AUSTIN, Texas (July 29, 2009) - The Texas State Junior Championship is one of the oldest and largest of its kind in the country. Now in its 82^nd year, the TSJC has grown into a three-day affair with over 280 participants. After a four year hiatus, the tournament returned to Jimmy Clay and Roy Kizer Golf Courses in Austin. And for three days the wind blew and the temperatures soared. But for Gabriel Antony and Elena Warren the conditions couldn't have been any more perfect.

Gabe Antony

Antony fired a final round 67 to tie him with fellow competitor Nick Tremps at 4-under par 209. The two headed to No. 18 for a sudden death playoff where they both made par. On the second playoff hole (No. 10), Tremps found the fairway bunker off the tee and then missed the green with his second shot. Antony, meanwhile, split the fairway with his tee shot and hit his second to about 10 feet. After Tremps failed to get up-and-down for par, Antony two-putted for the victory.

The win was a redemption of sorts for Antony, who lost in a playoff to Jack Lempke at last year's Texas Cup Invitational. For Tremps, it was the second year in a row he lost the State Junior in a playoff. Last year he was defeated by Jade Scott on the first playoff hole.

Elena Warren

Over on Jimmy Clay, Elena Warren of Austin shot the low round of the tournament, an even-par 72, to claim the Girls 15-18 title. Warren, 16, began the day one shot behind leader Christina Stringham but her three birdie, three bogey performance in the final round left her three shots clear of three players including Stringham.

Conducted by the Legends Junior Tour, the 15-18 divisions of the State Junior Championship featured 246 players (144 boys, 102 girls) from around the state. The Boys played the par-71 Roy Kizer Golf Course at 6,750 yards while the Girls played the par-72 Jimmy Clay course from 5,947 yards.

BOYS LEADERBOARD

GIRLS LEADERBOARD

www.flickr.com Legends Junior Tour's 2009 Texas State Junior Championship photoset

AUSTIN, Texas (July 28, 2009) - Stratton Nolen of Austin came from behind to win the Boys 14 & Under division at the 82^nd Texas State Junior Championship while Eji Kwon went wire-to-wire in the Girls 14 & Under division.

Stratton Nolen

Conducted by the Legends Junior Tour, the 14 & Under divisions of the State Junior Championship featured 54 players (36 boys, 18 girls) from around the state. The Boys played the par-72 Jimmy Clay Golf Course at 6,496 yards while the Girls played from 5,200 yards.

Nolen, 14, began the day one shot behind first-round leader Brad Dalke after an opening round 74. But the lead was quickly squandered by Dalke as he bogeyed three of his first seven holes while Nolen started with nine straight pars. Birdies on Nos. 10 and 12 brought Nolen back to even-par for the tournament. A bogey on the final hole left him one-over and one shot clear of the field.

The win was the second of the year for Nolen. He also won the Bluebonnet Championship in May. With the win, Nolen earned an AJGA Junior All-Star exemption.

Eji Kwon

Matthew Perrine, also of Austin, finished in second place after rounds of 75-71. William Martinez took home the third place trophy by virtue of a scorecard tie-breaker with Dalke.

Eji Kwon of College Station bested the field of 18 in the Girls 14 & Under division after rounds of 76-77. The win was the first for Kwon on the Legends Junior Tour and also earned her an AJGA Junior All-Star exemption.

Kelsey Canales of Corpus Christi finished in second place at 156 while Jordan LaBarbera of Allen finished in third at 160.

Alex Nelson of McKinney and Christina Stringham of Pasadena continue to lead the Boys and Girls 15-18 divisions repsectively. Each player will take a one shot lead into tomorrow's final round.

The cut line fell at 150 in the Boys 15-18 division with 56 players moving on. For the Girls 15-18 division, the cut fell at 165 with 31 players advancing.

Tomorrow's final round will begin at 7:30 AM off Nos. 1 and 10 on Roy Kizer and No. 1 on Jimmy Clay.

AUSTIN, Texas (July 27, 2009) - Alex Nelson of McKinney fired an opening round 67 to take the lead at the 82^nd Texas State Junior Championship. Nelson, who qualified at last week's Last Chance Qualifier, carded six birdies on his round. A double bogey on the par-3 4th hole was the only blemish.

Conducted by the Legends Junior Tour, the Boys & Girls Junior Championship features 288 players (180 boys, 108 girls) from around the state. The field is broken into four divisions with the Boys 15-18 playing the Roy Kizer Golf Course and the Boys 14 & Under, Girls 15-18 and Girls 14 & Under playing the Jimmy Clay Golf Course.

Arcadio Ramos of Laredo is alone in second place, two shots back.

Five players are tied for third at one-under par 70. They are Matthew Loyd of Arlington, Benjamin Bankhead of McKinney, Conner Ribble of Texarkana, Will DeShazo of Tyler and Brian Smith of Corpus Christi.

Brad Dalke of Burkburnett leads the Boys 14 & Under division by one shot after an opening round 73. Three players are tied for second.

Congratulations to Brandon Reed of Houston on his hole-in-one on No. 2. The par-3 second is playing 134 yards.

On the Girls side, Christina Stringham leads the 15-18 division after an opening round 75. The Pasadena native made three birdies during her round but the tight layout and windy conditions made scoring difficult.

Ryanne Haddow of Sugar Land and Katelyn McDougal of Richmond are tied for second at 78.

Eji Kwon of College Station is the leader in the Girls 14 & Under division. She shot a four-over par 76.

Despite the large field and blustery conditions that persisted all day, pace of play was excellent with the last group finishing in just over 4 hours, 30 minutes.

Tomorrow's second round will begin at 7:30 AM with players teeing off Nos. 1 and 10 tees on both courses.

DALLAS, Texas (July 23, 2009) - The 82^nd Texas State Junior Championship will be held July 27-29 at Roy Kizer and Jimmy Clay Golf Courses in Austin. The best junior golfers in Texas will head to Austin looking to be crowned a ‘State Champion.'

Conducted by the Legends Junior Tour, the Boys & Girls Junior Championship features 288 players (180 boys, 108 girls) from around the state. The field is broken into four divisions with the Boys 15-18 playing the Roy Kizer Golf Course and the Boys 14 & Under, Girls 15-18 and Girls 14 & Under playing the Jimmy Clay Golf Course.

Qualifying for the Boys Championship was held earlier this month with 290 players vying for a spot in the field. A Last Chance Qualifier was held today in Carrollton where the final 20 spots were awarded. Registration for the Girls was taken on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Some of the top juniors in Texas including Trent Redfern, Tucker Wadkins, Scott Scheffler, Will Zalatoris and Katy Cardno will try to join an impressive list of past champions including Ben Crenshaw, Jeff Maggert, Bruce Lietzke, Scott Verplank and Angela Stanford.

Play will begin on Monday at 7:30 AM. A champion will be crowned after 36-holes in the Boys and Girls 14 & Under divisions. There will be a cut after 36-holes for the Boys and Girls 15-18 divisions with a champion being crowned after 54-holes.

The Legends Junior Tour, a joint venture between the Texas Golf Association and the Northern and Southern Texas Sections of the PGA, was established in 2005 under the umbrella of the TGA foundation. By joining forces a tour was created that is the place for top-tier junior golfers to compete, and is unrivaled with respect to depth and quality of the starting fields, as well as providing access to some of the best courses in the state.

Junior players, both male and female ages 12-18, who have exhibited the skill level necessary to compete on a more distinguished stage, have the opportunity to compete in professionally managed events conducted by the three leading golf organizations in Texas. In just a few short years, the Legends Junior Tour has grown into one of the largest in the country, annually conducting 24+ competitions across the state, and has become a model of cooperation for others to follow.

For more information, please contact David Prinz, Director of Operations at (214.468.8955) or dprinz@tljt.org.

DALLAS, Texas (April 22, 2009) - The 82^nd annual Texas State Junior Championship will be held July 27-29 at Roy Kizer and Jimmy Clay Golf Courses in Austin. This premiere Championship conducted by the Legends Junior Tour is one of the oldest and largest state junior competitions in the country, with 288 top-level competitors participating. Past champions of this prestigious event include Ben Crenshaw, Jeff Maggert, Bruce Lietzke, Scott Verplank and Angela Stanford.

With four divisions of play -- Boys 15-18, Boys 14 & Under, Girls 15-18 and Girls 14 & Under -- registration is open to boys and girls 18 & under, who are residents of Texas and not yet enrolled in college. For the boys, there are two different ways to gain entry into the Championship: earning an exemption through play in Legends Junior Tour and prominent national events or earning a spot through local qualifiers. Entry for the girls will be done on a first-come, first-serve basis but entry is limited to the first 108 players (90 Girls 15-18 and 18 Girls 14 & Under).

In addition to being ranked by Junior Golf Scoreboard, AJGA tournament exemptions and performance starts will be awarded to top finishers. All players will receive an attrative tee gift package including Titleist ProV1 golf balls and Nike golf apparel.

Regisration is currently open on the Legends Junior Tour Web site -- www.TLJT.org -- and will end on June 23 at Noon CDT. Players do not need to be a member of the Legends Junior Tour to participate.

The Legends Junior Tour, a joint venture between the Texas Golf Association and the Northern and Southern Texas Sections of the PGA, was established in 2005 under the umbrella of the TGA foundation. By joining forces a tour was created that is the place for top-tier junior golfers to compete, and is unrivaled with respect to depth and quality of the starting fields, as well as providing access to some of the best courses in the state.

Junior players, both male and female ages 12-18, who have exhibited the skill level necessary to compete on a more distinguished stage, have the opportunity to compete in professionally managed events conducted by the three leading golf organizations in Texas. In just a few short years, the Legends Junior Tour has grown into one of the largest in the country, annually conducting 24+ competitions across the state, and has become a model of cooperation for others to follow.

For more information, please contact David Prinz, Director of Communications (214.468.8955) at dprinz@tljt.org or visit us online at www.TLJT.org.