High School Preview

 

McKenzie Mueller earned his first victory on the Legends Junior Tour this year after defeating Daniel Borg in a playoff at the High School Preview at Pecan Valley GC in Fort Worth.  Mueller used a back nine two-under-par 33 to erase a three stroke deficit to Borg at the turn and force a playoff. Mueller struggled early, making bogeys on three of his first four holes. The momentum of the round swung from Borg to Mueller starting on hole #10, which Mueller birdied and followed up with another birdie on #12. Mueller finally drew even after a Borg bogey on the difficult par-4 15^th. The duo matched pars on the final three holes to both finish with one-over-par 71 and three over total for the championship. In the playoff which took place on the par-5 18^th hole, Mueller hooked his hybrid club on his second shot to the left of the green, where it was unclear to Mueller and Borg if the ball found the lateral hazard left of the green or even cleared the water hazard in front. It turned out Mueller’s gamble paid off, as his ball sat harmlessly in the rough left of the green. After a nifty up-and-down, Mueller was victorious with the birdie.

 

In the Girls Division, Katie Grady held on win by one stroke over Chaney Uhles and Rachel Mulkey in a roller coaster round for the entire group. Going into the day with a lead of one over Uhles and five over Mulkey, Grady actually saw her lead evaporate early, as Uhles rocketed to a four shot lead after just three holes, including a 3 shot swing on the par 3 3^rd, which Uhles birdied. Grady then grabbed the lead back three holes later, taking advantage of Uhles struggles.  Quietly, Mulkey crept back into the race going out in 38 and taking the lead after a par on #17. Mulkey made a disappointing double bogey on the final hole and Grady made par, leap frogging Mulkey for the win.

 

Andre Garcia, like Grady in the Girls Division, also gave up a sizable lead before coming back to win the Boys 14 & Under Division. Starting the day with a six stroke lead over Andrew Hudson, Garcia lost his lead to Hudson after a two stroke swing on the 12^th hole, a hole which Hudson birdied. After trading pars on #13, Garcia raced past Hudson after back-to-back pars converted his deficit to a two stroke lead that he would not relinquish.