The 98th Texas Junior Amateur will be held at The Clubs of Kingwood’s Island and Lake Courses from July 29-31. This is the third time in the last six years that Kingwood has hosted the championship, which is one of the oldest and most prestigious events in junior golf.
“We are very excited to return to The Clubs of Kingwood to conduct this year’s Texas Junior Amateur,” said Scott Davidson, Tournament Director for the Legends Junior Tour. "The Clubs of Kingwood has been a tremendous advocate for amateur golf at all levels and has proven to be a wonderful host venue. We’re confident that between the generous support from the club and its members and these two fantastic courses, the players can look forward to an incredible championship experience.”
Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024, The Clubs of Kingwood is the centerpiece of a 14,000-acre master-planned community located in northeast Houston. The club is home to five award-winning golf courses, with the Island and Lake Courses being on the main property next to the clubhouse.
Opened in 1974, the Island Course was designed by Texas Golf Hall of Fame member Joe Finger. Stretching to over 7,200 yards from the back tees, the Island Course is ranked in the Top 50 Courses in Texas by the Dallas Morning News, and the par-5 18th is recognized by Golf Digest as one of the toughest finishing holes in golf. The Lake Course was designed by Bruce Litell and opened in 1977. As the name suggests, the Lake Course places a premium on accuracy with numerous water hazards coming into play on 13 of the 18 holes.
This year’s Texas Junior Amateur will have a 240-player starting field comprised of four age divisions: Boys 15-18 (120 players), Girls 15-18 (60), Boys 14 & Under (45), and Girls 14 & Under (15).
The Boys 15-18 Division will be contested on the Island Course, while the Girls 15-18 Division will play the Lake Course. The format for both divisions is 54 holes of stroke play, with a cut following the second round. The Boys and Girls 14 & Under Divisions will each play 36 holes of stroke play on the Lake Course.
“The Island and Lake Courses provide plenty of challenges off the tee all the way through the green,” Davidson said. “Both these layouts require a wide range of shot-making abilities as well as good course management skills and will be true tests for the players in every division.”
Having the opportunity to compete for a major championship title at a premier host club is reason enough to get fired up, but there will also be extra incentive for players in select age groups when the 98th Texas Junior Amateur gets underway. As an official USGA Exemption Event beginning in 2024, the winners of the Boys and Girls 15-18 Divisions at The Clubs of Kingwood will be exempt from qualifying for the 2025 U.S. Junior Amateur and 2025 U.S. Girls’ Junior, respectively.
Last year’s Texas Junior Amateur was played on the Old and New Courses at White Bluff Resort in Whitney. Price Hill of Boerne won the Boys 15-18 Division with rounds of 67-78-69 on the New Course. His 2-under-par 214 total was good for a one-shot margin of victory over Colin Leonard of San Angelo. In the Girls 15-18 Division, Kaylee Yuan of Joshua finished at 5-under 211 on the Old Course to win the title by two strokes over Shyla Brown of Dallas.
Henry Jackson of Lantana finished at 1-under 143 over 36 holes on the New Course to win the Boys 14 & Under Division by one stroke over Gavin Hymer of San Antonio. Megan Lee of Frisco carded rounds of 67-72 on the New Course to post a 5-under 139 total to win the Girls 14 & Under Division by nine shots over Daniela Sitompul of McKinney.
First played in 1927, the Texas Junior Amateur is one of the four majors on the Legends Junior Tour’s annual schedule along with the Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior, Texas Cup Invitational, and Texas Girls’ Invitational. Notable past Texas Junior Amateur champions include Ben Crenshaw, Bruce Lietzke, Jordan Spieth, Jeff Maggert, Scott Verplank, Omar Uresti, and Angela Stanford.
For more on the 98th Texas Junior Amateur, click here.
