting the
89th Texas State Junior Championship.
About the Texas State Junior
The Texas Boys Junior Championship is one of the largest in the country. Past champions of this prestigious event include Ben Crenshaw, Jeff Maggert, Bruce Lietzke, and Scott Verplank. 54-hole stroke play championship with a cut after 36 holes. All p...
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